Part-1: Research paper

Introduction

In the modern world, workplace diversity plays an important role in the development of organisational culture. According to Ang (2016), workplace diversity is considered as one of the major hindrances in the development of a work place. In the words of Trax, Brunow and Suedekum (2015), the diversity in the business organisations can be considered as one of the challenges that exist in the sector. As observed by Banks (2015) the difference in diversity can be seen in terms of the cultural background of the employees, the age as well as the challenges in terms of the gender.

The analysis for this particular assignment is based on understanding the diversity that exists in the hospitality sector in Australia. The industry can be considered as having one of the most diverse employees mainly because it provides employment to various people belonging to different ethical and cultural backgrounds. The assignment rests on the application of cultural, age and gender diversity and the challenges that exist with the application of the diversity at the workplace.

Overview of the diversity terms

Diversity can be considered as one of the complex factors that help in the development of an organisation and account for its downfall. In the modern world, to gain additional advantage in the national as well as international market, most organisations tend to recruit diverse people. Li et al. (2017) state that diversity as an application in organisations can be stated as a collective mixture, which involves differences and similarities in the form of characteristics associated with an individual and organisation. In the words of Ang and Van Dyne (2015) the application of the values, beliefs, and experiences gained and possessed by the people along with the different background and behaviour undertaken by the people.

At the same time, Rice (2015) pointed out that the major as well as the secondary dimension of diversity need to be categorised in a proper manner. According to Phillips et al. (2016), these dimensions are categorised in terms of age, gender and sexual orientation of people. Along with these the ethnicity, religion and communication style of the people including the educational background are also considered. Guillaume et al. (2017) observed that in the modern world, the reorganisation of diversity in the hospitality sector has increased due to the wide spread popularity and growth of the sector. In this regard, as stated by Rock and Grant (2016) diversity within organisations may account for challenges in terms of recruitment as well as management of the employees.

As stated by Davis, Frolova and Callahan (2016) the reason for this is that diverse employees may lead to the emergence of diverse beliefs, culture and thoughts. Therefore, as observed by Martin and Nakayama (2015) variance may be seen in terms of tasks as well as the influence that may be gained while recruiting such members. In this regard, it can be said that examples of diversities that are faced in the industry is taken into consideration along with the issues that are faced by the hospitality sectors in Australia.

Culture diversity

Cultural diversity can be considered as important mainly because it takes into consideration the beliefs and behaviours of the individuals. According to Chen, Smith and Mustard (2019), the mixing of different cultures can be considered as important mainly because it identifies the people that exist within an organisation based on which each of the individuals can gain respect about one another. As stated by Wang and Hsieh (2016) one of the advantages that cultural diversity brings about to organisations is the fact that it considers the inclusion of demographic factors along with the values and cultural norms present among the people. As stated by Fitzenberger and Muehler (2015) this can lead to advancement in the era of globalisation so that organisations can conduct business without problems.

At the same time, some of the inclusion of the cultural difference can be the language barrier, religion and nationality. According to Miller and Katz (2018), the manner in which the cultural difference can be classified includes the identification of the activities as well as the number of migrants that exist in the hospitality sectors. As stated by Mumford and Smith (2015) the cultural background that exists in the respective countries can influence each of the employees in the hospitality sectors. For example, people belonging to a culture with less English speaking ability can be hesitant in communicating with the people within the sector. This can be considered as one of the barriers in terms of maintaining the cultural prospects of the country.

As stated by Mirawati et al. (2018) the difference in the language spoken often leads to a negative impact in the communication and thus, uncertainties while making deals with business people can be considered as a cause of hindrance for organisations. As stated by Gabriel et al. (2018) another challenge that may be developed due to the cultural diversity is the fact that beliefs and nature of working among the people in different countries can be considered as a hindrance. In this regard, it can be said that for the development of the hospitality sectors, the challenges involved in terms of cultural development need to be considered and rectified.

Age

The hospitality sector is booming but on contrary, there are several inhibiting factors found to stalwart the progress of the industry. Tammaru et al. (2015) stated that one such factor is ageism and the challenges faced by the aged employees in this sector are much talked about. Australia in the year 2006 had conducted an enquiry into the hospitality sector and found that ageism is said to be as problem there and many of the employees had been unaware of the government legislation and support. Halgin et al. (2018) have spoken of the new trend called “Foodie culture” that has engulfed the country in recent years.

However, as countered by Cundiff and Vescio (2016) most of these foodies are nowhere young or social media savvy therefore, they are costing the companies millions. Kronberg (2019) supports this citing that 14 billion dollar industry looks for well trained graduates and there is nothing wrong with it. Nonetheless, the industry works with a skeleton workforce plan where there are seasonal employees and they hire additional standbys to work during peak season. According to Trax, Brunow and Suedekum (2015), the permanent employees are required to work 24/7, 365 days to give good service to the guests. Named as perfect storm, Australia sees 43% of their employees are young while 20% of them are old.

The young people hold higher positions while the old people are said to hold front lines. Banks (2015) are of opinion that two factors can be tied with challenges the industry face while working with aged people. As stated by Ang (2016) the first is emotional labour and second is the aged people are unable to keep with the latest trends. As discussed earlier, most aged people are not equipped with a Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or a TikTok account; therefore, they become a liability for the industry. As stated by Rice (2015) emotional labour is another factor that can slow down the aged employees. They tend to miss their families thereby affecting their work. This reality is highly inefficient given the tangible evidence of success that resonates in the industry.

Gender challenges

Gender equality is nothing new and all the industries thrive to achieve that goal. Although there are hard working people, celebrated chefs and business owners, however the hospitality industry in Australia has failed to mark their sector gender equal. According to Ang and Van Dyne (2015), the gender pay gap is real and disparities between the annual pay of men and women are a huge cry. Phillips et al. (2016) stated that unlike other evaluations of job quality focusing primarily on wage, the composite gauge industrial stresses work, week duration in which part timing affect women particularly heavily.

Li et al. (2017) reported that industry is quite old and the generational issues stand way to gender equality. The report attributes cultural bias and age-old ruling of men in position of power that leads to women getting lower pay and low level of jobs in the industry. As stated by Guillaume et al. (2017) luxury and finance are the two sectors where gender inequality is quite apparent. The traditional luxury hotel manager has started in operations thereby working his way up in the ranks. As observed by Rock and Grant (2016) the different positions possibly involved moving from one hotel to next. Therefore, there is further relocation for opulence, and that might become an issue for the woman but not for a man.

However, as stated by Martin and Nakayama (2015) in the role of a General Manager, there is need for relocation again which might become risky for woman. As stated by Chen, Smith and Mustard (2019) in case of Luxury hotels, they have more VIP issues, food and beverage events to deal with and, henceforth the General Managers need to work for longer hours than any other sector. As pointed out by Davis, Frolova and Callahan (2016), this might become less favourable for the woman. In many cases, the woman employees have stated that the high demand of relocation and late night outs are the reasons they themselves shied away from their company offering high potential general manager career path.

Conclusion

From the analysis of the assignment, it can be seen that diversity is important for the development of an organisation. In the case of the hospitality sector, it can be said that diversity plays an important role since the people recruited in the sector belong to different regions. The challenges identified can be considered as a mode of hindrance mainly because the progress of the hospitality sectors can be dented via the diversity that takes place. In this case, it can be said that certain recommendations can be provided which my highlight the manner in which positivity can be undertaken in the hospitality sector. One of the major recommendations that can be made is the fact that each of the identified diversity need to be considered as individual factors.

The recommendations in this case include providing knowledge among the employees about the advantages that the diversity can bring about. The advantages can be considered as one of the major developments for the hospitality sector. Along with this, another recommendation that can be made is the fact that embracing the diversity factors can lead to development of the sector. This is required to be done keeping in mind the advantages that exist while working in diverse cultures for organisational development.

Reflection

In my opinion, the importance of diversity need to be kept in mind as it provides organisations with an opportunity to strengthen their capabilities. This can lead to the development of a potential workforce, which in turn can help in the growth of the organisation. In the case of the hospitality sector in Australia, the number of people that exists within the country and the advantages that is brought about in various sectors can influence the diversity. The rapid growth of the hospitality sector can be influenced by the manner in which diversity of the country can be utilised so that it can continue with the effective management as well as the development of the issues.

In this regard, it can be said that in my opinion I believe that proper management of diversity in terms of culture, age and gender can provide the hospitality sector with an opportunity to remain updated in the market. The legal rules and regulations related to diversity can also be considered as an effective implementation for the implementation of diversity in the sector. Challenges related to diversity can be addressed by providing employees with proper knowledge about the effectiveness and at the same time by engaging them in team working activities. Thus, the importance of diversity can be considered as unprecedented for the growth of the hospitality sector.

Part-2: Industry interview

In order to understand the challenges that exist in terms of diversity, an industry interview can be conducted so that proper knowledge based on the challenges as well as the benefits of diversity can be understood. The interview of Mr Sebastien Bazin was conducted. He is the CEO of Accur Hotels that owns some of the biggest accommodating hotel names in the hospitality sector. The interview focused on the diversity that existed in Accur Hotels across Australia, particularly focusing on the culture followed at Swissotel in Sydney. It had been seen that most of the people at the hotel belonged from different culture. The people had been mostly from Switzerland and thus, one of the biggest challenges that were faced by the people was that of the language.

Therefore, a major change that was needed to be made by the CEO with the help of the local people recruited was to conduct a training session on teaching the English language. At the same time, another point that was made by Mr Bazin was the fact that cultural difference between the people accounted for loss in the organisation. The fact that language barrier plays an important role at Swissotel can be accounted for the fact that majority of the recruitments had been made based on the local talents. In terms of age, Swissotel does not have any discrimination. However, with age, the job role of the existing employees changes due to the intensity of the work. This accounts for the fact that employees at Swissotel are promoted based on the level of seniority.

Another important observation made from the interview is the fact that each of the employees respects the cultural difference that exists. Despite being an Australian by residence, some of the people follow different cultures due to the family upbringing or for the family background belonging to a different culture. Respect for such cultures is provided which accounts for the development of a strong teamwork and team bonding. Thus, at Swissotel, despite the existence of various cultural people, the challenges faced are overcome by virtue of team bonding and the respect each of the members have for one another. In this regard, a workforce tool can be used to evaluate the challenge.

Part-3: Workforce tool

In order to ensure that diversity is managed in an organisation, it is necessary that proper communication be implemented. Proper communication can help in the development of employees so that any form of disadvantages based on language barrier can be avoided. At the same time, employees are provided with the encouragement to share the concerns of one another regarding maintaining equality within the company. In this regard, it can be said that for the development of an organisation along with its competency in the market the application of communication between the people working in it is essential.

From the interview conducted about Swissotel, analysis has been made about the manner in which barrier in language have been the main source of problem for the organisation. Thus, the use of communication as a tool for addressing the issue at the workplace can be considered as one of the most important tool for organisational development. In this regard, it can be said that strategies such as open door policy can be considered as an effective communication tool for Swissotel so that it continue with the development of the cultural diversity by addressing the challenges.

The application of the open door policy can help in addressing the issues with each of the employees so that they can understand the value that exists with the changes in the cultural aspects of the organisation. The employees need to be open with one another regarding any type of problem that exists within the organisation particularly in terms of communication. The communication between each of the employees needs to be based on the differences between the culture and the manner in which each of the employees can provide support to one another.

Thus, via the communication tool, being available to the employees can be considered as a huge factor, which can help in the development of the company and address the issues associated with it. Thus, in order to improve and remove all barriers of communication in the workplace, it is necessary to consider an increase in teamwork. In the case of Swissotel this is one of the positive aspects that are held by the organisation. Overall, it can be said that the effective use of communication can be positive for Swissotel.

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