Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Georg Arlt
International Tourism Management

 

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ITM Bachelor 3. Sem
8076: Human Resource Management in Leisure and Tourism

 

 

Today 8.15-9.15 h lecture HRM

9.15-10.15 h Lecture by Dr. Smogor

 

 

 

 

Employee relations, involvement and participation

 

Leisure and Tourism is a people industry: Without motivated employees it is almost impossible to be successful. However, most people working in companies in a market economy are not the owners of the company.

 

How to motivate employees without giving over
the leadership and ownership of the company to them?

 

Different forms of companies (from small to big) in Leisure and Tourism:

 

Form of company

Branches

Consequences for Employee relations

One-person-company

Consulting, Holiday Flat Rental, Inbound T.O., Shop, Entertainer, Mobile Take-away

Owner works for him/herself

Family-run business

B&B / Pension, Shop, Small Museum, Farm, Boat Rental, Small Restaurant, Specialized T.O., Travel Agency

Family relations

Family-run business with some employees

as above, bigger in size,
Transport Co.

Family-like relations

Privately owned and operated company

as above, bigger in size,
Hotel, attractions etc.

Mix of family-like and industrial relations (mostly no union representation)

Privately owned, manager-operated Co.

as above, maybe part of a chain

Manager also employee

Public-owned Co./Institution

Museum, Theater, DMO, Attraction

relations based on public sector rules

National Listed Co.

Hotel Group, Airline, T.O.,

industrial relations (union representation more likely)

International Listed Co.

as above, internationally engaged

industrial relations (union representation more likely, but mostly on national level only)

 

 

 

 

 Traditional instrument of employee relations: Labor Unions

 German approach: Sozialpartnerschaft, strict collective labor agreements (Tarifvertrag)

 

 

DGB (Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund: 1991 11 mio. members --> 2007: 6.4 mio. members

 

For Leisure and Tourism main unions within DGB:

ver.di (including transport)

ngg (Nahrung-Genuss-Gaststätten)

(for tourism professors in FHs: hlb)

 

 


Strike pickets in front of a University Mensa

 

 

What are the advantages and disadvantages to organize employee relations
with the help of labor unions?

 

 

 

 

 

In L+T, lower organisation grade than in other industries because of:

 - structure of the workforce: young, part-time, minorities, seasonal, temporary

 - SMEs with family-like structures

 - conservatism and individualism in the work ethos of the employees

 - hostility towards labor unions by the employers

 

 

But: Small groups of unionized workers can make a big difference:

Examples: Air-traffic controllers, locomotive drivers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Union membership in decline

 unionpercentage

 

 

Other forms of employee relations:

 

- Involvement and Empowerment

- Information sharing, Teamwork

- TQM, Quality Circles

 

trying to achieve:

 - Reduction in the social distance

 - Less close supervision -> more responsive service

 - Enhanced motivation -> greater commitment

 - Manager can concentrate on problem-solving and strategy

 - WOM

 

 

BUT: Often gap between rhetoric and reality.

 

 

 

 

  Contact: Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Georg Arlt FRGS
Bachelor and Master Program International Tourism Management
arlt@fh-westkueste.de, Office 2.018, Tel. 0481 8555-513
Consultation hours (during lecture period): Tuesday 16.00 - 17.00 h
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