THE HOTEL PARIS CASE Job Descriptions A brief analysis, conducted with her company's CFO, The Hotel Paris's competitive strategy is "To use superior guest reinforced that observation. They chose departments across service to differentiate the Hotel Paris properties, and to the hotel chain that did and did not have updated job descrip- thereby increase the length of stayand return rate of guests, and tions. Although they understood that many other factors thus boost revenues and profitability" HR manager Lisa Cruz might be influencing the results, they believed that the must now formulate functional policies and activities that sup relationships they observed did suggest that having job port this competitive strategy by eliciting the required employee descriptions had a positive influence on various employee behaviors and competencies. behaviors and competencies. Perhaps having the descriptions As an experienced human resource director, the Hotel facilitated the employee selection process, or perhaps the Paris's Lisa Cruz knew that recruitment and selection departments with the descriptions just had better managers. processes invariably influenced employee competencies and She knew the Hotel Paris's job descriptions would have behavior and, through them, the company's bottom line. to include traditional duties and responsibilities. However, Everything about the workforce-its collective skills, most should also include several competencies unique to morale, experience, and motivation-depended on attract cach job. For example, job descriptions for the front desk ing and then selecting the right employees. clerks might include "able to check a guest in or out in 5 In reviewing the Hotel Paris's employment systems, she minutes or less." Most service employees' descriptions was therefore concerned that virtually all the company's job included the competency, "able to exhibit patience and guest descriptions were out of date, and that many jobs had supportiveness even when busy with other activities." no descriptions at all. She knew that without accurate job descriptions, all her improvement efforts would be in vain. Questions After all, if you don't know a job's duties, responsibilities, In teams or individually and human requirements, how can you decide who to hire 1. Based on the hotel's stated strategy. list at least four impor or how to train them? To create human resource policies and tant employee behaviors for the Hotel Paris's staff practices that would produce employee competencies and 2. If time permits, spend some time prior to class observing behaviors needed to achieve the hotel's strategic aims, Lisa's the front desk clerk at a local hotel In any case, create a team first had to produce a set of usable job descriptions job description for a Hotel Paris front desk clerk