Special Features - HR Today - Naveed Sirajudeen, Head HR, Radisson RED Dubai Silicon Oasis
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Now that the world is getting vaccinated and spaces opening up, what does the hospitality landscape look like from an HR perspective?
Must say we are very fortunate to be working in a city such as Dubai, who has put in a lot of effort to promote itself as a safe destination. Hotels and restaurants are getting busy with both residents & tourists. With this Increase in number of guests, recruitment has now become a priority. Nevertheless, hiring is not as easy as it was pre-Covid with travel restrictions still in effect, along with new hotels & outlets opening or ramping up prior to Expo. Here, at RED, recruitment is even more important as we want to develop RED Silicon Oasis into an F&B destination within the community as well as within the surroundings of Dubai.
How did you keep the staff motivated during this difficult time?
We are very fortunate to have understanding owners & a management team who were in complete support with the employees during difficult times. Pay reduction for all was put in place but kept to a minimum period and salaries were paid monthly, on time. We also organized team building activities for the team. Having a small team of 60+ also helped create camaraderie, as we all know each other very well here at RED. We also have an open-door policy, so people come talk to us all the time. A lot of employees have not seen their families in over a year and so we are sort of their family, so it is important for them to feel heard and to belong.
What lessons do you feel you have learned from this period?
That we cannot be complacent, hospitality is one of those industries that faced a significant impact during the pandemic, situations can change significantly from one day to another, hence it is very important to be prepared for all kinds of scenarios, we need to have a back up plan for the backup plan
Is hiring coming back soon?
Yes, it definitely is but with its own current restrictions. The market needs people as a lot of front liners left the country, during the pandemic. So, a lot of outlets and hotels are competing now for energetic, multi-lingual employees. Skills can be taught but the key is to find someone with personality and who is motivated/passionate about the industry. We are also looking into getting students to do internships with us, It’s a great opportunity for them to get a glimpse of how the different departments of a hotel work together. Before year end we’re opening a new Jones the Grocer venue so we’re now on the look out for awesome crew members to join us!
Did you experiment with any new L&D ideas/tech?
Our company, the Radisson Hotel Group really put a lot of focus on online training last year, which we encouraged to avoid crowds in meeting rooms. We also tried combining trainings with fun activities in order to keep motivation up, during the pandemic.
