Human Resource Management – Chinese Restaurant

 

The people aspects comprise an integral element when setting up a new business. The component relate to the decisions and considerations on what kind of a workforce would be appropriate for a particular kind of business, where it should be sought from and how it should be hired. Cognisant of the centrality of staff to the success of a business therefore, it would be important for Vivienne and her brothers who intend to set up a Chinese restaurant in Newcastle to cautiously approach the people aspects of their business otherwise they would be risking failure of the restaurant. Based on the key facts presented in the scenario, this paper seeks to explore the steps that Vivienne and her partners ought to follow in recruiting staff for the restaurant, where they should attract the desired employees from, how they should design the jobs at the restaurant and the legal considerations they should take into account.

Key facts in the scenario

The trio, Vivienne, Walter and Stephen have agreed on the type of restaurant they intend to set up; in essence, a Chinese restaurant with excellent seafood as its specialty and that incorporates ‘Hong Kong style dumplings and yum cha’. Another key issue is that the trio want the restaurant to be renowned for professional service; a milestone which they seek to achieve by attracting and recruiting members of staff who are efficient, knowledgeable and friendly. The trio is also interested in staff members who will ‘be a little bit ‘hip” so as to draw youthful patrons and also attract families. It is also discernible that the trio intends to create a restaurant that will offer great value for money to the targeted clientele by the virtue of providing great service and great food. Another fact is that the business would need decor preferably Chinese for it to effectively bring out the desired Chinese restaurant image. This would however not be complete without being complemented by hiring of a vibrant team of young and female Chinese wait staff. Another relevant piece of information is Vivienne’s pertinent educational background in hospitality and human resource management as well as her brothers’ knowhow in accounting and law, knowledge that will be handy in not only addressing the people aspects of the investment but also the related legal and financial issues. Vivienne’s interest in cooking and diverse knowledge in recipes and food will also be useful in helping identify and recruit the most suitable and qualified chef for the restaurant.

Steps that Vivienne and her brothers should take to successfully fill the jobs in their new restaurant

The first step that they should take is competency profiling. The step would entail an analysis and determination of specific competencies including knowledge, attitudes, behaviours and skills that the staff for their new restaurant should possess for them to be effective in service delivery (Morrissey, Compton, & Nankervis, 2014). These may include openness to customer input or suggestions, training in food safety, friendly and patient, excellent people skills, functional familiarity with ordering information systems and the cash register, excellent planning and customer-oriented skills, good interpersonal skills with both customers and colleagues, proven hands-on experience, hands-on problem solving skills, youthful and in excellent physical condition.

Having identified the requisite competencies, the next step should be attraction of the desired employees based on the identified competencies. The recruitment process should take the form of job adverts encouraging individuals of Chinese descent who possess the requisite qualifications to apply for employment in large numbers at the restaurant. The next step should entail initial screening of the applications received and final selection of the most qualified persons for the wait staff, server and chef positions. It is however imperative that the recruitment, screening and selection processes are undertaken systematically and relevant aptitude, attainment and ability tests applied to eliminate bias and ensure only candidates who are suitable are hired to fill the available positions (Nankervis, Baird, Shields, & Coffey, 2017). It is also crucial that the final selection process if varied based on the specific position being filled to ensure the pertinent requirements particular to the job are thoroughly addressed (Nankervis et al, 2017).

Where the employees should be sourced from

The employees for the new Chinese restaurant should be sourced from China Town. By targeting this locality, the trio would be able to attract the most appropriate passionate young and female Chinese staff for the job. Their parent’s expansive network in the expansive Chinese hospitality community in Sydney would also be integral in helping tap into the rich human resource at the disposal of the community. The trio should also seek to attract and recruit from the Chinese community living in and around the Newcastle neighbourhood. This would be important in that it would help give the restaurant a more local feel to the target clientele living in the region thus lessening the likelihood of the establishment being viewed as foreign and out of touch with the tastes and preference of both the overseas students and the Chinese people living in the town.

By targeting these localities as the source of employees, the new restaurant will be assured of staffs that are familiar with the intricacies of the local Chinese hospitality industry. This will enable the restaurant to run its operation in manner that enables it to compete effectively with other rival establishments. The course will also ensure recruitment of individuals who are familiar with the various menu options of Chinese restaurants thus guaranteeing the ability of the staff to present an array of menu alternatives the customers. Recruiting from the Australian Chinese community will also have the unique advantage of providing access to employees who are conversant with both the English and Chinese dialects which will augment the ability of the staff to establish relationships with customers, take orders, advice on best drink and food options as well as respond to and effectively address customer queries.

Legal concerns worth considering

When recruiting employees for the new Chinese restaurant the most outstanding legal issue that should be put into consideration relates to discrimination (Morrissey, Compton, & Nankervis, 2014). The fact that the trio prefers Chinese waiters and mostly female and young could comprise a basis for discriminatory recruitment practices claims by those who may feel segregated by the specifications. In this respect, should the trio put out an advertisement for the positions specifying being Chinese or having Chinese roots as a condition of employment at the restaurant, they would risk being accused of unlawfully discriminating against persons based on their ethnicity. As a secular establishment, the new Chinese restaurant would have no legal rights to segregate against people on any basis and could thus the losing party should such proceedings be brought against it by an aggrieved entity.

To address the legal concern, the trio should strive to put out job advertisements that would communicate to the intended audience the preference for Chinese candidates in a manner that is lawful. In this regard, the trio should desist from directly rejecting applications from individuals of other ethnicities and races by incorporating in the advertisement the requirement that the applicants should be knowledgeable in Chinese menu options, mannerisms and food culture. Application of the preference in this manner would help make the job advertisement non-discriminatory and thus eliminate the legal risk of the business being perceived as engaging in discriminatory recruitment practices (Morrissey, Compton, & Nankervis, 2014).

Ways in which the jobs should be designed to make them as interesting and challenging as possible

To begin with, the trio of Vivienne and her two brothers should seek to achieve a tight fit between people aspects and business strategy (Compton & Morrissey, 2001). This can be achieved through linking of the recruited employees and their roles with the strategic needs of the restaurant to ensure efforts by the staff contribute directly to the growth of the business. However, the approach could prove indifferent to the interests of the staff and hence care should be taken to dampen down the negative undesired effects (Budhwar & Aryee, n.d.). Remedial measures including efforts to enhance the business’s skills inventory and encourage innovativeness with a view to improve the overall competitiveness of the restaurant business should be adopted (Snell, Shadur, & Wright, 2000). The measures would be critical in averting situations where the business may become misfitted to the extremely dynamic business environment of today by ensuring its flexibility and ability to adapt to the necessary changes in the industry.

In addition, the trio should provide opportunities for growth for their employees. This could be achieved by encouraging them to be proactive in problem solving vis-a-vis the day to day challenges that characterise the restaurant business. This would see the employees become more involved in efforts to enhance and nurture the reputation of the business as well as reorient their focus towards ensuring customer satisfaction. In effect, this would help make the jobs of the employees both interesting and challenging thus impacting positively on their motivation and overall job satisfaction as well as averting employee turnover (Nankervis, Baird, Shields, & Coffey, 2017).

 

References list

Budhwar, P., & Aryee, S. (n.d.). Chapter 1: An Introduction to Strategic Human Resource Management. Retrieved from https://www2.cipd.co.uk/nr/rdonlyres/cd5ee14a-ef5c-46da-bfcc-a8634f63193f/0/shrm_chapter_01.doc.doc

Compton, R. L., & Morrissey, B. (2001). ‘Strategic Human Resource Management – Beyond the rhetoric’. Keeping Good Companies, 176-178.

Morrissey, B., Compton, R. L., & Nankervis, A. R. (2014). Effective Recruitment and Selection Practices (6th ed.). Sydney: Oxford University Press.

Nankervis, A., Baird, M., Shields, J., & Coffey, J. (2017). Human Resource Management: Strategy and Practice (9th ed.). South Melbourne: Cengage Learning.

Snell, S. A., Shadur, M. A., & Wright, P. M. (2000). Human Resources Strategy: The Era of Our Ways (CAHRS Working Paper #00-17). Ithaca, NY: CAHRS/Cornell University.