The 2nd Generation coming up, to uphold Hospitality

There have been studies regarding older employees living their lives and later leaving the workforce and younger hospitality employees entering the hospitality industry. Understanding this future hospitality workforce is crucial as experiential studies of past generations (Baby-boomers, Generation X and Generation Y) have reported high turnover patterns among the hospitality workforce to be a major human resource problem in this dynamic industry. This research results suggest Generation Z viewed overall positive attitudes about the hospitality industry such as exciting, a people’s industry with travel opportunities along with certain challenges such as dealing with people, long/odd hours and potential workplace health and safety issues.

We have to accept the fact that major share of the hospitality graduates is taking a paradigm shift to retail whether food or non-food retail as their primary career choice and the second major chunk is studious enough to pursue further degrees. So the net outcome of the hospitality graduates graduating as a main stand, do not suffice the demand of the hotel industry. We can endlessly debate on persistent hospitality issues on job – long hours, meagre pay package, sedimentary promotion etc. or the skill set or the level of passion in the yester years as to next gen chefs. A simple fact is that the Chefs cannot be replaced to dish out food in a professional arena. Here we see light at the end of the tunnel – the 2ndgeneration, who are not heirs, but passionate to groom themselves to live the hotels, restaurants, food businesses and grow ahead.

We witness various traits and trades where the business continues as a family tradition from generations. There are entrepreneurial start-ups in hospitality from people of non-hospitality related background for eg: MBA, IIM grads, ICT, Doctors, Builders, and Hobby-to-Career etc. While most of the parent generation wish to keep the next gen out of their exploited career choice, further to explore the umpteen career options available today; interestingly, the mighty children find their way to continue the professional legacy to the next level hoteliering. 

Working in a people in the hospitality industry is considered as a positive attitude. Dealing with hospitality brigade is seen as a perceived difficulty in joining the hospitality industry. The role of family has had the most mentioned social group influencing their career choice. The overall results suggested that the attitudes towards working in the hospitality industry were unstable and could fluctuate depending on working conditions and other underlying motivating factors.

While these 2nd generation hospitality warriors are already getting ready for tomorrow, we can provide a little help at our level, in our reach to substantiate the cause. My view is to increase the practical skill % by large in the hospitality education curriculum and reinforce with specialized syllabi abreast with today’s industry requirements and expectations.

Moral of the story is that the older generation are also in the same race alongside where the hospitality schools continue to create the skill talent supply for the hospitality and allied industries. We support equipping even the fresher talent acquisition for even happier days for the hotel industry. Thank you to the versatile hotel, restaurant, and food biz etc. – an industry in itself to adopt and make us adept. 

Yours Skill-fully,
Dr. Salla Vijay Kumar.
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