From attracting diverse talents to retaining skilled employees, Patsy Ng, Vice President for Human Resources - Asia Pacific, Hilton, in an exclusive interview with People Matters reveals innovative approaches to creating job satisfaction and equal opportunities for all team members, including new talents and gig workers.

Battered by the pandemic, most hospitality companies had laid off thousands of employees. Around 25% of the workforce permanently left the global hospitality industry which led to a talent scarcity after a renewed surge in demand. Which geographies are hit hardest and why?

Hilton has felt the repercussions of the pandemic on a global scale. In our global network spanning over 100 countries and territories, some regions stood out with particularly pressing challenges. Markets like Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore, which heavily rely on foreign labour and face low unemployment rates, encountered the most pronounced labour shortages. Today, as we see a resurgence in travel, we now navigate a hospitality landscape marked by varying degrees of talent attraction and retention challenges, such as the hesitancy of professionals to rejoin the industry in hard-hit markets – whether due to restrictive visa regulations for foreign workers, to a diminished confidence in the hospitality sector's stability. Even though the intensity of the labour shortage has simmered over the past year, the undertow of these talent challenges remains a pressing concern for hotels everywhere.

Is there any specific role where skilled workforce demand-supply is too steep?

While the acute labour shortage we previously faced in certain markets has subsided, our hotels still confront challenges in attracting and/or retaining talent, particularly in frontline (such as housekeeping, kitchen, F&B, front office) and middle management positions.

To effectively address this, we are tapping into new and alternative talent sources, including talent outside of the hospitality industry and gig economy workers. We continuously invest in our current and future team members, from the application stage to onboarding and beyond.

Our in-depth training and upskilling programs also ensure new joiners, no matter their hospitality background, are supported as they learn the ropes with us. Our adoption of modern technologies at the recruitment level has also helped us find and hire the right talent more efficiently.

Demand-supply gap always led to tough competition. How are the many hotel brands competing to attract and retain scarce talent, what works to differentiate themselves? How is that playing out in Hilton's own strategy?

To attract and keep industry-leading talent, hospitality companies would need to understand what job-seekers prioritise, including permanent roles with prospects of growth and flexible work options. At Hilton, we strive to create a work environment that meets their shifting needs. We address our talent challenges through a dual-pronged approach:

Building a strong brand for hospitality and Hilton as an Industry and Employer of Choice

Firstly, we recognise the importance of rebuilding confidence in the talent market and seek to position hospitality and Hilton as an industry and employer of choice for meaningful and long-term careers. We have launched recruitment marketing campaigns that amplify the meaningful jobs within Hilton and the unique and award-winning Hilton work experience.

Our recruitment marketing campaign, Every Job Makes The Stay, amplifies the essence of the job versus the title of the job. For example, we portray the role of a housekeeper as ‘Chief of a Good Night Sleep;’ a chef is reframed as a ‘Conductor of a Five-Course Symphony.’

Our Thrive@Hilton team member proposition promises a fully human experience delivered through our century-old culture of inclusion, wellness, growth, and purpose. Our award-winning culture has been our competitive advantage in the talent space, setting us apart in the competitive talent market. This has all played a part in our recent recognition as the region’s top hospitality company in the Great Place to Work®’s Best Workplaces in Asia™ list.

Our culture thrives on continuous enhancement that is strongly shaped by the voices of our team members. This approach is pivotal in offering them a truly human experience. In our recent engagement survey, an overwhelming 9 out of 10 team members affirmed that Hilton is a Great Place To Work. They highlighted the inclusive culture that lets them be their true selves, a focus on well-being ensuring balance and health, opportunities for lifelong learning and career growth, and a profound connection to our founding Purpose. Our team members believe Hilton contributes positively to the world, and they are proud to be part of our journey.

Building a strong internal talent pipeline

Secondly, we are committed to building a robust internal talent pipeline. We invest in the growth and development of our team members by providing them with pathways for career progression. This not only ensures a steady stream of skilled and motivated individuals for new roles but also fosters a culture of loyalty and commitment. We also believe in the power of recognition and continuous personal growth in retaining talent. We celebrate our team members’ accomplishments and milestones, demonstrating our appreciation for their hard work and dedication. For example, we award outstanding individuals with well-deserved time off and monetary compensation for their services through our Thrive Sabbatical and Thrive Reset programs, where they get to pursue personal passions or give back to their communities.

Beyond these, there is also an opportunity for key players in the hospitality industry to work together to amplify the intangible rewards of working in an industry that creates memorable experiences for people. This is an effort that can be more impactful with tripartite partnership between hotel companies, government bodies like the tourism board or labour/manpower ministry, and the national hotel association – Singapore is a great example where such tripartite partnership exists.

What are the challenges in welcoming new talents who have never been in a hospitality role? How viable are the alternative talent sources such as gig workers?

At Hilton, we welcome all hospitable hearts and minds to join us and we are truly excited about the growing diversity of our workforce. We have welcomed new team members from all various talent segments, such as from the matured workforce, the differently-abled, as well as part-timers across generations, categories, and experience. As our diversity grows organically, we must also consider how to integrate these new talents into our service culture through innovative training methods, creating inclusive experiences for them, and facilitating their seamless assimilation into the Hilton family.

We see welcoming new talents without prior experience in the industry as an opportunity to highlight the true potential of hospitality careers. We do this by providing best-in-class learning and development opportunities across different channels, and showcasing the lessons and experiences from our own team members about what one can truly gain from working in hospitality.

To bridge the knowledge gap for our new hires, regardless of their prior hospitality experience, we provide comprehensive onboarding resources using a hybrid approach. This combines in-person and virtual orientations to ensure consistent, high-quality training. We have also implemented gamified service training, making it engaging for all age groups, while our hotel job skills hub offers tailored training options, both live and on-demand, to meet diverse learning needs.

Diversifying our workforce is now a critical business need. The gig workforce, for example, has emerged as a vital source of labour that can help us get to a variable and more cost-effective manning structure. Partnerships with local external gig platform partners have enabled us to effectively tap into this talent pool. Through our gig program pilots with Qing Tuan in Greater China and Timee in Japan, we have become the first hospitality company in these markets to engage the gig workforce and we have successfully filled more than 40,000 shifts in China and 25,000 shifts in Japan with gig workers in the past year. To better accommodate gig workers, some of our hotels have also re-designed simpler jobs and launched 5-15 min job training videos to help gig workers become productive quickly.

What is it that gives people in the hospitality sector job satisfaction? How is the Hilton team creating that satisfaction for new talents, gig workers, etc?

Hospitality is a career that puts others first – we are in a business of people-serving people. But when we look at job satisfaction in the sector, most employees find greater joy in their roles when companies prioritise them as well.

At Hilton, every job and every team member is connected to our century-old purpose – to fill the earth with the light and warmth of hospitality. We believe that hospitality can make the world a better place, and that bringing happiness to others in turn brings happiness to oneself. Through a culture of inclusion, wellness, and growth, we amplify the essence of the hospitality roles – creating that magical experience behind every stay — and help our team members find compelling reasons to stay with Hilton and in the hospitality industry.

To aid new talent in finding a sense of belonging at Hilton, we encourage community building and safe spaces through our Team Member Resource Groups (TMRGs.) These foster a supportive eco-system and meaningful connections, while driving continued progress in topics and issues they’re passionate about. Through participation in our Women TMRG, Pride TMRG and our new Generations and Abilities TMRGs, leaders and team members act as active advocates, allies, enablers and sponsors of growth for all through a wide ranging programs and initiatives.

To ensure that our team members are taken care of both physically and mentally, we have invested in mental wellness and caregiving hubs that provide varying forms of resources to support their self-care journey. This year, we’ve also launched a mental wellness pilot to deliver on-demand wellness support through their mobile devices. By providing our team members access to mental health benefits, resources and tools, we  enable them to bring their best selves to work and back home every day.

Growth and lifelong learning is also integral to Hilton’s culture. Our ‘hire-to-retire’ approach molds current and future hospitality leaders through extensive L&D programs in our Hilton University learning platform that offers thousands of courses to meet different learning needs and aspirations. To engage and motivate new talents, we launched Careers@Hilton to offer guidance and highlight career opportunities that may benefit them.

Ultimately, we recognise that the hospitality our team members bring to our guests plays an integral role in their job satisfaction, and we are committed to building a workplace experience that embodies their exceptional hospitality.

It is believed that hospitality is more than just a job, keeping this in mind, how do you ensure that employees in different roles such as front-of-house and back-of-house, have equal opportunities for engagement and career development?

From our front-of-house ‘Chief Welcome Officers’ to our back-of-house ‘Ultimate Stay Creators’, we believe that Every Job Makes The Stay at Hilton. We ensure that our team members are presented with equal opportunities to thrive regardless of their background, ambition, role, or location.

We believe in supporting Growth For All. Our extensive learning and development programs are aimed at helping our team members grow into leaders no matter their level and remain relevant amidst the ever-evolving industry. To ensure our team members have a clear view of what lies ahead for their careers at Hilton, we’ve created Career Pathways for All – a program that allows us to map out clear, job-specific pathways for our team members. To support them in their career ambitions, we also offer multiple free resources online, ranging from career advancement resources on our Hilton University platform to management and leadership resources through our Lead@Hilton program.

We have looked at ways to optimise hotel skills training to maximise flexibility, and launched an on-demand skills training platform accessible through team members’ mobile devices. This has enabled team members to prioritise lifelong learning, no matter where they may be.