Human resources challenges at Allure Cruise Line

Allure Cruise Line

The global business environment that affects companies' activity determines these companies to develop and implement flexible strategies that are able to counteract the effects of the environment. Multicultural workplaces are characterized by different challenges that managers must address. Human resources strategies must be developed in accordance with the characteristics of the business environment.

The following pages focus on analyzing some of the most important problems that affect the activity of Allure Cruise Line. The company's activity requires a multicultural environment that must be properly addressed by the company's management. This determines several problems regarding human resources that must be included in the company's strategy.

Allure Cruise Line's strategy focuses on objectives that refer to international expansion, organizing the structure and processes that are intended to increase the competitiveness of the company, and on identifying the managerial implications of human resources. Therefore, the company must address a series of challenges that have significant impact on its strategy. The aspects that Allure Cruise Line must take into consideration are represented by morale issues, communication problems, food service in the mess hall, passengers socializing rules, cross-cultural and social issues between staff members, cultural challenges and stress in the case of certain cultural groups, favoritism regarding the personnel, and others.

Morale Issues

The motivation of human resources is one of the most important aspects that must be included in companies' strategy. The importance of the motivational strategy relies on its impact on the performance of employees. This is more important in the case of salespeople or companies that provide certain services, like Allure Cruise Line.

There are several factors that determine the morale of employees. The most important factor in this case is represented by the organizational climate. In other words, the conditions and the culture in the workplace are likely to create a series of issues that affect the motivation of employees. There are certain factors that affect the morale of employees in most companies, and that are not affected by the activity or objectives of the company. For example, the salary level is one of the most important factors that influence the performance of employees and their morale. Employees that are not paid sufficiently in accordance with their efforts tend to be unmotivated, to express reduced morale, and somewhat refuse to improve their efficiency and productivity.

In addition to this, the morale of employees is significantly influenced by the leadership style of their superiors. Autocratic leadership styles lead to tensions between the employees and their managers, which reduces their morale. Democratic styles have a different effect on employees' motivation because the relationship between leaders and employees in this case is based on the participation of employees in the decision making process, in taking interest in their ideas, and in developing a relaxed work environment.

In the case of Allure Cruise Line, the reduced morale of the crew can be mainly attributed to the fact that their working hours are too long and do not allow them to properly relax. This work schedule is likely to affect most employees, regardless of their job or experience. The living arrangements of the crew members are another important factor that affects their disposition. Given the nature of their activity and the limited space that can be allocated to the crew, it is obvious that such conditions are considered unsatisfactory by most of them. The little variations in the crew's food menu are also able to affect their morale.

Therefore, the company's management must take a series of measures intended to improve their work conditions and to stimulate them. The personnel working on cruise ships are usually paid better than the personnel providing similar services in normal conditions, like in the case of restaurants or hotels. This means that increasing their salary level or giving hem certain bonuses is not likely to improve this situation. The leaders on board must address their work conditions in order to improve their efficiency and productivity.

The most important measure that must be addressed in this case is represented by modifying the working hours of employees. In other words, the crew must work in shorter shifts. However, this means that the company must employ a higher number of workers. This leads to increased costs. In addition to this, the spacing requirements are likely to increase in accordance with the number of employees. Although this might seem as too expensive for the company, it is recommended to increase the investments with the human resources because the company's activity and the satisfaction of customers rely on the performance of employees (Essortment, 2010).

Regarding the living space of the crew, it is quite unlikely that the managers can improve the situation because of the limited space on board. But the food menu of the crew can be significantly improved. The passengers' menu is extremely diversified, which means the company is able to provide diversified meals for its employees also. It is recommended to ensure the regular entertainment of the crew, because this helps them relax and improve their performance. For example, groups of employees can use the gyms, pools, and recreational spaces on board in periods when they are not crowded with passengers. In addition to this, the employees can participate in entertainment programs provided by the company for its passengers.

Food Service in the Mess Hall

The food service provided by the company for its employees seems to not be in accordance with their requirements. As mentioned above, the crew members are not satisfied with the quality of the food and with the lack of variety in the food menu. According to Maslow's pyramid, food is one of the basic needs. In other words, individuals tend to satisfy primary needs first, and then think about satisfying superior needs. If the company cannot ensure satisfactory levels of basic needs on board, it means that the company's management is not able to properly handle these situations.

In addition to this, if the company cannot satisfy basic needs of its employees, it is quite unlikely that Allure could satisfy their superior needs. This is the image that employees have on the company. In such conditions, it is not surprising that employees have low morale. In order to work properly, employees require good nutrition levels. Their food menu must meet certain requirements and must be diversified.

In order to improve this situation, it is recommended that the company develops several nutrition schemes together with nutritionists. It is in the company's interest to ensure quality standards regarding the nutrition of its employees. The crew members require good nutritional standards that allow them to properly perform their tasks. The menu developed by nutritionists must take into consideration the activity of personnel, their stress levels, and the level of efforts that is required by their job. These menus must be diversified. In addition to this, such a strategy reveals the company's interest in its employees, which increases their motivation.

No Socializing with Passengers Policy

The socializing activity between passengers and employees is a sensitive issue. Some of the employees are allowed to communicate with the passengers, while others are restricted from this activity. This creates dissentions between crew members and affects their morale. The managers must decide whether to allow other crew members to socialize with passengers, or to restrict this activity.

In order to make a correct decision, managers must take into consideration the fact that customer satisfaction represents the focus of the company's strategy. Therefore, it is recommended to conduct several surveys on passengers in order to identify their opinion regarding the socialization with crew members. This is because some of the passengers like socializing with crew members and enjoy their company, while others prefer not to mix with the staff.

Based on the results of these surveys, the managers must make a decision regarding this issue. In case most passengers state that they enjoy socializing with crew members, the managers should expand this policy to all crew members. However, if an important percentage of passengers prefer not to socialize with crew members, it is recommended to restrict the socializing policy. In other words, crew members should not be allowed to socialize with passengers in excess of their job descriptions, unless requested by some of the passengers. This is intended to reduce discrimination between crew members, given the fact that such discriminations affect their morale.

Cross-cultural and Social Misunderstandings among Crew Members

The crew members that work on board of Allure come from different countries and environments. The social differences between them are significant and affect their relationships and their work performance. These differences lead to certain types of discrimination that affects their activity. For example, individuals from poor countries are discriminated by those from developed countries. Those that come from countries where certain traditions are considered awkward are made fun of. Women are also discriminated, and sometimes they are sexually harassed by other crew members.

The company should make it clear that such practices should not be tolerated by Allure Cruise Line, and people that want to work for the company should understand this. There are international rules and regulations that address such issues (Brislin, 2008). Therefore, the company should develop a set of strict rules regarding the behavior of employees, present this plan, and ensure that crew members understand it. In addition to this, this set of rules should establish the punishments in such situations.

Cultural Challenges and Stress among Specific Cultural Groups

As mentioned above, the cultural diversity on board of Allure has advantages and disadvantages. Some of the crew members that belong to certain cultural groups have developed a series of problems and issues with other groups. This is the case of Jamaicans and Filipinos. The hotel director has revealed some of the behavior between these groups. The Jamaicans tend to be loud, individualistic, oriented towards entertainment, while Filipinos are collectivistic and quiet. They enjoy different leisure activities. However, members of these groups must work in the same departments and must properly integrate (Moran, 2007).

The problem in this case is that we cannot correctly analyze the situation because the information is attributed to the hotel manager that can be subjective and might not reveal important aspects regarding the behavior of these groups. Therefore, it is recommended to study the behavior and performance of members of these cultural groups. The Human resources manager should assign this task to objective subordinates able to make correct observations. Based on these observations, managers can determine whether the hotel manager's opinion is correct and certain measures are required (Hopkins, 2009).

It is recommended to discuss this situation with members of the two groups by organizing interviews and focus groups intended to identify their motivations. In accordance with the findings of these techniques, the managers can elaborate strategies intended to reduce the tensions between these groups and to improve communication.

Mafias on Board

The mafia term used to describe this situation seems to be inappropriate on the board of a cruise ship, but it is used in order to describe the relationship network between the company's employees. The career advancement on board of Allure seems to depend on the head of the dining room. The person in case promotes crew members based on their nationality. This is an obvious cause of discrimination that affects employees' morale.

Although it is unlikely that the managers can prove this situation, the fact that most crew members have observed this behavior should be enough proof in this case. In order to properly address this situation, managers should assign some of their subordinates with observing this process. If their assumptions are correct, they should discuss the situation with the head of the dining room and listen to his opinion.

In addition to this, the management should develop a series of strict performance standards that employees must meet. The HR manager should supervise the performance evaluation of crew members. This reduces the influence of the head of the dining room on this process, and also reduces discrimination between employees. This is intended to improve the motivation of crew members.

Relevance of the case study

The case study regarding Allure Cruise Line is relevant to the practice of the business environment. This is because the company is characterized by a multicultural workplace, which is similar to many companies, as a result of globalization. Numerous companies experience the same problems as Allure does, although they address different activities. The problems discussed in this case study refer to cultural issues that affect human resources and require thorough analysis in order to identify their factors of influence and their effects. In such cases, managers must use various skills regarding people of cultural differences. These work environments require strategies that are able to properly address these aspects and that ensure their development.

Reference list:

1. Improving Employee Morale: Motivating your Employees (2010). Essortment. Retrieved March 27, 2011 from http://www.essortment.com/improving-employee-morale-motivating-employees-25829.html.

2. Guffey, M. et al. (2010). Business Communication. Nelson Education Ltd. Retrieved March 27, 2011 from http://books.google.ro/books?id=W6DCJ0cLf3MC&pg=PT22&dq=communication+challenges+work&hl=ro#v=onepage&q=communication%20challenges%20work&f=false.

3. Brislin, R. (2008). Working with Cultural Differences. Retrieved March 27, 2011 from http://books.google.ro/books?id=wLFls4bED1QC&printsec=frontcover&dq=cultural+differences&hl=ro#v=onepage&q&f=false.

4. Hokins, B. (2009). Cultural Differences and Improving Performance. Retrieved March 27, 2011 from http://books.google.ro/books?id=jPkPgi4RPdoC&printsec=frontcover&dq=cultural+differences&hl=ro#v=onepage&q&f=false.

5. Moran, R. (2007). Managing Cultural Differences. Butterworth Heinemann. Retrieved March 27, 2011 from http://books.google.ro/books?id=VtHjGqs-8WUC&printsec=frontcover&dq=cultural+differences&hl=ro#v=onepage&q&f=false.