Investing in training is important to hospitality organizations and restaurant and lodging companies’ bottom lines, says a new report released by the Council of Hotel and Restaurant Trainers (CHART) and People Report, a TDn2K company. The report, 2014 Trends in Hospitality Training & Development Study, serves as a benchmark for training and development practices.
“We’ve known for years that investing in training is a worthwhile expenditure in the hospitality industry. It helps companies reduce turnover, foster a stronger, more skilled workforce, and provide a better customer experience. Now we have yet another report that backs up this essential premise in our industry,” said Patrick Yearout, director of training for Ivar’s Restaurants and CHART president.
The report highlights a number of key findings, most notably:
- A seat in the C-Suite. One-quarter of training departments report directly to the CEO or president of an organization.
- Go online, see results. More organizations are turning to e-learning as part of their training suite, using it for knowledge leveling, validation and testing, and compliance. More than 80 percent of limited service restaurants and 73 percent of hotel and lodging companies report offering e-learning opportunities to employees.
- A little bit goes a long way. Restaurants that spend more than four hours on new hire orientation have on average 20 percent lower turnover.
- Investing in people matters. Increasing an organization’s budget to train certified trainers can reduce turnover by an average of 25 percent.
Founder and CEO of People Report Joni Thomas Doolin added, “The hospitality industry’s effective adoption of training programs is essential to best-in-class performance. We look forward to continuing our partnership with CHART to study the training profession and practices to help this vital sector of our economy and workforce grow and flourish.”
The full report is available for download at www.chart.org.
