Empowering Hospitality Leadership: Harnessing the Potential of Gen Z Workforce
Engaged attendees at the workshop collaborate and brainstorm to unlock the potential of the Gen Z workforce in the hospitality industry.
On the 6th of April, a transformative workshop was held for the top leaders and directors of WestCord Hotels at the WTC Hotel in Leeuwarden. The workshop, facilitated by our Strategic HRM lecturer Georges El Hajal, focused on the challenges and opportunities related to attracting, retaining, and engaging the Gen Z workforce.
The event saw the participation of 25 attendees, including board members, general managers, and directors of finance, marketing, human resource management (HRM), and information technology.
During the workshop, participants delved into research-based insights about the Gen Z workforce and why understanding their values and expectations is crucial for hospitality companies. The presentation highlighted the defining traits of Gen Z and offered best practices from the market for attracting and retaining this talent pool.
After the presentation, attendees broke into smaller sessions to work on mini-challenges related to engaging and retaining Gen Z employees. An open discussion and debate followed, generating many ideas and strategies.
The consolidated outcomes will support WestCord Hotels’ talent management initiatives. Moreover, the insights from this workshop will contribute to refining the HRM curriculum of Hotel Management School NHL Stenden and feed back into Georges’ ongoing PhD research on attracting and retaining talent for the Dutch hospitality industry.
The success of this workshop demonstrates the importance of connecting academia with the industry to tackle real-world challenges.
Our collaboration with WestCord Hotels is a testament to the potential of such partnerships in driving change and fostering innovation in the hospitality sector.