What to Consider in Hiring Risk Management Personnel

Risk management personnel are among the most integral to your hotel’s operations, even if people generally associate them with bad news. These are the men and women who prevent issues from happening in your building(s) and help respond after issues happen to prevent them from happening again.

They need to think about contingency plans, especially in places where weather or other events could significantly impact operations. Experts say liquor and pools can be especially risky. Food that should be hot might come out cold, too, which could quickly ruin a guest’s experience. You need employees who understand the value of being proactive, and you should be forthright in tailoring your search for them.

Ideally, you want people who understand their role(s) in the larger scheme

Risk management as a field comprises a nearly uncountable number of scenarios that might matter on a given day.

Researchers have found that accidental injuries are among the chief concerns for risk management personnel. Guests may hurt themselves at a pool or stumble back to their room after drinking a bit more than they should have.

There is also the risk of injuries sustained from criminal activities within the hotel, for example. You are looking for people who can judge those risks relative to the overall scope of your company.

Law, finance, human resources, and weather concerns could all pose risks, but the best RM folks are the ones who are relentless in considering how an ordinary situation can quickly change from good to bad.

There are nearly uncountable ways that guests might get hurt or otherwise put themselves in harm’s way at your hotel, and risk management folks want to be proactive in addressing some of those risks before they result in a catastrophe for the business of a set of guests.

Consider staff safety and separate yourself from your peers

Blue Risk Ridge Partners suggests that an overall culture of safety among employees is especially important where risk management is concerned.

Hotels are often forthright about safety where guests are concerned, they say, but not so much about how staff can keep themselves out of peril. Don’t focus on one to the detriment of the other, especially since employees who don’t feel safe are much less likely to stay long-term.

Slips are an issue for guests and staff who might be moving between rooms quickly, per Suitelife Underwriting Managers, a Pennsylvania-based insurer. This might be especially useful for staff who have never worked in the hotel world before since it will appear like you are putting their safety front of mind. There’s no scenario where employees would view that negatively.

How often do you want to audit yourselves?

It’s one thing to consider risks, but it’s another thing to consider how often you should reconsider those risks. Regardless of who you hire, you will want to figure out how regularly you check your processes. Sarah Ward of BinWise says room services, as an example, should have an audit at least twice a year. In other words, hotels should be looking at how well they can meet the demands of a customer.

Anything they could possibly make a request should either be in the room or on hand, because if you cannot get them what they think they need, you risk losing a customer and/or getting a negative and amplified review online.

Eastern Kentucky University notes that even data management and information security are concerns for modern hotel staff. (The institution has a Global Hospitality and Tourism program that students can start and finish completely online.) Those processes need an examination over time to ensure you don’t fall behind in dealing with new potential risks.