Lietuvos svetingumo sektoriaus darbuotojų poreikis žmogiškųjų išteklių kaitos ir naujųjų technologijų kontekste

LTSvetingumo sektorius – vienas iš sparčiausiai augančių paslaugų sektorių pasaulyje. Lietuvoje paslaugų sektorius sudaro 2 proc. BVP ir turi tendenciją augti. Sektoriaus plėtrai ir teikiamų paslaugų kokybei užtikrinti būtini kvalifikuoti, linkę bendrauti ir išpildyti klientų lūkesčius darbuotojai. Sve-tingumo darbuotojus Lietuvoje rengia profesinio ir darbo rinkos mokymo centrai bei kolegijos, tačiau darbdaviai kelia kvalifikuotos darbo jėgos trūkumo ir nepakankamų kompetecijų problemas. Spręsdami darbo jėgos trūkumo problemą, darbdaviai jau telkiasi darbuotojus iš trečiųjų šalių. Šiuo metu į svetingumo industriją ateina ,,Z“ karta, kurios netenkina žemas darbo užmokestis, ilga darbo trukmė ir viršvalandžiai, monotoniškas, nekūrybiškas darbas, laiko, skirto šeimai ir draugams stoka. ,,Z“ kartos darbuotojai siekia kūrybiškumo, palankaus mikroklimato, lanksčių darbo grafikų. Jiems aktualus tiesioginis kontaktas su vadovu, kūrybinė laisvė ir grįžtamasis ryšys. Daugelis autorių nurodo, kad tik savimi pasitikintis ir darbu patenkintas darbuotojas gali užtikrinti teikiamų paslaugų kokybę ir būti lojalus įmonei. Kita vertus, vis plačiau svetingumo industrijoje panaudojamos naujosios technologijos, kurios, iš vienos pusės, palengvina ir suteikia kūrybiškumo atliekamoms funkcijoms, bet iš kitos pusės, gali pakeisti ir darbuotojus. Darbdaviai turi spręsti, ar daugiau investuoti į darbuotojus, keičiant požiūrį ir gerinant darbo sąlygas, ar investuoti į naująsias technologijas.Tyrimo tikslas – nustatyti svetingumo darbuotojų poreikį Lietuvos viešbučiuose. Tyrimui atlikti pasitelkti mokslinės literatūros sisteminė analizė, įvairių požiūrių sintezė, grindžiama logine abstrak-cija ir kiekybinis metodas. Apklausoje dalyvavo 169 skirtingų kategorijų Lietuvos viešbučiai. Straips-nyje analizuojami svetingumo darbuotojų poreikio Lietuvos viešbučiuose tyrimo rezultatai, diskutuo-jami darbuotojų pritraukimo, darbo sąlygų gerinimo būdai kartų kaitos ir technologinių inovacijų diegimo kontekste bei pateikiamos rekomendacijos darbdaviams. Tyrimas atliktas 2019 metų kovo – birželio mėnesiais. Reikšminiai žodžiai: svetingumo darbuotojų poreikis, darbo jėgos trūkumas, "Z" kartos darbuotojai, technologinės inovacijos, darbo sąlygos, vadybiniai sprendimai. [Iš leidinio]

ENThe hospitality industry is one of the largest employers worldwide. Three hundred and fifty million people work here. This industry has been growing steadily over the last 25 years (Johanson et al. 2011) and it is expected to grow by 3–5% annually over the next 50 years. The hospitality industry occupies an important place in the Lithuanian economy. The contribution of the accommodation and catering services sector to Lith-uania's GDP is about 2%. As the sector grows, the demand for employees is increasing. Lithuania has a wide range of vocational, and labor market training and universities of applied sciences study programmes for hos-pitality professionals. However, there is a mismatch between labor supply and demand in the labor market: the qualifications of job seekers often fall short of the requirements of employers and the supply of skilled workers is almost one third lower than the demand (Labor Market Trends, 2019). In order to solve the problem of staff shortage, employers are forced to look for workers in the third world countries. Hospitality business executives face constant challenges: how to anticipate employee needs and address staff shortages, how to become more attractive employers, how to recruit and retain the best employees in the industry?.The aim of the study was to find out which positions are in the biggest demand and what department of the hotel/restaurant are most in need of employees, how the hotel is looking for new employees and what kind of education is prioritized in recruitment, motivation, seniority and reasons for staff turnover. The research was carried out using analysis of scientific literature, synthesis of various approaches, critical evaluation and generalization. A quantitative approach was used to conduct the research. Questionnaires were sent to 289 members of the Lithuanian Hotel and Restaurant Association (LVRA). The response rate of the questionnaires was 59% which means that the survey data reflect the opinion of the subjects with 95% probability and 5% error. 169 hotels participated in the survey, of which 74% operate in the major cities of Lithuania (Vilnius, Kaunas, Klaipėda) and 26% in other cities (Palanga, Anykščiai, Ignalina, Visaginas). The categories of hotels are as follows: 3–star hotels (38%), 4–star hotels (38%), 5–star hotels (21%), 2–star hotels (3%). In 55% of the hotels the number of staff is more than 50, 45% are small and medium sized, i.e. from 10 to 49 employees. Research conducted by the authors showed that the greatest need for qualified staff in the field of hospitality is in the Food and Beverage, Room and Reception departments. Most hotels need waiters, chefs, housekeepers and bartenders. Analyzing the working period of employees in various divisions, it was found that the shortest period of work (1-2 years) is typical for the employees and administrators of the Food and Beverage Depart-ment, indicating a high employee turnover in analyzed companies.Analysis of scientific literature has shown that the hospitality industry is globally characterized by low wages, monotonous, limited by standards, non-creative work, limited career opportunities, unbalanced work-rest hours, low social status. This kind of work is not attractive to the new Generation Z workers. In order to attract and retain young, promising and talented workers, hospitality companies need to change their attitudes towards employees and working conditions to make them more attractive and viable. Leadership of a new model applying the principles of sustainable management and ethical leadership, giving employees, alongside with strict work instructions, more confidence and autonomy, social respect, and creativity in the work envi-ronment, is also a very important factor. Summarizing scientists' insights on the development of new technologies, it can be stated that technolog-ical advancement is making inroads into the hospitality industry and has a great impact on the employees of hospitality companies and changing the way of providing services. On the one hand, technologies will primar-ily replace the work of unskilled personnel and facilitate the work of service personnel, thereby reducing the cost of providing services and increasing the usefulness of services. On the other hand, the application of technology is already creating new jobs, such as a technology concierge, a technology manager, etc., which are not yet prepared by any educational institution in the country. The results of this research show that employers will have to make choices when planning their future needs: investing in advanced robotics and artificial intelligence technologies, or fundamentally changing the attitudes towards the Generation Z workers and creating the working environment and working conditions they would want to work in and add value to the hospitality industry. [From the publication]