Creating and managing high performance work system for the differently abled in the Indian hospitality sector

Abstract

Since ages, the differently abled people have been a victim of social exclusion where they have been denied the opportunities of a decent work life and a respectable social status. Their disability has often been associated with their inability to deliver performance at work. This exclusion gains more prominence at workplaces where characteristics like good appearance, clear diction and explicit communication become an indispensable part of the product/service offering. Hospitality industry seems to be a perfect example of such workplaces. However, as a strategic effort to widen the spectrum of human resources at the organisation and to make the employee base more inclusive and diverse, firms have lately picked up a trend of exploring the potential talent offered by the differently abled people. Based on this, the paper tries to figure out how organisations in this industry, especially the hotel segments tend to incorporate the dimension of differently abled in their high performance work systems. The paper tries to bring to light how Lemon Tree Hotels have been able to overcome various challenges that one faces while employing a specially abled workforce and created a model that serve as an ideal model not just for hospitality sector but for the entire industry in general.