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Motivational factors and the hospitality Industry 1 1A critical ingredient in the success of hotels is developing and maintaining superior performance from their employees. 2How is that accomplished? 3What Human Resource Management (HRM) practices should organizations invest in to acquire and retain great employees? 2 1Some hotels aim to provide superior working conditions for their employees. 2The idea originated from workplaces – usually in the non-service sector – that emphasized fun and enjoyment as part of work-life balance. 3By contrast, the service sector, and more specifically hotels, has traditionally not extended these practices to address basic employee needs, such as good working conditions. 3 1Pfeifer (1994) emphasizes that in order to succeed in a global business environment, organizations must make investment in Human Resource Management (HRM) to allow them to acquire employees who possess better skills and capabilities than their competitors. 2This investment will be to their competitive advantage. 3Despite this recognition of the importance of employee development, the hospitality industry has historically been dominated by underdeveloped HR practices (Lucas, 2002). 4 1Lucas also points out that ‘the substance of HRM practices does not appear to be designed to foster constructive relations with employees or to represent a managerial approach that enables developing and drawing out the full potential of people, even though employees may be broadly satisfied with many aspects of their work’ (Lucas, 2002). 2In addition, or maybe as a result, high employee turnover has been a recurring problem throughout the hospitality industry. 3Among the many cited reasons are low compensation, inadequate benefits, poor working conditions and compromised employee morale and attitudes (Maroudas et al., 2008). 5 1Ng and Sorensen (2008) demonstrated that when managers provide recognition to employees, motivate employees to work together, and remove obstacles preventing effective performance, employees feel more obligated to stay with the company. 2This was succinctly summarized by Michel et al. (2013): ‘[P]roviding support to employees gives them the confidence to perform their jobs better and the motivation to stay with the organization.’ 3Hospitality organizations can therefore enhance employee motivation and retention through the development and improvement of their working conditions. 4These conditions are inherently linked to the working environment. 6 1While it seems likely that employees’ reactions to their job characteristics could be affected by a predisposition to view their work environment negatively, no evidence exists to support this hypothesis (Spector et al., 2000). 2However, given the opportunity, many people will find something to complain about in relation to their workplace (Poulston, 2009). 3There is a strong link between the perceptions of employees and particular factors of their work environment that are separate from the work itself, including company policies, salary and vacations. 7 1Such conditions are particularly troubling for the luxury hotel market, where high-quality service, requiring a sophisticated approach to HRM, is recognized as a critical source of competitive advantage (Maroudas et al., 2008). 2In a real sense, the services of hotel employees represent their industry (Schneider and Bowen, 1993). 3This representation has commonly been limited to guest experiences. 4This suggests that there has been a dichotomy between the guest environment provided in luxury hotels and the working conditions of their employees. 8 1It is therefore essential for hotel management to develop HRM practices that enable them to inspire and retain competent employees. 2This requires an understanding of what motivates employees at different levels of management and different stages of their careers (Enz and Siguaw, 2000). 3This implies that it is beneficial for hotel managers to understand what practices are most favorable to increase employee satisfaction and retention. 9 1Herzberg (1966) proposes that people have two major types of needs, the first being extrinsic motivation factors relating to the context in which work is performed, rather than the work itself. 2These include working conditions and job security. 3When these factors are unfavorable, job dissatisfaction may result. 4Significantly, though, just fulfilling these needs does not result in satisfaction, but only in the reduction of dissatisfaction (Maroudas et al., 2008). 10 1Employees also have intrinsic motivation needs or motivators, which include such factors as achievement and recognition. 2Unlike extrinsic factors, motivator factors may ideally result in job satisfaction (Maroudas et al., 2008). 3Herzberg’s (1966) theory discusses the need for a ‘balance’ of these two types of needs. 11 1The impact of fun as a motivating factor at work has also been explored. 2For example, Tews, Michel and Stafford (2013) conducted a study focusing on staff from a chain of themed restaurants in the United States. 3It was found that fun activities had a favorable impact on performance and manager support for fun had a favorable impact in reducing turnover. 4Their findings support the view that fun may indeed have a beneficial effect, but the framing of that fun must be carefully aligned with both organizational goals and employee characteristics. 5‘Managers must learn how to achieve the delicate balance of allowing employees the freedom to enjoy themselves at work while simultaneously maintaining high levels of performance’ (Tews et al., 2013). 12 1Deery (2008) has recommended several actions that can be adopted at the organizational level to retain good staff as well as assist in balancing work and family life. 2Those particularly appropriate to the hospitality industry include allowing adequate breaks during the working day, staff functions that involve families, and providing health and well-being opportunities.
Questions 27-31 Look at the following statements (Questions 27-31) and the list of researchers below. Match each statement with the correct researcher, A-F. Write the correct letter, A-F, in boxes 27-31 on your answer sheet. NB You may use any letter more than once. 27 Hotel managers need to know what would encourage good staff to 28 The actions of managers may make staff feel they shouldn’t move to a different employer. 29 Little is done in the hospitality industry to help workers improve their 30 Staff are less likely to change jobs if cooperation is 31 Dissatisfaction with pay is not the only reason why hospitality workers change jobs
Questions 32 – 35 Do the following statements agree with the claims of the writer in Reading Passage 3? In boxes 32-35 on your answer sheet, write YES If the statement agrees with the claims of the writer NO If the statement contradicts the claims of the writer NOT GIVEN If it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this 32 One reason for high staff turnover in the hospitality industry is poor 33 Research has shown that staff have a tendency to dislike their 34 An improvement in working conditions and job security makes staff satisfied with their 35 Staff should be allowed to choose when they take breaks during the working
Questions 36-40 Complete the summary below. Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer. Write your answers in boxes 36-40 on your answer sheet. Fun at work Tews, Micheal and Stafford carried out research on staff in an American chain of 36……………………… They discovered that avtivities designed for staff to have fun improved their 37………….., and that management involvement led to lower staff 38……………………… They also found that the activities needed to fit with both the company‘s 39……………….. and the 40………………………………….. of the staff. A balance was required between a degree of freedom and maintining work standards. |
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