EMPLOYEE MOTIVATION IN HOTEL INDUSTRY

Employee Motivation in Hotel Industry



Employee Motivation in Hotel Industry

Introduction

Understanding what motivated employees and how they were motivated was the aim of numerous investigators next the publication of the Hawthorne Study outcomes (Breiter, et al, 2003). Five foremost advances that have directed to our comprehending of motivation are Maslow's need-hierarchy idea, Herzberg's two- component idea, Vroom's expectancy idea, Adams' equity idea, and Skinner's reinforcement theory.

Background of the Study

Organizations in hotel industry are keen to find and then implement effective motivational strategies in order to improve productivity and employee satisfaction, as well as achieving customer satisfaction. The question “What motivates employees” provides invaluable insight for those seeking enlightenment about motivation. It is important to exploring the attitudes that employees hold, concerning factors, which motivate them at work, is important to creating an environment that fosters employee motivation.

In essence motivation is not just the provision of tangible rewards which are usually manifested in financial terms, rather it goes far deeper, is more complex, and requires sound policies which are valued by those to whom the motivation strategies are aimed to have a profound impact on employee morale and productivity.

Problem Statement

The challenge facing the hotel industry is how to activate these inner forces or drive within an individual to not only achieves personal, but company goals as well.

Purpose of the Study

According to Maslow, employees have five grades of desires (Kuslavan, 2000): physiological, security, communal, ego, and self- actualizing. Maslow contended that smaller grade desires had to be persuaded before the next higher grade require would motivate employees. Herzberg's work categorized motivation into two factors: motivators and hygienes (Pratten, 2003). Motivator or intrinsic components, for example accomplishment and acknowledgement, make job satisfaction. Hygiene or extrinsic components, for example yield and job security, make job dissatisfaction.

The hotel industry has become a very competitive sector where employees play a crucial role right from the time when a customer checks in, during the customers stay and when a customer checks out. How employees treat the customer during all these phases not only determines whether the customer visits again, but also determines whether the customer recommends the hotel to friends, relatives, business associates and acquaintances, thereby affecting the hotels future revenues. It is therefore crucial to have employees who are motivated to serve customers the best they can at all time. I have been particularly intrigued to see how the net income of the various hotels my company owns differ. In some cases, where the expenses are high, including wages and benefits, the revenues are also high, reflecting a high net income.

Thus this research would be of relevance to the hospitality sector as many have been facing the problem of motivation and productivity and of particular relevance to the company I work for, as it would help them to improve upon their policies and practices, if need be.

Aims and objective of the Study

Motivation is defined as “the psychological feature that arouses an organism to action toward a desired goal", ...