Causes and Effects of Employee Turnover in the Hospitality Industry – A Case of Casablanca Hotel

Causes and Effects of Employee Turnover in the Hospitality Industry – A Case of Casablanca Hotel

The hospitality industry has been growing rapidly over the last decade because of the growth of the travel and tourism sector worldwide. One of the key players in the success of the hospitality industry is employees who act as the direct contact between hotels and restaurants and their employees. According to Liu-Lastres et al. (2023), employees in the hospitality industry are the backbone of the business. Therefore, companies in the hospitality industry invest in their employees to keep them motivated to offer high-quality services that guarantee customer satisfaction and loyalty. However, the COVID-19 pandemic made it hard for many restaurants and hotels to keep their employees motivated. Notably, the hospitality industry was among the sectors that lost most of their customers due to the travel restrictions and social distancing regulations implemented in all countries worldwide to prevent the spread of the pandemic. Many companies within the hospitality industry were forced to fire some of their employees or reduce employee salaries to maintain operations and reduce the losses incurred. The reduced workforce increased the workload for the retained employees, leading to burnout and stress. According to Rydell and Storman (2022), some employees in the hospitality industry retained their work but were required to work fewer hours with a reduced salary. This led to job dissatisfaction and demotivation. The productivity of most employees in the hospitality industry also declined during the pandemic because of reduced wages and an increase in workload. Additionally, wage cuts, job loss, and leave arrangements impacted the livelihood and mental well-being of employees in the hospitality industry during the pandemic (Liu-Lastres et al., 2023). One of the main impacts of poor mental well-being is reduced productivity and absenteeism, which could lead to involuntary turnover. Many employees also worked under intense pressure because of the risk of infection and job insecurity (Chen et al., 2022). Therefore, the COVID-19 pandemic created a harsh working environment for employees in the hospitality industry, leading to a poor relationship between employers and employees.

Problem Statement

The purpose of this qualitative study is to determine the causes and effects of employee turnover in the hospitality industry during the COVID-19 pandemic. A qualitative study design will be used in which narrative data will be collected and analyzed to determine how the COVID-19 pandemic increased employees’ intention to leave during the COVID-19 pandemic. These data will represent the causes and effects of employee turnover in the hospitality industry during the COVID-19 pandemic. Qualitative data will be gathered, exploring how the COVID-19 pandemic affected the working conditions in the hospitality industry from servers, managers, chefs, and housekeepers at Casablanca Hotel. The reason for using this form of data to generate data is to develop an in-depth understanding of the factors that led to employee turnover at Casablanca Hotel during the COVID-19 pandemic and how employee turnover affected the company. Qualitative data will provide an in-depth understanding of the issue of employee turnover at Casablanca Hotel because it will be based on the experiences of the research participants. According to Hammarberg et al. (2016), qualitative research answers questions about perspective, meaning, and experiences from the research participants’ standpoint. Therefore, qualitative research will facilitate the collection of information about the experiences of the selected staff at Casablanca Hotel during the COVID-19 pandemic. Consequently, this will increase the range of information that will be analyzed to address the research questions since each employee had a unique experience based on their position at the hotel and their relationship with management and other staff. The study will also compare the opinions of the employees at Casablanca Hotel on how the COVID-19 pandemic affected their work environment and created the intention to leave, leading to employee turnover, and their opinions on how employee turnover affected the company and the work environment.

Research Questions

• What were the causes of employee turnover at Casablanca Hotel during the COVID-19 pandemic?
• How did employee turnover at Casablanca Hotel affect the hotel and its staff?

Rationale for the Qualitative Research Method

As mentioned earlier, this study will use the qualitative research method to determine the causes and effects of employee turnover in the hospitality industry based on the information provided by staff at Casablanca Hotel. Qualitative research involves collecting and analyzing non-statistical data. The qualitative research design is appropriate for the current study because the research involves addressing the question of what caused a specific issue. According to Bloomberg (2023), qualitative research involves conceptualizing the problem being studied to address the question of “what.” For example, the current study focuses on determining what caused employee turnover in the hospitality industry during COVID-19 based on the opinions of staff at Casablanca Hotel. Qualitative research is also appropriate for the current study because it involves getting information from the participant’s perspective. Qualitative research is used to develop a deep understanding of an activity or social setting based on the research participants’ perspectives (Bloomberg, 2023). Therefore, the qualitative research method will be useful in understanding the working conditions created by the COVID-19 pandemic.

One of the main features of the study will be independent and research variables that will act as a guide on the relevant information gathered from the research participants. The main variables in the current research include employee turnover, job dissatisfaction, employee motivation, and organizational performance. These variables will be used to develop the two hypotheses listed below.

• Hypothesis 1: The COVID-19 pandemic created unfavorable working conditions that increased job dissatisfaction and reduced employee motivation, leading to employee turnover.
• Hypothesis 2: The COVID-19 pandemic increased voluntary employee turnover, leading to reduced organizational performance.

The hypotheses will be used as guiding questions when collecting and analyzing information from the research participants. Another rationale for using qualitative research for this study is that it will enable the researcher to adjust the questions in the data collection process to get useful insights from the research participants. For example, interview questions can be changed during the interview for clarity. Also, additional questions can be used to gather more information and get a clear explanation of the opinions shared by the research participants.

Intended Research Outcomes

One of the intended research outcomes is to demonstrate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on working conditions in the hospitality industry and how the changes in the working conditions affected employee motivation and job satisfaction. The research will provide facts that provide an in-depth understanding of how the COVID-19 pandemic created harsh working conditions for employees at Casablanca Hotel, leading to high intention to leave, hence addressing the first research question. The second research outcome is to demonstrate the relationship between the harsh working conditions created by the COVID-19 pandemic at Casablanca Hotel, employee turnover, and the hotel’s overall performance. The research will present facts explaining how employee turnover caused by the COVID-19 pandemic affected employee productivity at Casablanca Hotel, leading to reduced overall performance.

References

Bloomberg, L. D. (2023). Completing your qualitative dissertation: A road map from beginning to end. SAGE.

Chen, C.-C., Zou, S. (Sharon), & Chen, M.-H. (2022). The fear of being infected and fired: Examining the dual job stressors of hospitality employees during COVID-19. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 102, 103131. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2021.103131

Hammarberg, K., Kirkman, M., & de Lacey, S. (2016). Qualitative research methods: When to use them and how to judge them. Human Reproduction, 31(3), 498–501. https://doi.org/10.1093/humrep/dev334

Liu-Lastres, B., Huang, W., & Bao, H. (2023). Exploring hospitality workers’ career choices in the wake of COVID-19: Insights from a phenomenological inquiry. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 111, 103485. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2023.103485

Rydell, A., & Storman, E. (2022). Short-time work, redundancies, and changing work environment: The hospitality sector during COVID-19. Nordic Journal of Working Life Studies. https://doi.org/10.18291/njwls.134827

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The focus of this week’s assignment is on applying the qualitative method to the research problem.

Begin with a one-page introduction about the circumstances that led to the development of the problem; do not state the problem in this section. Establish the existence of your research problem using three to four scholarly articles published within the last 3 years. Remember that the problem must have a business administration focus and must relate to your degree specialization (Organizational Leadership). Keep your research focus and problem simple for this assignment.

Causes and Effects of Employee Turnover in the Hospitality Industry

Next, using the guide for developing a problem statement found in the Dissertation Center, construct a qualitative problem statement. The problem statement must be defined as a specific, evidence-based, real-life issue faced by certain people or organizations with significant negative implications for the involved parties. Your problem statement must (a) frame the problem, (b) validate that it exists with verifiable data, and (c) identify why and for whom the problem matters. Also, see Chapter 5 in Bloomberg and Volpe (2018).

Next, rationalize the use of the qualitative method for your research inquiry. Explain the features. Give examples of the intended research outcomes. Formulate a purpose statement using the framework. NOTE: This is the recommended script for framing your purpose statement.

The purpose of this qualitative study is _________________ [content aim of the study]. A qualitative study design will be used in which narrative data will be collected and analyzed to _________. These data will represent ____________ [the bounding or description of the study]. Qualitative data will be gathered exploring ____________ [the central phenomenon] from _________ [participants] at _________ [the research site]. The reason for using this form of data to ________ [support or generate] data, is to develop an in-depth understanding of ____________________. [Include scholarly sources to support these research decisions.]

Source:

Create two qualitative research questions that could generate information for later analysis. Tip: Remember that this is qualitative research, therefore your business research question is about how and why something is happening.

Length: 3-4 pages

References: Include scholarly resources to support the existence of the problem and for any information that explains the breadth, depth, or challenges associated with the problem.