Category: Finance, Business, Management, Economics and Accounting
ORIGINAL
Employee’s personal characteristics and their perception on employee engagement: A study on hotel employees
Características personales de los empleados y su percepción del compromiso de los empleados: Un estudio sobre los empleados de hotel
D. Gunaseelan1 
*, George Thomas1 *
1Department of Hotel Management, Jamal Mohamed College (Autonomous), Trichy, India.
Cite as: Gunaseelan D, Thomas G. Employee’s personal characteristics and their perception on employee engagement: A study on hotel employees. Salud, Ciencia y Tecnología - Serie de Conferencias. 2024; 3:891. https://doi.org/10.56294/sctconf2024891
Submitted: 04-02-2024 Revised: 22-04-2024 Accepted: 11-06-2023 Published: 12-06-2024
Editor: Dr.
William Castillo-González
ABSTRACT
Employee engagement is the concept by which an employee’s intellectual and his emotional attachment to work and organization is measured. Employees of the hotels are to be engaged to reduce employee turnover, enhance customer satisfaction and improved business performance that influences the sustainability of the organization in an aggressively competitive market. Data for the research has been collected from a four and five star category hotels at Kolkata which is analyzed for the role of employee’s personal characteristics, on the employee’s perception on engagement. The finding suggest that employee’s level of educational qualification and there gender have great role in their level of organizational engagement. Suggestions has been provided to improve the employee engagement in the study organizations.
Keywords: Employee; Engagement Hotels; Kolkata.
RESUMEN
El compromiso de los empleados es el concepto por el que se mide el apego intelectual y emocional de un empleado al trabajo y a la organización. Los empleados de los hoteles deben estar comprometidos para reducir la rotación de personal, aumentar la satisfacción del cliente y mejorar el rendimiento empresarial, lo que influye en la sostenibilidad de la organización en un mercado agresivamente competitivo. Para la investigación se han recogido datos de hoteles de cuatro y cinco estrellas de Calcuta y se ha analizado el papel de las características personales de los empleados en su percepción del compromiso. Los resultados sugieren que el nivel de estudios de los empleados y su sexo influyen en gran medida en su nivel de compromiso con la organización. Se han hecho sugerencias para mejorar el compromiso de los empleados en las organizaciones estudiadas.
Palabras clave: Empleado; Compromiso; Hoteles; Calcuta.
INTRODUCTION
Engagement may be described as the process of effectively channeling the commitment and dedication of individuals towards their professional responsibilities within an organization. During the process of engagement, individuals actively demonstrate their physical, cognitive, and emotional involvement with their job and the organization. It also indicates the degree of dedication and alignment that employee has towards the firm and its principles.(1,2,3,4) A highly committed person have a deep understanding of the business environment and collaborates well with colleagues to enhance job performance, thereby benefiting the firm.(5,6)
Need of Employee Engagement in Hotels
An engaged employee is deeply committed to an organization, exhibits enthusiasm towards their job, and is genuinely concerned about the success of the business.(7,8,9,10) The antecedents of employee engagement includes job characteristics, rewards and recognition, which along with supervisor support leads to organizational growth(7,11) Research(3) conclude that employees exhibit additional performance when they have a positive work engagement. There is an increase in employee turnover in hotel industry as employees leave for other hotels(10) leading to reduction in trained staff thereby impacting the quality of service in hospitality industry.(12,13,14,15,16) The United States Department of Labor estimates that one-third of an annual wage for a newly recruited employee is used on replacing a more experienced employee.(17,18) Hotel industry with its labour dependency have a large chunk of its total cost spent on wages and salaries, so there is a need of an engaged workforce.
Literature review
The engagement of employees in an organization occurs with certain factors which were studied, considering the earlier research been done in the same field.
Age
Research findings indicate that older workers exhibit higher levels of engagement compared to their younger counterparts.(19,20,21,22,23,24) Global survey on engagement and the report recommended(4) older workers to be more engaged than younger counter parts globally. Engagement amongst employees though have been found to be decreasing for workers 41years and older.
Gender
CIP(5) It has been shown that women exhibit higher levels of engagement than males. Specifically, 74 % of women are somewhat involved with their job, while 9 % are very engaged. In comparison, 68 % of men are moderately interested, and only 7 % are strongly engaged. A study conducted by researchers(18) established a correlation between gender and workplace engagement, revealing that females exhibit higher levels of engagement compared to males.
Education
The education level of the personnel in the hotel business is comparatively lower than that of other industries.(1) Based on the citation(16) there exists a link between the educational attainment of the local population and the pool of potential workers that may be recruited in a hotel. The research demonstrates a positive correlation between educational degrees and engagement levels. However, a contradictory finding suggests that engagement among workers decreases after completing graduation, despite having acquired adequate information and training.(25,26)
Marital Status
Research(17) state that unmarried individuals are been more susceptible to emotional exhaustion and have lower engagement levels than married couples.
Leadership
Leaders create a high level of employee engagement and are skilled to identify valuable contribution of each employee‘s work, validating appreciation of their work towards organization.(27,28,29) Trust on leadership is vital for efficient functioning of an organizations, tasks in hotels are complex and requires interdependence, teamwork, and sharing of knowledge.(6) The perspective adopted is that the primary goal of the supervisor is to provide support and assistance to workers, resulting in a heightened degree of employee engagement.
Pay and Benefits
Tow(26) The study revealed that compensation and benefits have a significant role in attracting people to the firm and have some importance in employee retention, but to a lower degree. HR managers have often expressed worry about the impact of benefits and remuneration on workers’ inclinations to leave the company.
Work Performance
Sei(23) Noted that information about work performance frequently leads in engaging employees. Substantial empirical data exists to support a favorable correlation between involvement and performance.(2) It was discovered that work-related problems had the most significant influence on attrition, followed by employer-related concerns and employee skills.
Recognition of Work
Ble(4) Survey data reveal that establishing an atmosphere which encourages high performance was regarded the least desirable yet had the highest relationships with employee engagement. According to(14) even just remembering to thank the employees about their work might be enough to make employees feel recognized and therefore increase the engagement level.
Length of Service
Although there is a substantial correlation between seniority and engagement, a consistent study indicates that engagement levels decrease as the duration of service grows(9) discovered that employee involvement in most companies decreased after two years, but thereafter saw a progressive rise after six to nine years.
Communication
The employees who receive more communication from their supervisors and the senior management are highly engaged as compared to those with less frequent communication(29,30,31,32) Inadequate communication often leads to diminished employee engagement, as the workers see a lack of opportunity to establish trust with the business.(13)
Training
Training and development enhance individual performance, which significantly influences employee engagement.(12) Training and development foster self-assurance, drive, and a strong work ethic among workers, thereby improving their level of involvement.
Decision Making/ Empowerment
Rob(19) Recognizes the issue of employee under-utilization inside the business due to their exclusion from work-related decision-making processes.(15) To ensure the effectiveness of a high-involvement work practice in a good way, it is crucial to provide workers with power, which in turn fosters engagement.
Objectives
· To examine perception of employees on employee engagement in the four and five star hotels located in Kolkata.
· To analyze the demographic factors and their effect on employee engagement.
· To provide suggestions to improve employee engagement in the study units.
METHOD
The research was done by administering a questionnaire to the workers of two hotels in Kolkata. A grand total of 120 questionnaires were distributed evenly throughout all the departments of the hotel. The original data was obtained from hotel personnel, with a total of 98 questionnaires used for the research due to some surveys being incomplete or containing mistakes. The workers were instructed to assess the different attributes that influence employee engagement using a 5-point Likert scale.
Observation and analysis
The acquired data was examined using the statistical software SPSS. The research took into account several demographic parameters, including age, gender, marital status, academic degree, departments, designation, and star grade of the hotel, as shown in table 1.
|
Table 1. Profile of the Respondents |
|
|
Demographic Profile |
Percent (Frequency in Bracket) |
|
Gender Male Female Marital Status Married Unmarried Age 20-25 Yrs 26-30 yrs 31-35 yrs 36-40 yrs Above 40 yrs Designation Manager Supervisors Others Educational Qualification Upto H.Sc Diploma Graduates Post Graduate Departments Food Production Housekeeping Front Office Food and Beverage Service Others Hotel 5 Star 4 Star |
72,40 (71) 27,60 (27)
44,00 (44) 56,00 (56)
27,6 (25) 36,7 (36) 11,2 (11) 9,2 (9) 15,3 (15)
30,9 % (30) 18,6 % (18) 50,50 (49)
9,1 (9) 44,4 (44) 34,3 (35) 11,1 (11)
29,3 (29) 3,0 (3) 8,8 (9) 12,7 (13) 45,5 (45)
33 69 |
Descriptive data were collected for all the statements, and their mean and standard deviation were shown in table 2. The mean value is between the range of 4,37 to 3,79. The statement on the consideration of employee opinions and ideas in the decision-making process has the lowest mean value, indicating that it has a minimal influence on the workers. The statement that individuals feel proud to work has the greatest mean value.
|
Table 2. Descriptive Statistics |
||
|
S. No |
Statements |
Mean (Standard Deviation) |
|
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. |
Producing eminence work is a top priority within the organization Proper training is been given on how to do a specific job Personnel in the organization are supportive when I have problem All personnel are treated with respect My opinion and suggestions are considered in decision making process The organization has a good reputation as an employer My supervisor creates a motivating and energizing work place The organization goals and objectives provide meaningful direction to me I have been recognized for my work I am satisfied with organization overall benefits and salary package The department /section provides the best product or service to the guest Have opportunity in the organization to advance & take greater responsibility Managers and supervisors let me know how well I am doing my job I feel enthusiastic and look forward to going to work I feel energetic at my work Proper technology, tools and resources allow me to deliver the best The work location is convenient to me My job is very challenging I am proud of the work that I do I will recommend individuals to the organization I am working Being member of the organization is exciting for me I feel personally attached to my work organization There is a proper line of communication |
4,24 (1,0) 3,99 (0,9) 4,19 (1,1) 4,13 (1,1) 3,79 (1,0) 4,30 (0,9) 4,28 (1,0 3,93 (1,2) 4,17(0,9) 3,44 (1,2) 4,19 (0,9) 3,91 (1,0) 4,06(0,9) 4,21(1,1) 4,07(1,2) 3,82 (1,0) 4,07 (0,9) 3,99 (1,2) 4,37 (0,9) 4,02 (1,1) 4,31 (0,9) 4,03 (1,0) 4,14 (1,1) |
A t-test was conducted to compare the opinions and suggestions of male and female workers in the sample. The results showed a statistically significant difference between the genders, as shown in figure 1. The influence of education is analyzed using a one-way ANOVA, which has also shown that post-graduate personnel had higher levels of involvement. The respondents’ impression of employee involvement is not significantly influenced by age.(33)
Figure 1. Employees Personal Characteristics and their perception on Employee Engagement
DISCUSSION
The study results align with previous studies, indicating that a greater level of education positively impacts employee engagement(30,31,34). The study revealed that age has an impact on engagement levels(18,21) However, our results vary as age does not have a statistically significant influence in engaging hotel staff. Inadequate communication results in decreased engagement levels, yet the research findings do not indicate a major disparity. The research conducted(17) indicated that unmarried adults exhibited lower levels of engagement. However, the results of the hotel workers do not corroborate this conclusion. Regarding gender views, the research indicates that the level of women’s involvement is greater than that of males, however this difference was not determined to be statistically significant. The study results indicate that women in the business have a better understanding of the firm’s aims and objectives compared to males. This recommends that male workers should also get comprehensive briefings on their goals and objectives to enhance their future prospects inside the organization.
Limitations of the study
The sample size was quite small and only two hotels were been considered for the study. The results may vary if more individuals were surveyed. The data was collected once only with no longitudinal study been done which may have an impact on the employees of the organization.
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FINANCING
None.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
None.
AUTHORSHIP CONTRIBUTION
Conceptualization: D. Gunaseelan, George Thomas.
Research: D. Gunaseelan, George Thomas.
Writing - original draft: D. Gunaseelan, George Thomas.
Writing - revision and editing: D. Gunaseelan, George Thomas.