Question:

READING PASSAGE 3
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions i-xiv, which are based on Reading
Passage 3 below.
Motivational factors and the hospitality industry
A critical ingredient in the success of hotels is developing and maintaining superior
performance from their employees. How is that accomplished? What Human Resource
Management (HRM) practices should organizations invest in to acquire and retain great
employees?
Some hotels aim to provide superior working conditions for their employees. The idea
originated from workplaces - usually in the non-service sector - that emphasized fun and
enjoyment as part of work-life balance. By contrast, the service sector, and more
specifically hotels, has traditionally not extended these practices to address basic
employee needs, such as good working conditions.
Pfeffer (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. This investment will be to their competitive advantage. Despite this
recognition of the importance of employee development, the hospitality industry has
historically been dominated by underdeveloped HR practices (Lucas, 2002).
Lucas 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). In
addition, or maybe as a result, high employee turnover has been a recurring problem
throughout the hospitality industry. Among the many cited reasons are low compensation,
inadequate benefits, poor working conditions and compromised employee morale and
attitudes (Maroudas et al., 2008).
Ng 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. This was
succinctly summarized by Michel et al. (2013): ‘[Providing support to employees gives
them the confidence to perform their jobs better and the motivation to stay with the
organization.’ Hospitality organizations can therefore enhance employee motivation and
retention through the development and improvement of their working conditions. These
conditions are inherently linked to the working environment.
While 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). However, given the opportunity, many
people will find something to complain about in relation to their workplace (Poulston,
2009). There 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.
Such 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). In a real sense, the services of hotel
employees represent their industry (Schneider and Bowen, 1993). This representation has
commonly been limited to guest experiences. This suggests that there has been a
dichotomy between the guest environment provided in luxury hotels and the working
conditions of their employees.
It is therefore essential for hotel management to develop HRM practices that enable them
to inspire and retain competent employees. This requires an understanding of what
motivates employees at different levels of management and different stages of their
careers (Enz and Siguaw, 2000). This implies that it is beneficial for hotel managers to
understand what practices are most favorable to increase employee satisfaction and
retention.
Herzberg (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. These include working conditions and job security. When these factors are
unfavorable, job dissatisfaction may result. Significantly, though, just fulfilling these needs
does not result in satisfaction, but only in the reduction of dissatisfaction (Maroudas et al.,
2008).
Employees also have intrinsic motivation needs or motivators, which include such factors
as achievement and recognition. Unlike extrinsic factors, motivator factors may ideally
result in job satisfaction (Maroudas et al., 2008). Herzberg’s (1966) theory discusses the
need for a ‘balance’ of these two types of needs.
The impact of fun as a motivating factor at work has also been explored. For example,
Tews, Michel and Stafford (2013) conducted a study focusing on staff from a chain of
themed restaurants in the United States. It was found that fun activities had a favorable
impact on performance and manager support for fun had a favorable impact in reducing
turnover. Their findings support the view that fun may indeed have a beneficial effect, but
the framing of that fun must be careful ly aligned with both organizational goals and
employee characteristics. ‘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).
Deery (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. Those
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 i-v
Look at the following statements (Questions i-v) and the list of researchers below.
Match each statement with the correct researcher, A-F.
Write the correct letter, A-F, in boxes i-v on your answer sheet.
NB You may use any letter more than once.
(i)      Hotel managers need to know what would encourage good staff to remain.
(ii)     The actions of managers may make staff feel they shouldn’t move to a different
employer.
(iii)     Little is done in the hospitality industry to help workers improve their skills.
(iv)    Staff are less likely to change jobs if cooperation is encouraged.
(v)     Dissatisfaction with pay is not the only reason why hospitality workers change jobs.
List of Researchers

A Pfeffer
 B Lucas
C Maroudas et al.
D Ng and Sorensen
E Enz and Siguaw

F Deery
 
 
 
Questions vi-ix
Do the following statements agree with the claims of the writer in Reading Passage 3?
In boxes vi-ix 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
(vi)    One reason for high staff turnover in the hospitality industry is poor morale.
(vii)   Research has shown that staff have a tendency to dislike their workplace.
(viii)   An improvement in working conditions and job security makes staff satisfied with
their jobs.
(ix)    Staff should be allowed to choose when they take breaks during the working day.
Questions x-xiv
Complete the summary below.
Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes x-xiv on your answer sheet.
Fun at work
Tews, Michel and Stafford carried out research on staff in an American chain of (x)
………………. They discovered that activities designed for staff to have fun improved
their (xi) ………………., and that management involvement led to lower
staff (xii) ………………. They also found that the activities needed to fit with both the
company’s (xiii) ………………. and the (xiv) ……………of the staff. A balance was
required between a degree of freedom and maintaining work standards.