Annotated biography Strategies for Retaining Night Audit Employees in the Hotel Industry Ali, N. (2013). Motivation-Hygiene Theory: Applicability on Teachers. Journal of Managerial Sciences, 7(1). The author explores the Herzberg’s Motivation-Hygiene theory in relation to teacher. Through a job satisfaction questionnaire based on two variables hygiene and motivation the researcher found out that majority of the teachers expressed their “satisfaction” with hygiene variables like the nature of supervision in their universities, relations with their boss, with working conditions, and relations with co-workers. This study greatly informs the theoretical and conceptual framework of this study. Barak, M. E. M. (2016). Managing diversity: Toward a globally inclusive workplace. Sage Publications. The book informs of the socioeconomic aspects that are involved in managing the workplace. The comparisons presented on the global context for diversity management gives different ethical issues on employment like discrimination, fairness and equality in the service industry employment. The author further delves the social psychological perspectives of workforce diversity, the culture and communication in diversity at the workplace and the potential of diversity in organization. He further gives the management of diversity, the paradigms and rationales in diversity management. This is a very rich source determining how an employer would formulate practices to create an inclusive workplace like in the hotel industry since these are fundamental in answering the research objectives. Černe, M., Dimovski, V., Marič, M., Penger, S., & Škerlavaj, M. (2014). Congruence of leader self-perceptions and follower perceptions of authentic leadership: Understanding what authentic leadership is and how it enhances employees’ job satisfaction. Australian journal of management, 39(3), 453-471 The article proposes a multilevel model f cross-level interactions between leader selfperceptions (team level) and follower perceptions of authentic leadership on job satisfaction. It is based on leadership-follower interactions and relationship that makes the work place productivity so that both the employee and employer are satisfied in their work. It is important that it helps gives the factors and attitudes that lead to job satisfaction which is an integral part of structuring employee retainance. Hesse, J. (2014). The True Cost Of Hiring An Employee? Much More Than Their Salary. [online] Forbes.com. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonhesse/2014/10/30/here-isthe-true-cost-of-hiring-an-employee/#6e99d3ca6326 [Accessed 11 Aug. 2018 The author of the article tackles the handles of the cost of hiring of employees. He disseminated all the factors involved, including, productivity, opportunity costs, remunerations costs, time costs and the returns of hiring. This is a very informative piece in the current study as it informs avidly on the importance and ways of retaining employees during these very competitive eras in the job market. Houghton, C., Casey, D., Shaw, D., & Murphy, K. (2013). Rigour in qualitative case-study research. Nurse researcher, 20(4). These authors provide examples of various qualitative case studies that illustrate the specific strategies which can be used to ensure dependability, credibility, transferability and conformability in a study. Though the case studies are derived from the health care centers and clinics laboratories, the finding are important in this research for data analysis and collection. They further present a data discussion strategies that are used in ensuring that research rigours are prolonged like triangulation, peer debriefing, member checking, audit trail, reflexivity, and thick descriptions. The article ensures the nature of qualitative research is embraced Janggon, K. (2011). Exploring how employee empowerment impacts on hotel front desk operations. UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones. The author of this paper explores the existing practices that empower the hotel industry and how the internal operations are business motivated in terms of productivity, employee retention and turnover and the art of hotel service delivery. The author has cited various case studies of international hotels in Las Vegas like the Palazzo and Wynn/Encore. This paper informs the current study in that it gives insight to hotel employee empowerment, and its impacts in achieving hotel goals and objectives and giving the best practices that ought to be used in hotel operations. Kumar, P., Khan, A. M., Inder, D., & Sharma, N. (2013). Job satisfaction of primary health-care providers (public sector) in urban setting. Journal of family medicine and primary care, 2(3), 227 These authors have based their research on the job satisfaction against other variables. They argue that job satisfaction is usually an individual’s struggle between what they want in a job and what is offered in the job. Their study helps in knowing the factors that influence job satisfaction among the populace of healthcare givers in the public sector. They have also presented a descriptive study that is carried out in various healthcare facilities in urban centers. This source informs the current study in that it gives a correlation between giving night-audit-employees satisfaction so that they can be effectively retained. This is through the findings that the authors present regarding practices of services, training and remuneration. Krstic, B., Kahrovic, E., & Stanisic, T. (2015). Business process management in the hotel Industry: A proposed framework. Ekonomika, 61(4), 21–34. doi:10.5937/ekonomika1504021K The authors develop a generic hotel organization framework for operating business processes. The framework broadens the view from which the hotel and lodging enterprises view their structure that is narrowly functional to cross-industry viewpoint. They have further presented an operating process, management process and support process that the hotel industry should be based on. Through these extrapolation, our study is informed through the development processes of house-keeping, supply chain of necessary inputs, guest handling and food and beverage production. The framework is important in the day to day business activities of the hotel industry. Leite, N. R. P., Rodrigues, A. C. D. A., & Albuquerque, L. G. D. (2014). Organizational commitment and job satisfaction: What are the potential relationships?. BAR-Brazilian Administration Review, 11(4), 476-495 The authors have distinctively compared two structural models that regard mediation and direct role that satisfaction has in predicting the commitment bond. Taking a case study of Brazilian organization of the military police, the study combines the both qualitative and quantitative methods to measure the relationship between variables. This is a useful article in revieving the realtionsgip between employers and employees in the hotel industry. Zhang, Y., & Wildemuth, B. M. (2016). Qualitative analysis of content. Applications of social research methods to questions in information and library science, 318. The article reviews the qualitative research of Emergency Medicine physicians in Emergency departments. Since the immediate study inclines more to a qualitative research, this article gives a clear guideline on how data is recorded, analyzed and discussed qualitatively for the purposes of answering the research hypothesis and correlating the variables that on employee retaining strategies. Running head: RETAINING NIGHT AUDIT EMPLOYEES Strategies for Retaining Night Audit Employees in the Hotel Industry By Constance F. Lima-Gonzalez MBA Walden University 2017 BBA American InterContinental University 2014 Doctoral Study Submitted in Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Business Administration Walden University October 2022 1 RETAINING NIGHT AUDIT EMPLOYEES 2 Table of Contents Section 1: Foundation of the Study................................................................................................. 3 Background of the Problem ........................................................................................................ 3 Purpose Statement ....................................................................................................................... 4 Nature of the Study ..................................................................................................................... 4 Research method ..................................................................................................................... 4 Research Design.......................................................................................................................... 5 Research Question ...................................................................................................................... 6 Interview Questions .................................................................................................................... 6 Theoretical/Conceptual Framework............................................................................................ 7 Operational Definitions ............................................................................................................... 8 The Significance of The Study ................................................................................................... 9 Contribution to Business Practice ............................................................................................. 10 Implications for Social Change ................................................................................................. 10 References ..................................................................................................................................... 12 RETAINING NIGHT AUDIT EMPLOYEES 3 Section 1: Foundation of the Study The hospitality industry, despite its economic input, has the highest turnover rate out of all sectors. Arguably, current approaches appear, to a degree, ineffective in addressing the issue. This study will analyze the recurrent issue of high turnover rates in the hotel industry and identify strategies for retaining night audit employees in the hotel industry. Statistics indicate that total turnover rate, in the hotel industry, exceeded 70 percent for the last 5 years (Bls.gov, 2018). In particular, for the month of June 2018, the hotel industry experienced more than 5.5 million separations (turnovers). Of all departments, the front office desk department has the highest turnover rate (Janggon, 2011). The turnover rate is a concern for investors and governments in equal measure. In this regard, the general business problem is the hotel industry’s inability to retain employees for a long-term engagement. That is, the hotel industry has a substantial employee retention problem. The problem is experienced by all form of business entities within the hospitality industry, including small, large and multinationals business entities. Background of the Problem The front desk is the first and last stop of the guests; they must check in and check out (Ramall, 2014). This is where they get their first impression of the hotel, upon arrival and where they can leave comments upon departure. The front desk employee is a multi-tasker, checking in guests, answering phones, solving guest problems, and answering guests’ questions. They also must communicate with other departments concerning guest issues, including housekeeping, maintenance, and the general manager (Ramall, 2014). The front office (desk) has three shifts; morning (7 AM- 3 PM), afternoon (3 PM – 11 PM) and night audit (11 PM – 7 AM) (third shift). The front desk has the highest turnover rate RETAINING NIGHT AUDIT EMPLOYEES 4 out of all the departments in the hotel (Ramall, 2014). Of all the shifts at the front desk, the third shift or the night audit shift is the hardest to fill and keep employees (Janggon, 2011). Purpose Statement It is justifiable to research the most appropriate intervention cues for the observed turnover rates in the USA hospitality industry. As such, this study will rely on a qualitative approach as the research method or strategy. In the same vein, a case study is the most appropriate research design. Less broadly, the researcher will rely on a qualitative case study to explore strategies that hotel leaders can use to improve or reduce employee turnovers at the front desk night audit shift (Janggon, 2011). Since the study is qualitative-based, there is no causal dimension, thus it’s not possible to explicitly identify the independent and predictor variables. The population of the study involves the number of hotels that have a low turnover during the night audit shift, in Virginia Beach, VA (geographic location). The implication for positive social change is the availability of more jobs, job security, continued employment, which in effect improve standards of living. High employment rates are equally correlated with fewer instances of socioeconomic evils such as crime, prostitution and drug abuse (Furstenberg, 2017). Nature of the Study Research method The qualitative approach does not seek to quantify the variables under study or attach to them any numerical meaning. The qualitative approach in one in which the researcher seeks to understand an experience, meaning, and perspective, from the point of view of the participant(s). Through the qualitative approach, the researcher investigates constructs such as beliefs, attitudes, meaning or behavior (Lacey and Hammarberg, 2016). In most instances, qualitative research RETAINING NIGHT AUDIT EMPLOYEES 5 involves small groups or a small sample size as the researcher aims to fully comprehend the focused participant(s). The data for qualitative research can be obtained from interviews, texts, documents, government reports or private knowledge (Zhang, & Wildemuth, 2016). There are a number of approaches used to analyze qualitative data. Thematic analysis is the most common approach towards qualitative analysis. The quantitative approach is also viable but not appropriate for this research. This is due to the fact that the data set to be collected is qualitative thereby invalidating the use of quantitative techniques. The study seeks to understand behavior and attitude; thus, the quantitative techniques would not provide deep insights from the participants' point of view. Research Design The case study research design has extensive use in discourses such as social sciences, psychology, and anthropology. Broadly, the case study design provides an in-depth and multifaceted analysis of a particular situation (Houghton, Casey, Shaw, & Murphy, 2013). The researcher attempts to fully understand a particular occurrence to infer some meaning or lessons. The researcher narrows on a particular topic rather than adopting a sweeping survey. Through this design, a particular case is selected and evaluated in the face of predetermined theoretical models. The case might involve a person, organization or a particular group. Through this design, the researcher is always guided by a number of theoretical underpinnings to contextualize a real-world situation. In the context of the study, the case will involve the hotels that operate in the Virginia Beach, VA. The real-world situation is the turnover challenge experienced in the USA hotels. Therefore, the researcher will collect views from the participants and subsequently analyze them through a set of theoretical models. The aim is to identify the most viable strategies to address the turnover challenge. Other designs such as RETAINING NIGHT AUDIT EMPLOYEES 6 the phenomenological would be less appropriate for the study as it would not meet the objective of the study. That is, other designs are not well structured to focus and sufficiently analyze a real-world situation. Only the case study design has the analytical depth to fully comprehend the issue understand. Research Question What retention strategies do hotel leaders use to retain employees at the front desk night audit? Interview Questions 1. It is evident that employee turnover is a considerable challenge in your organization. What are some of the factors that contribute to the high turnover rate? 2. Have you implemented employee-based strategies to curb the turnover rate? If so, list them below. 3. Have the strategies achieved the desired effect? 4. Do you think the job dimensions are employee-centered? Please provide details 5. Do you think the prevailing job dimensions cultivate employee commitment and engagement? 6. Do you conduct internal surveys to determine employees’ level of satisfaction or dissatisfaction thereof? 7. Do you offer rewards and motivational perks to all employees, regardless of performance? If so, which ones? 8. Do you have a predetermined way to assess the effectiveness of the employee retention strategies? RETAINING NIGHT AUDIT EMPLOYEES 7 Theoretical/Conceptual Framework This study is driven by Hertzberg two-factor theory, as the conceptual framework. There exists other motivation or job-satisfaction-based theories such as the Maslow Hierarchy of needs, McClelland’s Need Theory, McGregor’s Participation Theory and Vroom’s Expectancy Theory. However, Hertzberg two-factor theory appears to provide a comprehensive insight into job satisfaction and dissatisfaction (Ali, 2013). Through this theory, it is possible for organizations to determine factors that cultivate job satisfaction and those that dilute the satisfaction. The twofactor theory postulates that some factors in the workplace will likely cultivate job satisfaction while other others will influence dissatisfaction. Hertzberg categorized the factors that lead to job satisfaction as motivators. They include recognition, responsibility, challenging work among others (Kumar, Khan, Inder, D., & Sharma, 2013). On the other hand, factors whose absence will lead dissatisfaction were categorized as Hygiene factors. Some of them include job security, wage structure, vacations, work-life balance among others. Practically, the hotel managers should always guarantee motivators while also ensuring that the Hygiene factors do not emerge (Kumar, Khan, Inder, D., & Sharma, 2013). This is due to the fact that the presence of Hygiene factors will dilute motivation. The absence of motivation is associated with other outcomes such as poor work concentration, non-commitment, and low productivity among others. More precisely, failure to guarantee motivators while also allowing hygiene factors to develop leads to high turnover. The employees will be motivated to find better environments in which they can draw the required benefits. The above conceptual framework has been preferred due to a number of factors. First, the theory clearly identifies the factors to be enriched and those that need to be suppressed. In this regard, the manager has a clear view of what to address. The second factor is that the managers RETAINING NIGHT AUDIT EMPLOYEES 8 understand which job aspects are within the workplace and which are not. In this respect, the managers can fully maximize company resources. Also, the managers get a general view of what factors need to be suppressed right from the onset. Operational Definitions ➢ This section provides a description of the key terminologies that aid in the development of the study. The terms will not help enhance comprehension, it will also aid in fluidity. ➢ Job satisfaction – As a construct, job satisfaction is the personal fulfillment that an individual draw by engaging with a certain job. If an employee’s attitude regarding a certain job is positive, then job satisfaction exists, else dissatisfaction exits (Černe, Dimovski, Marič, Penger, & Škerlavaj, 2014). ➢ Motivation- Motivation is the personal drive an employee has to perform a certain task for a considerable period of time. ➢ Turnover – Employee turnover is the act of separation between an organization and its employees. It’s the number of employees that leave an organization within a particular period of time. ➢ Job commitment -Job commitment is the level of psychological attachment an individual towards an organization (Leite, Rodrigues, & Albuquerque, 2014). A committed employee will likely stay in a particular organization for the long term. ➢ Job engagement – Job engagement is the psychological outcome such that employees give their best every day. An engaged employee works tirelessly to achieve the values and objectives of the organization ➢ Strategy – A strategy is the predetermined plan formulated to achieve a certain outcome within a particular period of time RETAINING NIGHT AUDIT EMPLOYEES 9 The Significance of The Study The significance of this study is based on the solutions the researcher will provide to hotel managers to address the issue of high turnover rates. As observed, the USA hotel industry has, for the last five years, experienced employee turnover rates of more than 70%. This statistic indicates (deductively) that in a given year, for every 100 employees, 70 of them will leave their respective hotel organizations. Such a high attrition rate has far-reaching consequences for respective hotels and the USA GDP. The high attrition rate is costly to the organizations, both in quantitative and qualitative terms. Hiring a new employee will cost $56, 770. Suppose an organization has to hire 20 new employees, on average, the organization will incur almost $1 million in costs (Hesse, 2014). Such a cost might exceed the financial capacity of SMEs. Such a high cost effectively lowers the revenue model of the hotels. In terms of GDP, the observed cost will inevitably impact the country’s output. In 2014, the USA hospitality industry contributed 9.8% to the GDP, a figure expected to reach 10.5% in 2025. However, the figure will only reach the 10.5% if the hotel industry performs above average (World Travel and Tourism Council, 2015). Therefore, the findings of this study will assist the hotel managers to formulate effective and sustainable strategies that would diminish the attrition rate and the associated loss of value. A diminished attrition rate will preserve the hotels high performance and subsequently, generate a positive impact on the GDP. Other than the above quantifiable impact, the hotels will equally suffer qualitative costs. In particular, the turnover rates deprive the entities of talent and experienced employees. The exit of talented and experienced employees will, in turn, affect quality assurances. Failure to observe quality assurances will attract customer complaints and ultimately motivate considerable customer churns (Khan, & Fasih, 2014). In the same measure, the hotels will likely experience RETAINING NIGHT AUDIT EMPLOYEES 10 delays, disruptions and possibly, bad publicity. The costs associated with high attrition are enormous for the hotels to overlook. The findings of this study will be highly valuable to the hospitality industry and country as a whole. The future of the hospitality industry is anchored in research, so this study is extremely useful for the sustainability of the industry. Contribution to Business Practice The findings of this study will contribute substantially to the business practices in a number of angles. In particular, the findings will contribute substantial insights into human resource management. HR is a difficult portfolio to oversee due to the many personal dispositions, cultural backgrounds, and varied perceptions. Currently, there is extensive literature that shapes the school of HR, but the dynamic nature of the human society demands a constant review of existing theoretical perspectives. As such, this study will provide new and practical insights on best practices for human management and development. The workplace has become increasingly diversified; therefore, the findings of this study will provide a proper practical platform to manage a cross-generational workforce (Barak, 2016). Most importantly, the findings will help the hotels to link the HR strategy to the overall business strategy. The study will provide insights on how to link HR output to the business performance objectives. In context, the hotels will draw insights on ways to translate the HR capability to business performance. As such, the hotels will in the long enhance their service delivery in form improved customer service, employee development, and lower attrition rates. Implications for Social Change The findings of this study have social implications. The hotels, subject to their corporate social responsibility, have a duty to the employees. That is, the businesses have to ensure that the employees are well enumerated; employees are subjected to proper working conditions; workers RETAINING NIGHT AUDIT EMPLOYEES 11 are treated with dignity and above all, have job security. Therefore, the findings will provide hotel managers with insights on how best to engage the employees. In this respect, the managers will create a fully employee-centric culture that supports and serves workers. In the long run, the HR practices and functions will be reconfigured to enhance the plight of employees, potentially diminishing the turnover rates. The social change is that employees will have stable incomes for long, effectively enhancing their social security. Neighborhoods with higher employment prospects have lower instances of crime, delinquency and drug abuse. RETAINING NIGHT AUDIT EMPLOYEES 12 References Ali, N. (2013). Motivation-Hygiene Theory: Applicability on Teachers. Journal of Managerial Sciences, 7(1). Barak, M. E. M. (2016). Managing diversity: Toward a globally inclusive workplace. Sage Publications. Bls.gov. (2018). Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey Home Page. [online] Available at: https://www.bls.gov/jlt/ [Accessed 11 Aug. 2018]. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2018). U.S. Department of Labor. Job Openings & Labor Turnover-March 2018 Černe, M., Dimovski, V., Marič, M., Penger, S., & Škerlavaj, M. (2014). Congruence of leader self-perceptions and follower perceptions of authentic leadership: Understanding what authentic leadership is and how it enhances employees’ job satisfaction. Australian journal of management, 39(3), 453-471. Doi: 10.1080/15378021003595947. Furstenberg, F. F. (2017). Public reaction to crime in the streets. In The fear of crime (pp. 3-12). Routledge Hesse, J. (2014). The True Cost Of Hiring An Employee? Much More Than Their Salary. [online] Forbes.com. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonhesse/2014/10/30/here-is-the-true-cost-of-hiring-anemployee/#6e99d3ca6326 [Accessed 11 Aug. 2018]. Houghton, C., Casey, D., Shaw, D., & Murphy, K. (2013). Rigour in qualitative case-study research. Nurse researcher, 20(4). RETAINING NIGHT AUDIT EMPLOYEES 13 Janggon, K. (2011). Exploring how employee empowerment impacts on hotel front desk operations. UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones. Khan, M. M., & Fasih, M. (2014). Impact of service quality on customer satisfaction and customer loyalty: Evidence from banking sector. Pakistan Journal of Commerce and Social Sciences, 8(2), 331. Krstic, B., Kahrovic, E., & Stanisic, T. (2015). Business process management in the hotel Industry: A proposed framework. Ekonomika, 61(4), 21–34. doi:10.5937/ekonomika1504021K Kumar, P., Khan, A. M., Inder, D., & Sharma, N. (2013). Job satisfaction of primary health-care providers (public sector) in urban setting. Journal of family medicine and primary care, 2(3), 227. Lacey, M. and Hammarberg, K. (2016). Qualitative research methods: when to use them and how to judge them. Human Reproduction, [online] 31(3). Available at: https://academic.oup.com/humrep/article/31/3/498/2384737 [Accessed 11 Aug. 2018]. Leite, N. R. P., Rodrigues, A. C. D. A., & Albuquerque, L. G. D. (2014). Organizational commitment and job satisfaction: What are the potential relationships?. BAR-Brazilian Administration Review, 11(4), 476-495. Ramall, S. (2014). A review of employee motivation theories and their implications for Employee retention within organizations. doi 10.1108/IJOA-08-2015-0900. Journal of American Academy of Business, 5, 52‐63. World Travel and Tourism Council. (2015). Travel & tourism economic impact 2015: World. Retrieved from http://zh.wttc.org/-/media/files/reports/economic-impact171research/regional-2015/world2015 RETAINING NIGHT AUDIT EMPLOYEES Zhang, Y., & Wildemuth, B. M. (2016). Qualitative analysis of content. Applications of social research methods to questions in information and library science, 318. 14 Running head: EMPLOYEES RETENTION STRATEGIES Strategies for Retaining Night Audit Employees in the Hotel Industry By Constance F. Lima-Gonzalez MBA Walden University 2017 BBA American InterContinental University 2014 Doctoral Study Submitted in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Business Administration Walden University October 2022 1 EMPLOYEES RETENTION STRATEGIES Abstract 2 3 EMPLOYEES RETENTION STRATEGIES Strategies for Retaining Night Audit Employees in the Hotel Industry By Constance F. Lima-Gonzalez MBA Walden University 2017 BBA American InterContinental University 2014 Doctoral Study Submitted in Partial Fulfilment Of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Business Administration Walden University October 2022 EMPLOYEES RETENTION STRATEGIES Dedication 4 EMPLOYEES RETENTION STRATEGIES Acknowledgments 5 EMPLOYEES RETENTION STRATEGIES Table of contents 6 EMPLOYEES RETENTION STRATEGIES 7 Foundation of the study The hospitality industry has the highest turnover rate compared to other sectors. Contributing to this is the hotel industry, which has the highest turnover rate in the hospitality industry (Janggon, 2011). Hotels have several departments, which include housekeeping, van drivers, banquet staff, kitchen staff, and the front office (desk). Of all these departments, the one with the highest turnover in the front office. The front desk is the first and last stop a guest makes when coming to the hotel, and having the customer service skills to make them feel welcomed for coming and staying at the hotel is very important (Janggon, 2011). Background of the Problem Hotels have become victims of high employee turnover. Most of these turnovers happen to the front desk employees. Research reports on labor turnover in hotels indicated that the front office department leads in employee turnover. The employees at the front office are associated with high demanding tasks, which may contribute to increased turnovers. When a guest enters a hotel the first, and the last encounter is front desk (Tag-Eldeen, 2017). The employee is ever busy and is generally blamed if things are messed out in the hotel. The employee mostly encounters low job satisfaction if managers are not keen to address their immediate demands. It is difficult to accurately identify the leading caused of labor turnover in this department. Employees needs vary from one individual to another. Employees have different personalities, and thus managers have to diversify their intentions to retain these essential employees in the workplace. Preventing labor turnover among front office department requires an intensive study to reveal the causes of labor turnover. The front desk is the first and last stop of the guests. They have to check in and check out (Janggon, 2011). This is where they get their first impression of the hotel, upon arrival EMPLOYEES RETENTION STRATEGIES 8 and where they can leave comments upon departure (Tag-Eldeen, 2017). The front desk employees are multi-taskers, checking in guests, answering phones, solving guest problems, and answering guests’ questions. They also have to communicate with other departments concerning guest issues, including housekeeping, maintenance, and the general manager (Janggon, 2011). The front office department operates in three shifts. The morning shift starting at 7 AM to 3 PM, the afternoon shift from 3 PM to 11 PM and the night audit from 11 PM to 7 AM. The front desk has the highest turnover rate out of all the departments in the hotel (Tag-Eldeen, 2017). Of all the shifts at the front desk, the third shift or the night audit shift is the hardest to fill and keep employees (Janggon, 2011). The night audit shift requires high commitment and engagement. Most of the employees are forced to leave the organization if they feel that the organization is not keen on addressing their work demands. Job satisfaction is important. This study aims and identifying the strategies which can be used to retain the night audit employees in the workplace. Problem Statement Research has shown that hotels have a high employee turnover rate and a low retention rate (Janggon, 2011). There are many departments in hotels ranging from sales to the accounting department. Out of the many departments, the highest employee’s turnover is associated with the front office department. A breakdown of the research depending on the various shift in the front desk department in hotels the shift with the highest labor turnover is the night audit shift. The US Bureau of Labour and Statistics 2018 state reported that in March of 2017, there were 935,000 separations from the hotel front office and 957,000 separations in March 2018. The separations could have been due to voluntarily, layoffs, discharges, retirement, or illnesses (Janggon, 2011). EMPLOYEES RETENTION STRATEGIES 9 The general business problem is that hotel managers are unable to retain employees at the front office. Lack of proper retention strategies leads to high turnover at the front desk night audit employees. The increased turnovers lead to higher costs and thus damaging customer service. The specific business problem is that some hotel leaders lack the strategies to reduce employee turnover at the front desk night audit positions. The solution lies within well-crafted retention strategies. Effective retention strategies involve a proper assessment of employees needs to craft a specific retention package that needs individual demands. Purpose Statement The purpose of this qualitative exploratory case study is to explore strategies that hotel leaders can use to reduce employee turnovers at in front desk department specifically in the night audit shift. The study will be conducted in the front office department in hotel chain located in Virginia Beach. The hotel contains 958 employees deployed in different departments. For the last years since its establishment labor turnover has been a norm in the hotel. High employee turnovers are witnessed in the front office department among night audit shift. The hotel management has not been able to manage the situation. The research process involves questionnaires and direct interview discussions with front office night audit shift employees and managers. The study aims at developing appropriate strategies which will help retain employees in the department. Research Question What are the retention strategies do hotel leaders use to have in place to retain employees reduce turnover in front office night audit shift employees? Interview questions EMPLOYEES RETENTION STRATEGIES 10 1. What are the causes of labor turnover among employees in the front office, night audit shift? 2. Do you consider your job in the front office department night audit shift satisfying? 3. What should be done to improve job satisfaction in the hotel? 11 EMPLOYEES RETENTION STRATEGIES References Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2018). U.S. Department of Labor. Job Openings & Labour Turnover-March 2018 https://www.bls.gov/jlt/ Janggon, K. (2011). Exploring how employee empowerment impacts on hotel front desk operations. UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones. doi: 10.1080/15378021003595947 Krstic, B., Kahrovic, E., & Stanisic, T. (2015). Business process management in the Hotel Industry: A proposed framework. Ekonomika, 61(4), 21-34. doi: 10.5937/ekonomika1504021K Ramall, S. (2014). A review of employee motivation theories and their implications for Employee retention within organizations. Journal of American Academy of Business, (5), 52-63. doi: 10.1108/IJOA-08-2015-0900 Tag-Eldeen, A., Barakat, M., & Dar, H. (2017). Investigating the impact of workplace bullying on employees’ morale, performance and turnover intentions in five-star Egyptian hotel operations. Tourism and Travelling, 1(1), 4-14 doi:10.21511/tt.1(1).2017.01 Annotated biography Strategies for Retaining Night Audit Employees in the Hotel Industry Ali, N. (2013). Motivation-Hygiene Theory: Applicability on Teachers. Journal of Managerial Sciences, 7(1). The author explores the Herzberg’s Motivation-Hygiene theory in relation to teacher. Through a job satisfaction questionnaire based on two variables hygiene and motivation the researcher found out that majority of the teachers expressed their “satisfaction” with hygiene variables like the nature of supervision in their universities, relations with their boss, with working conditions, and relations with co-workers. This study greatly informs the theoretical and conceptual framework of this study. Barak, M. E. M. (2016). Managing diversity: Toward a globally inclusive workplace. Sage Publications. The book informs of the socioeconomic aspects that are involved in managing the workplace. The comparisons presented on the global context for diversity management gives different ethical issues on employment like discrimination, fairness and equality in the service industry employment. The author further delves the social psychological perspectives of workforce diversity, the culture and communication in diversity at the workplace and the potential of diversity in organization. He further gives the management of diversity, the paradigms and rationales in diversity management. This is a very rich source determining how an employer would formulate practices to create an inclusive workplace like in the hotel industry since these are fundamental in answering the research objectives. Černe, M., Dimovski, V., Marič, M., Penger, S., & Škerlavaj, M. (2014). Congruence of leader self-perceptions and follower perceptions of authentic leadership: Understanding what authentic leadership is and how it enhances employees’ job satisfaction. Australian journal of management, 39(3), 453-471 The article proposes a multilevel model f cross-level interactions between leader selfperceptions (team level) and follower perceptions of authentic leadership on job satisfaction. It is based on leadership-follower interactions and relationship that makes the work place productivity so that both the employee and employer are satisfied in their work. It is important that it helps gives the factors and attitudes that lead to job satisfaction which is an integral part of structuring employee retainance. Hesse, J. (2014). The True Cost Of Hiring An Employee? Much More Than Their Salary. [online] Forbes.com. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonhesse/2014/10/30/here-isthe-true-cost-of-hiring-an-employee/#6e99d3ca6326 [Accessed 11 Aug. 2018 The author of the article tackles the handles of the cost of hiring of employees. He disseminated all the factors involved, including, productivity, opportunity costs, remunerations costs, time costs and the returns of hiring. This is a very informative piece in the current study as it informs avidly on the importance and ways of retaining employees during these very competitive eras in the job market. Houghton, C., Casey, D., Shaw, D., & Murphy, K. (2013). Rigour in qualitative case-study research. Nurse researcher, 20(4). These authors provide examples of various qualitative case studies that illustrate the specific strategies which can be used to ensure dependability, credibility, transferability and conformability in a study. Though the case studies are derived from the health care centers and clinics laboratories, the finding are important in this research for data analysis and collection. They further present a data discussion strategies that are used in ensuring that research rigours are prolonged like triangulation, peer debriefing, member checking, audit trail, reflexivity, and thick descriptions. The article ensures the nature of qualitative research is embraced Janggon, K. (2011). Exploring how employee empowerment impacts on hotel front desk operations. UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones. The author of this paper explores the existing practices that empower the hotel industry and how the internal operations are business motivated in terms of productivity, employee retention and turnover and the art of hotel service delivery. The author has cited various case studies of international hotels in Las Vegas like the Palazzo and Wynn/Encore. This paper informs the current study in that it gives insight to hotel employee empowerment, and its impacts in achieving hotel goals and objectives and giving the best practices that ought to be used in hotel operations. Kumar, P., Khan, A. M., Inder, D., & Sharma, N. (2013). Job satisfaction of primary health-care providers (public sector) in urban setting. Journal of family medicine and primary care, 2(3), 227 These authors have based their research on the job satisfaction against other variables. They argue that job satisfaction is usually an individual’s struggle between what they want in a job and what is offered in the job. Their study helps in knowing the factors that influence job satisfaction among the populace of healthcare givers in the public sector. They have also presented a descriptive study that is carried out in various healthcare facilities in urban centers. This source informs the current study in that it gives a correlation between giving night-audit-employees satisfaction so that they can be effectively retained. This is through the findings that the authors present regarding practices of services, training and remuneration. Krstic, B., Kahrovic, E., & Stanisic, T. (2015). Business process management in the hotel Industry: A proposed framework. Ekonomika, 61(4), 21–34. doi:10.5937/ekonomika1504021K The authors develop a generic hotel organization framework for operating business processes. The framework broadens the view from which the hotel and lodging enterprises view their structure that is narrowly functional to cross-industry viewpoint. They have further presented an operating process, management process and support process that the hotel industry should be based on. Through these extrapolation, our study is informed through the development processes of house-keeping, supply chain of necessary inputs, guest handling and food and beverage production. The framework is important in the day to day business activities of the hotel industry. Leite, N. R. P., Rodrigues, A. C. D. A., & Albuquerque, L. G. D. (2014). Organizational commitment and job satisfaction: What are the potential relationships?. BAR-Brazilian Administration Review, 11(4), 476-495 The authors have distinctively compared two structural models that regard mediation and direct role that satisfaction has in predicting the commitment bond. Taking a case study of Brazilian organization of the military police, the study combines the both qualitative and quantitative methods to measure the relationship between variables. This is a useful article in revieving the realtionsgip between employers and employees in the hotel industry. Zhang, Y., & Wildemuth, B. M. (2016). Qualitative analysis of content. Applications of social research methods to questions in information and library science, 318. The article reviews the qualitative research of Emergency Medicine physicians in Emergency departments. Since the immediate study inclines more to a qualitative research, this article gives a clear guideline on how data is recorded, analyzed and discussed qualitatively for the purposes of answering the research hypothesis and correlating the variables that on employee retaining strategies.
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