The open-ended questionnaire, had majority reporting that ‘extended shift’ and ‘routine over load of work’, lowered their enthusiasm. Though most of the respondents do not mind working for a 9–10 h shift, they experienced physical and mental fatigue after prolonged shifts, impinging on their efficiency and well being, the next day. Since work overload is a salient feature in this industry, response confers with the conclusion drawn by Shelley and Andrea (2007), that employees’ perception of work overload has negative implications for mental and physical health, affecting their work life. In contrast to this, a large number of respondents felt that they can work efficiently and experienced a sense of fulfilment, when they have the liberty to solve their guest complaints, instead of approaching the duty manager. With the exception of the employees from hotel H3, participants from the other two hotels revealed, having opportunities to act autonomously and the freedom to assume responsibility for the way they carry out their work. The outcome of having autonomy is reflected in the response from an employee in the service department:
“… a guest was complaining about a dish that was served…, I decided to serve him a complementary dessert, he was taken by surprise and appreciated the gesture… I felt happy, that I had the freedom to take remedial measures by myself…” (H2-b: autonomy)
Moreover, studies have found that, employee autonomy would be particularly appropriate for such complex tasks as service delivery (Houlihan, 2002) that has immense relevance in a hotel organization.