Analyses of the turnover ratios confirmed high turnover trends across the five case studies.
The best performing unit among the case units had a staff turnover of 85% against a target
budget of 45% whilst the worst performing unit had 120% turnover against a budget of 49%.
The managers attributed the high levels of turnover to staff attitudes that contributed to lack
of commitment to the industry. Managers explained that most of the people who apply for
hotel jobs are reluctant to pursue a career in the hotel industry. Commenting on the
implications of employing such people one manager said:
“It is very difficult to get them to do the right thing; they do their jobs half heartedly
paying minimal attention to service quality and performance issues. In short they
simply do not care because this industry is not a career option for them”
When probed on the importance of a committed workforce another manager responded:
“The key success factor in this industry is having a stable, well trained, competent
and committed team. Teams are the key players who can either delight or annoy
guests through their attitude and behaviour. Most of our team members do not bother
to socially engage the guest”.
The manager’s comment finds support in the quality discourse which suggests that
hospitality employees are part of the product and are ultimately responsible for the
satisfaction or dissatisfaction of guests with the experiences they have had (Zeithaml et al.,
1993). Person to person interactions between customers and staff are an essential element
in the marketing of services and building of loyalty (Crosby, 1984; Zeithaml et al., 1993).