Employee Work Attitudes, Mobility and Promotional Opportunities in the Tourism Industry in Times of Uncertainty

BEST EN

THINK TANK XII, Greoux Les Bains, France 2012

Mobilities and Sustainable Tourism

Employee Work Attitudes, Mobility and Promotional Opportunities in the Tourism Industry in Times of Uncertainty

Margaret Deery

Curtin Business School

Curtin University, Western Australia

Email: Margaret.Deery@Curtin.edu.au

Leo Jago

University of Nottingham

Nottingham, UK

Email: Leo.Jago@Nottingham.ac.uk

Michael Stewart

Victoria University

Melbourne, Australia

Email: Michael.Stewart@vu.edu.au

Employee Work Attitudes, Mobility and Promotional Opportunities in the Tourism Industry in Times of Uncertainty

Abstract

The issue of employee mobility is brought into sharp focus in times of economic and social uncertainty. Previous studies into the causes of employee mobility have investigated, among other determinants, the link between the promotional opportunities of employees, their work attitudes, and their intentions to leave the organisation. The tourism industry, especially within the hotel sector, is known for its high employee turnover rates (Davidson, 2010) and yet little research has been conducted on whether these high turnover rates continue during times of economic downturn. This paper examines the relationship between perceived promotional opportunities, employee work attitudes such as job satisfaction, and mobility (an employee's intention to leave or stay in an organisation) in the hotel industry. While many of the turnover studies have been conducted in a range of service organisations, little research has investigated the promotion-turnover relationship in the hotel industry, an industry characterised by low promotional opportunities and high turnover rates.

Quantitative and qualitative approaches were used to investigate the relationship between promotional opportunity and employee turnover. A survey instrument containing attitudinal and demographic items was designed and administered. Data were then collected from a random sample of 117...