Factors influencing employee motivation in hotels.

Abstract

Employees are a fundamental component of service delivery in hotels. Therefore, motivating employees can positively affect the performance of employees which can in turn positively impact on service quality. The purpose of this study was to identify factors influencing employee motivation in hotels in South Africa. The study followed a descriptive quantitative design. A total of 246 hotel employees successfully completed questionnaires. Factor analysis was used to reach the study objectives. The study revealed that ‘responsibility and being appreciated’, ‘immaterial incentives’ and ‘teamwork’ significantly influence (p<0.05) employees’ motivation. However, ‘responsibility and being appreciated’ emerged as the factor highly influencing employees’ motivation in hotels whilst ‘immaterial incentives’ was rated by respondents as highly influencing employees’ motivations. To motivate employees, hotel managers should evaluate the needs of employees every year. In addition, hotels should empower employees to assist managers in achieving objectives. If employees are empowered their drive to perform increases. To the best of the author’s knowledge, this paper is the first that attempts to identify factors influencing employee motivation in hotels in South Africa. Because of the high staff turnover and high absenteeism in hotels, the findings can help managers realize the importance of employee motivation to retain quality staffing.