Vol. 11 No. 1 (2025)
March

Articles

Work engagement and staff turnover in the hospitality industry: An analysis of selected job characteristics

Published 2025-03-01

  • Aleksandra Grobelna
    • ,
  • Anna Tokarz-Kocik

Aleksandra Grobelna
Gdynia Maritime University, Faculty of Management and Quality Science

Anna Tokarz-Kocik
University of Szczecin (Faculty of Economics and Management, Institute of Management)

Abstract

Objective: The objective of the article is to determine the relationships between selected job characteristics in hotel enterprises and employees’ work engagement and investigate how this may relate to their intention to leave.

Research Design & Methods: The research involved employees directly serving hotel guests (front office) of six Tricity hotels in Poland. The hotels included in the study were medium and higher standard facilities that provide a wide and comprehensive range of services. We conducted the research using a direct survey, with 108 participating respondents.

Findings: Survey research conducted among employees of Tricity hotels showed a significant correlation between the analyzed job characteristics and work engagement, which in turn significantly weakens hotel employees’ intention to leave.

Implications & Recommendations: The obtained results provide valuable information about the relationships between selected characteristics of the work process in the hotel industry and how they affect work engagement and intention to leave. The results may help the management of hospitality companies formulate recommended actions to optimize work conditions so that they are conducive to higher service quality and reduced employee turnover.

Contribution & Value Added: The research results expand knowledge of human resources management, in particular regarding optimization of the work process conditions in the hotel industry to strengthen employees’ engagement. This is an original study, which treats the proposed relationships holistically in the context of the specifics of the hotel industry.

Keywords

hospitality enterprises, hotel employees, work engagement, job characteristics, turnover intention

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Author Biography

Aleksandra Grobelna

PhD in the field of economy; an Assistant Professor at Gdynia Maritime University (Poland) at the Faculty of Management and Quality Science; a member of the Polish Economics Society. Her scientific studies focus particularly on human resource management and service quality management in Tourism and Hospitality (T&H). She regularly publishes peer-reviewed academic papers in quality journals and presents her research results at national and international scientific conferences. In her research projects, she cooperates closely with T&H business practitioners helping them to solve topical management problems.

Anna Tokarz-Kocik

An Associate Professor at the University of Szczecin (Faculty of Economics, Finance and Management, Institute of Management); a member of the Polish Economics Society. Her research interests focus on human capital in the service sector. She is the author of numerous publications (books and articles) in the field of human resources management in service enterprises (especially hotel enterprises).

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