INVESTIGATING THE FACTORS THAT DETERMINE EMPLOYEES’ LEVELS OF SATISFACTION AND THE EFFECT OF COVID PANDEMIC ON HOTEL EMPLOYEES’ MOTIVATION

Abstract

his thematic paper aims to explore the various factors that influence employees’ satisfaction levels in the hospitality industry, with a specific focus on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on hotel employees’ motivation. The paper reviews relevant literature on employee satisfaction and motivation, and also discusses how the pandemic has affected the hospitality industry and its workforce. The paper employs a qualitative research approach, utilizing interviews using an in-depth interview technique and open-ended questions to collect data from hotel employees. The findings reveal that several key factors, such as the hotel’s brand, salary, coworker relations, passion for hospitality, service-oriented work, and work itself, incentives and rewards, working conditions, career growth opportunities, and responsibility, significantly influence employees’ satisfaction levels in the hospitality industry. The paper also identifies the challenges and changes brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, including reduced job security, increased workload, decreased compensation, and changes in work-life balance, which have affected hotel employees’ motivation levels. The paper further discusses the implications of these findings for hotel managers and provides recommendations for improving employees’ satisfaction and motivation during and post-pandemic. These recommendations include maintaining a strong brand image, providing competitive compensation and benefits, fostering positive coworker relations, providing training and development opportunities, offering clear career paths and development plans, providing opportunities for advancement and promotion, as well as solving the employees’ meal problem in the staff canteen. The paper concludes with suggestions for future research in this area, highlighting the need for ongoing investigation into the factors that determine employee satisfaction and motivation in the hospitality industry, particularly in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.