Individual Characteristics and Employee Retention in the Tourism Industry
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.61841/q9b7pd02Keywords:
Individual Characteristics, Employee Retention, organisational, commitment, personal values, role perception.Abstract
Recruiting and retaining employees in the tourism industry has been highlighted as the most difficult challenge for organisations. Due to this, high employee turnover rates and challenges on personnel shortage is a constant experience for the Malaysian tourism and hospitality industry. The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of individual characteristics; personal values, competencies and role perceptions as personal factors that influence organisational commitment and retention of employees in Malaysia’s tourism industry. This research intends to affirm the importance and effectiveness of individual characteristics in improving retention amongst employees in the tourism and hospitality industry of Malaysia. Results of this study show that six out of eight hypotheses were supported. The findings show that personal values do not have significant relationships with retention and competencies do not have significant relationships with organisational commitment. However, personal values, competencies and role perception are found to be predictors of employees’ retention mediated by employees’ organisational commitment. The mediator effect of organisational commitment for the relationships between personal values, competencies and role perception; and retention were found to be statistically significant. This study will bring about positive managerial implications where organisations and human resource department are able to utilize the information to practice a better human resource policy.
Downloads
References
1. Abbott, G. N., White, F. A., & Charles, M. A. (2005). Linking values and organizational commitment: A
correlational and experimental investigation in two organizations. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 78(4), 531-551.
2. Ahmed, I., Ramzan, M., Mohammad, S. K., & Islam, T. (2011). Relationship between perceived fairness
in performance appraisal and OCB; mediating role of organisational commitment. Internatioanl Journal Academic Research, 3(5), 15-20
3. Amdan, S., Rahman, R. A., Shahid, S. A. M., Bakar, S. A., Khir, M. M., & Demong, N. A. R. (2016). The role of extrinsic motivation on the relationship between office environment and organisational
commitment. Procedia Economics and Finance, 37(16), 164-169.
4. Arnold, E. (2005). Managing human resources to improve employee retention. The Health Care Manager,
24(2), 132-140.
5. Ashforth, B. E., & Saks, A. M. (1996). Socialization Tactics: Longitudinal Effects on Newcomer
Adjustment. Academy of Management Journal, 39, 149–178.
6. Babakus, E., Cravens, D., Johnston, M., & Moncrief, W. (1996). Examining the role of organisational variables in the salesperson job satisfaction model. Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management,
16(3), 33-42.
7. Baum, T. (2002). Skills and training for the hospitality sector: A review of issues. Journal of Vocational
Education & Training, 54(3), 343–364.
8. Bettencourt, L. A., & Brown, S. W. (2003). Role Stressors and Customer-Oriented Boundary-Spanning
Behaviors in Service Organisations. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 31(4), 394–408.
9. Boomer Authority. (2009). Competitive Strategies for a World Class Workforce.
http://boomerauthority.ning.com.
10. Camilleri, E. (2006). Towards Developing an Organisational Commitment - Public Service Motivation
Model for the Maltese Public Service Employees. Public Policy and Administration, 21(1), 63–83.
11. Caroline, R. E. (1992). A study to identify and analyze educational competencies relevant to doctoral
studies in tourism. Phd thesis, The George Washington University.
12. Chan, B., & Coleman, M. (2004). Skills and Competencies Needed for the Hong Kong Hotel Industry.
Journal of Human Resources in Hospitality & Tourism, 3(1), 3-18.
13. Chen, P. J., & Choi, Y. (2008). Generational differences in work values: A study of hospitality
management. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 20(6), 595–615.
14. Costa, P. T., Jr., McRae, R. R., & Holland, J. L. (1984). Personality and vocational interests in an adult
sample. Journal of Applied Psychology, 69, 390–400.
15. Cunningham, S. (2002). Attracting and retaining employees in a competitive world.
http://www.insurancejournal.com/magazines/southcentra1l2002/09/16/features.
16. Curtis, S., & Wright, D. (2001). Retaining employees – the fast track to commitment. Management
Research News, 24(8/9), 59 – 64.
17. Deery, M., & Jago, L. (2009). A framework for work–life balance practices: Addressing the needs of the
tourism industry. Tourism and Hospitality Research, 9(2), 97–108.
18. Festing, M., & Schäfer, L. (2014). Generational challenges to talent management: A framework for talent
retention based on the psychological-contract perspective. Journal of World Business, 49(2), 262–271.
19. Finegan, J. E. (2000). The impact of person and organizational values on organizational commitment.
Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 73(2), 149–169.
20. Griffeth, R. W., Hom, P. W., & Gaertner, S. (2000). A Meta-Analysis of Antecedents and Correlates of
Employee Turnover: Update, Moderator Tests, and Research Implications for the Next Millennium. Journal of Management, 26(3), 463–488.
21. Gopinath, C., & Becker, T. E. (2000). Communication, procedural justice, and attitudes: Relationships
under conditions of divestiture. Journal of Management, 26, 63-83.
22. Gursoy, D., Chi, C. G. Q., & Karadag, E. (2013). Generational differences in work values and attitudes among frontline and service contact employees. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 32(1),
40–48.
23. Harris, E. G., Artis, A. B., Walters, J. H., & Licata, J. W. (2006). Role stressors, service worker job
resourcefulness, and job outcomes: An empirical analysis. Journal of Business Research, 59(4), 407–415.
24. Herman, R. E. (2005). HR managers as employee-retention specialists. Employment Relations Today
Wiley, 32, 1–7.
25. Hytter, A. (2007). Retention strategies in France and Sweden. The Irish Journal of Management, 28(1),
59–79.
26. Judeh, M. (2011). Role Ambiguity and Role Conflict as Mediators of the Relationship between Orientation
and Organizational Commitment. International Business Research, 4(3), 171–181.
27. Kaliprasad, M. (2006). The human factor I: Attracting, retaining, and motivating capable people. Cost
Engineering, 48(6), 20–26.
28. Kyndt, E., Dochy, F., Michielsen, M., & Moeyaert, B. (2009). Employee retention: Organisational and
personal perspectives. Vocations and Learning, 2(3), 195–215.
29. McDonald, P., & Gandz, J. (1991). Identification of values relevant to business research. Human Resource
Management, 30, 217–236.
30. Mowday, R. T. (1998). Reflections on the Study and Relevance of Organizational Commitment. Human
Resource Management Review, 8(4), 387-401.
31. Nkomo, E. (2012). Motivation, work values, organisational commitment and job satisfaction: Age and
generational cohort effects. Master thesis, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg.
32. Owens, P. L. (2006). One more reason not to cut your training budget: The relationship between training
and organisational outcomes. Public Personnel Management, 35(2): 163-171.
33. Pleffer, A. (2007). Work-Life Balance: The Number 1 Retention Factor. http://www.mccrindle.com.
34. Preacher, K., & Hayes, A. F. (2008). Contemporary approaches to assessing mediation in communication research. In A. F. Hayes, M. D. Slater & L. B. Snyde (Eds.), The Sage Book of Advanced Data Analysis
Methods for Communication Research. California: Sage Pub;ications.
35. Richardson, S., & Thomas, N. J. (2012). Utilising Generation Y: United States Hospitality and Tourism
Students’ Perceptions of Careers in the Industry. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management, 19(1), 102–114.
36. Rokeach, M. (1973). The Nature of Human Values. Free Press, New York.
37. Schwartz, S. H., & Bardi, A. (2015). Taking a Similarities Perspective, 32(3), 268–290.
38. Shariff, N. M., Kayat, K., & Abidin, A. Z. (2014). Tourism and Hospitality Graduates Competencies: Industry Perceptions and Expectations in the Malaysian Perspectives. World Applied Sciences Journal,
31(11), 1992–2000.
39. Singh, J. (1998). Striking a balance in boundary-spanning positions: An investigation of some unconventional influences of role stressors and job characteristics on job outcomes of salespeople. Journal
of Marketing, 62(3), 69-87.
40. Sinha, C. (2012). Factors Affecting Employee Retention: A Comparative Analysis of two Organizations
from Heavy Engineering Industry. European Journal of Business and Management, 4(3), 145–163.
41. Suliman, A. M. (2001). Work performance: Is it one thing or many things? The multidimensionality of performance in a Middle Eastern context. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 12(6),
1049-1061.
42. Tourism Malaysia, Malaysia’s Jan June 2016 Tourist Arrival Grow. http://www.tourismmalaysia.gov.my/.
43. Walker, J. W. (2001). Zero defections? Human Resource Planning, 24(1), 6-8.
44. Wright, P., Dunford, B., & Snell, S. (2001). Human resources and the resource based view of the firm.
Journal of Management, 27(6), 701–721.
45. Wong, J. (2016). Upskilling the Malaysian workforce. Borneo Post Online.
http://www.theborneopost.com/2016/05/01/upskilling?the?malaysian?workforce.
46. Yang, J. T., Wan, C. S., & Fu, Y. J. (2012). Qualitative examination of employee turnover and retention strategies in international tourist hotels in Taiwan. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 31(3),
837–848.
47. Yazinski, S. (2009). Strategies for retaining employees and minimizing turnover.
http://hr.blr.com/whitepapers.aspxid=80396.
48. Yup Chung, K. (2000). Hotel management curriculum reform based on required competencies of hotel
employees and career success in the hotel industry. Tourism Management, 21(5), 473–487.
49. Zenger, J., Ulrich, D., & Smallwood, N. (2000). The new leadership development: It’s about results for
your company. Training & Development, 54(3), 22-27.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
You are free to:
- Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format for any purpose, even commercially.
- Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially.
- The licensor cannot revoke these freedoms as long as you follow the license terms.
Under the following terms:
- Attribution — You must give appropriate credit , provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made . You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
- No additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.
Notices:
You do not have to comply with the license for elements of the material in the public domain or where your use is permitted by an applicable exception or limitation .
No warranties are given. The license may not give you all of the permissions necessary for your intended use. For example, other rights such as publicity, privacy, or moral rights may limit how you use the material.
