Motivational Factors And The Hospitality Industry: A Case Study Examining The Effects Of Changes In The Working Environment

Abstract

The Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Bangkok is a world-wide leader in hospitality management. A critical ingredient for their success has been developing and maintaining superior performance from their employees. How is that accomplished? What Human Resource Management (HRM) practices should organizations invest in to acquire and retain great employees? Recent studies have demonstrated the importance of providing a supportive work environment, one that engenders employee satisfaction and promotes effective service performance among hospitality employees. But what is a supportive environment for hotel workers who are required to be responsive to the needs of guests twenty four hours a day? The Mandarin Oriental’s unique approach involved building a separate area in the hotel dedicated to the well-being of their employees. This area—The O-Zone—originated from the idea of providing workplaces which support fun and enjoyment as part of work-life balance.

The case focuses attention on how changes in the working environment can significantly enhance the recognition and appreciation of employees A dedicated employee center in the hospitality industry has not been explored before and offers up an exceptional opportunity to examine the effect on motivation and how the center may be appreciated differently by employees based on gender, department and work experience—an important consideration for Human Resources when designing incentive programs.