Factors Influencing Employee Turnover in the UK Hospitality Industry

This report presents the findings, analysis, and discussion of a study on employee turnover in the UK hospitality industry. The research employed primary quantitative methods, including a survey, to explore the reasons behind high turnover rates. The findings section details the demographics of the respondents and their reasons for leaving their jobs, highlighting factors such as better opportunities, unclear job expectations, and lack of work-life balance. The analysis section delves deeper into the survey data, examining the influence of gender, age, employment contracts, experience, and department on employee turnover. The discussion section integrates the survey findings with existing literature, emphasizing the negative impact of high turnover on the hospitality sector and identifying key issues such as low pay, unsociable hours, and lack of career development. The report concludes by recommending strategies for improving employee retention, such as engaging with employees, offering incentives, providing career paths, and promoting work-life balance. The report highlights the need for skilled labor and the importance of addressing employee concerns to foster a stable and productive work environment, as well as the need for management to provide motivation and adequate employee support. The study also looks at the importance of pay, working hours, autonomy and competitor offerings.

Chapter 5: Findings, Analysis and Discussion
Overview
As discussed earlier, the methodology which has been selected for the study is the
Primary Quantitative methods. Hence, the primary aim of the section is to highlight the findings
of the survey which were undertaken earlier, the section will be divided into three different parts
whereby the findings, the discussion and the analysis will be undertaken in order to understand
the reason behind the high level of employee turnover in the Hospitality Industry in the United
Kingdom. The study had also aimed to find out the Factors which influence the high turnover,
the strategies for improving the retention of the employees, the negative influence of the higher
on the industry and additionally, the Theories of Motivation and employee behavior which can
assist the different enterprises in order to ensure consistent success.
Findings
The findings will be discussed within this section. The author will draw from the
literature discussed in the literature review in order to address the specific objectives set.
Therefore, this section will attempt to answer the question given in the aim, which is to explore
the reasons for high employee turnover in the hospitality industry in the United Kingdom.
The questionnaire which was prepared to survey the responses of the employees in order
to understand the reason why the enterprise leaves the organization was divided into two parts. In
the first section, the basic questions such as the Gender, the Age of the respondent, the
involvement of the hospitality industry and others.
In association with this, it has to be mentioned that, the results which were obtained from
the data can be mentioned to be as follows:

The images above shows the tallied information retrieved from the questionnaires.

The image above shows the reasons selected by the participants as to why they left the
industry. The image also reflects that the leading reason why the participants left were due to
better opportunities elsewhere. The reason with the least response from participants was the
“other” option where in both cases the reason given was due to both participants leaving their
home country to attend university.

The image above shows the gender of the participants and reflects that the participants
were almost balanced however it was majority female and one participant who identifies as
“other”.
Hence, it was identified from the Literature review and the survey that the main reasons
for which the various employees often opt out of the services can be understood to be the unclear
job expectations, the disconnect with the various managers, the mismatch between thee
employees and the job, poor flexibility options, in sufficient communication and the lack of
recognition as well (Smallbusiness.co.uk, 2020). The hospitality sector in the United Kingdom is
the third largest private employer in the United Kingdom but it looks set to face a shortage of

skill workers. This has been heightened by the Brexit, the poor opportunities and the drying up of
the talent pool.
Analysis
Gender
Out of the given set of respondents, after undertaking the study, it was found that a
majority of the participants belonged to the Female group rather than the male ones. Hence, it
can be stated that the respondents are largely directed towards thee Female participants and their
views will be present in the study.
Age Group
The age group of the different participants varied considerably. However, it was found
that, the majority of the respondents belonged to the age group 19 to 24 years of age. However,
there were certain members who also belonged to the age group 30 to 49 years of age.
Employment in the Industry
The different respondents were also asked about the fact whether they were engrossed in
the Hospitality industry in the United Kingdoms or other countries. In consideration with this,
when the majority of the participants stated that they belonged to the United Kingdom then it is
essential to state that taking in their viewpoints has been helpful for the study.
Contract of the employees
When the participants were asked about the contracts of the employees, then in such a
scenario, it was found that, the different employees were adequately in a Full time contract; some
were in a Zero hour contract. Hence, the employees were involved in the different contracting
activities and this may influence their decision making and overall thinking.
Years of experience in the Industry
When the different employees were asked about their years of experience then to this, it
can be stated that, a majority of the employees mentioned that, they stated that some of them

were present in the enterprise and in the industry for less than 6 months. In association with this,
it is critical to mention that, many of them stated that they were involved in the industry for a
period more than 15 years.
Department involved in the Hospitality Industry
The different departments as involved in the Hospitality Industry can be understood to be
Hotels, Bars and Restaurants. Hence, in such a scenario, it can be essentially stated that the
viewpoint of all the employees has been taken who have been involved in various sectors and
segments.
Stability at the workplace
The different employees were also asked about the stability at the workplace, gave varied
responses. In association with this, it can be effectively stated that, the stability at the workplace
can either be fixed or not. When half of the employees mentioned that, the stability was present
in the hospitality industry, the others in the survey mentioned that, they felt that their job and
related requirements were not stable and they felt that they needed assistance accordingly.
Resignation from the workplace
When the employees were asked about the resignation from the workplace, around 3/4th
of the total respondents essentially stated that they were under the statement that they had not
resigned with the work and hence, were successfully involved, however, the rest, of them had
resigned from the jobs due to dis satisfaction and to this, many of the employees stated that, the
workload and related pressure in the wok environment was very high, moreover, as the less
number of employees were involved, the load was coming down on a single person and hence, in
this scenario, the lock down was essentially imposed.
From the survey as collected from the employees, crucial insights were gathered and it
was effectively found that the employers need to focus on the pay, the working hours, the
autonomy and the competitor offerings as well. To avoid the problems being faced by the firm,
skilled labor needs to be hired from reliable sources as these individuals are serious about their
job roles and hence, they need to be provided with an opportunity to work hard and gain

enterprise success. All thee respondents agree to it that adequate initiatives are the need of the
hour.
Discussion
Hence this section shall identify the findings of the study and make an elaborate
discussion of the same.
The hospitality sector in the UK has the highest level of employee turnover. This has led
to an increase in concern leading researchers to investigate human resource issues. Many
companies are affected by high rates of employee turnover and most of them report a negative
impact on their overall performance (Chalkiti and Sigala, 2010, p.50).
Most employee turnovers occur in the early stages of employee recruitment (Williamson
et al., 2012, p.675). This has derailed hotels commitment to offering better services to clients.
Several reports have identified the main reasons causing high turnover in labor in the hotel
industry. These are a career change, lower pay, external promotions, and lack of career
development (Chalkiti and Sigala, 2010, p.50). Other factors that are also linked to turnover rates
are poor relationships between employees and their line manager, lack of training opportunities,
and poor working conditions.
Employees are important in the hospitality industry because they complement customer
experience. They form the tools which render services from the hotel to the customer. From this
point of view, their absence or inadequacy can create a serious problem for the hospitality
industry. To solve such a problem, the managers and the supervisors need to motivate the
employees (Altarawmneh and Al-Kilani, 2010, p.50). Most labor turnover rates have been linked
between the employees and supervisors/ line managers’ rejection. This direct signal that the
employees are not appreciated (Gill et al., 2010, p.6). Managers should provide an additional
allowance for overtime and offer enough salaries which will meet the workers family needs
(Maxwell, Ogden and Broadbridge, 2010, p.57). The employees’ salaries should be revised from
time by considering the industry’s trends. The hotel owner can also consider the introduction of
insurance schemes since employees switch within the hospitality sector. Because most

employees leave at their earlier stage of recruitment, it is important that the employers take good
care of them to prevent loss (Jobin, 2011, p.65).
The high staff turnover at the Hospitality industry is known to reduce the productivity of
the industry and pertaining to this, it has been rightfully estimated that, this shall cost £272m to
the industry per year. The primary reason why the ultimate employee turnover rate has increased
to a great extent can be essentially contributed to the fact that there takes place ` a revolving
door` culture. In this kind of a culture, the different individuals are regularly involved in
changing their jobs and like to experience life so as to ensure that, they are being able to
undertake new experiences accordingly (Bratton and Gold, 2017). However, it was stated that
approximately 993000 new staff members are required by the industry by 2022. The hospitality
industry contributes a total of £46,000 per head in the retail segment and it has been calculated
that the main reason why the gap tends to exist can be contributed to the act that there exists
complex and diverse scenarios. Moreover, the skill gaps have also been increasing and in
association with this, hospitality industry hubs are resigned from in order to experience
interesting jobs. In association with this, it is critical to ensure that, the location of the hotel has a
critical role to play whereby, the individuals like enjoying free time and want to enjoy their time
experiencing their world (Brewster and Hegewisch, 2017). In consideration with this, when the
work pressures are very high, it leads to adequate and systematic turnovers as the employees are
not able to enjoy the time on their own and expect a change in the lifestyle.
According to Harver.com (2020), the staff retention in the hospitality can be noted to be
just 70 percent against the 85 percent rate at the United Kingdom. The main reasons for this can
be stated to be the unsocial able work hours, the low pay benefits, lack of effective career
prospects and others. According to Harver.com (2020), the hospitality sector in the United
Kingdom has an employee turnover rate of 30 percent and that will double soon. The hospitality
industry in the United Kingdom can be taken to be the third largest private employers and it will
soon face a lock down of the skilled employees. Moreover, the uncertainty about the Brexit is
also expected to bring about problems. According to Cascio (2015), 2/3rd of the respondents who
are employed in the hospitality industry stated that they took up their job because it was the only
one which was available for them and a majority of 44% of the respondents stated that, the
hospitality industry is not enough for them, and many take two jobs to continue effectively.

However, for a majority of them, the job involved undertaking, education, third or a second job
along with other commitments. The majority of the British employees stated that the main reason
why they tend to change their jobs is because of the unreasonable work shift patterns and the
influences of the overall operations on the individuals.
Moreover, according to a survey, it becomes effective to understand that the top three
reasons for the job turnover are the unsociable working hours, low pay and benefits, the lack of
career prospects and the better options as available (Harver.com ,2020). Hence, once these
issues have been identified, it is critical to understand that various resolutions have to be made
and undertaken in order to ensure that better pay and benefit ideas are resolved. In assistance to
this, it is effective to understand that, the employees need to be provided with adequate facilities
like better control over the work life and shift patterns, more stable income as well as guaranteed
hours along with better career prospects (DeCenzo, Robbins and Verhulst 2016). Once the
different respondents were asked about other types of facilities which should be given to the
employees, flexible timings were the most popular response categories. According to
Hrmagazine.co.uk (2020), when the teams are employed for long working hours, then in such a
scenario, it is absolutely essential to consider that they are required to feel valued in the
enterprise. In consideration with this, it is effective to state that, the positive experiences as given
to the employees help in uplifting the quality of work as well along with developing a positive
workplace culture. When the employees are well engaged in the enterprise and related tasks, then
in this scenario, the motivation of the employee’s increases tenfold (Marchington et al. , 2016).
Additionally, the employers have a greater role to play in this scenario whereby, they are
required to be essentially considerate and engage in ensuring that they are being able to
acknowledge their worker in a timely basis so that the employees remain dedicated to the work
and perform well.
Another key initiative which needs to be undertaken by the different individuals as
present needs to be the flexibility aspect (Hrmagazine.co.uk 2020). All employees who work
essentially hard for the firm undertake considerate initiatives so as to ensure that the enterprise
work can be completed on time. In association with this, it can be stated essential to mention
that, when the different employees at the Hospitality industry are allowed to undertake the
decisions on their own and are being able to provide their best work, then their Morales receive

an adequate boost. Moreover, when the employees are trained accordingly in a firm, then in such
a scenario, they are being provided with an opportunity to upgrade their skills and perform
routine tasks in an adequate manner. Once the employee skills shall be upgraded accordingly, in
such a scenario, they may end up feeling essentially valued and various steps to improve their
overall performance along with retention activities will be fruitful (Noe et al., 2016). When the
employees are provided with adequate responsibilities and associated experiences then in such a
scenario, they are able to ensure their future in the enterprise.
The nature of service industry mainly means that the different individuals employed
would be required to work on holidays and in association with this, valuing diversity is crucial
for retention (Smallbusiness.co.uk, 2020). When the employers will provide exquisite facilities
and flexibilities to the employees, then in such a scenario, they will be able to perform well and
remain associated with a firm with a longer time frame.
When the different types of employees are involved in an organization, then in
association with this, the firm is required to undergo a screening procedure. It is with the help of
this screening procedure, will the employer be able to recruit genuine employees and
commitment. Although the employees are provided with unsocial hours, the work is very skilled
and tedious (Smallbusiness.co.uk, 2020). The poor pay opportunities which are provided to the
different employees also lead to certain problems which then make the different individuals look
out for better conditions.
The staff in the enterprise needs to be given adequate treatment and the firm needs to
treat them in a manner such that they can continue working and not look out for other options.
When the personnel will not look out for better options as they will be satisfied with their current
conditions, they would end up looking out for additional productivity and the turnover rate will
decrease. The competition in the hospitality segment is very tough and in association with this,
different enterprises often look out for different opportunities (Sparrow, Brewster and Chung,
2016). Additionally, skilling the employees are a tedious procedure and one firm aims to take
advantage of the other firm in this scenario.

The key to retaining a good employee base is to create a calm yet industrious atmosphere
where the different individuals are provided with adequate assistance and they are given
respectable pay and designation. According to Sparrow, Brewster and Chung (2016), another
initiative which can be taken is improving the performance of the employees. Very often, the
employees are humiliated in front of the customers and this may act as a reason for the
resignation. Bringing about improvements and maintain privacy and transparency is critical.
Additionally, various employees often put in additional efforts which need to be paid for so that
they continue working in the same spirit.
As the employees continue to juggle with their work and struggle accordingly, the
employers have to make their work easier and in consideration of this, the employer needs to
consider that they are being able to undertake adequate initiative which go beyond the pay and
provide stability to the employees. All the employees as present in the hospitality sector
understand that, the work hours are difficult and it is for this reason, they aim to ensure that the
work hours can be moderated and their lives are sorted (Smallbusiness.co.uk, 2020). Changes in
these crucial areas would help. From the review of literature and the survey it was found that, the
employees need to be supported throughput and this is the only way to increase their retention.
Summary
Hence, the chapter on the Findings, analysis and discussion through adequate light on the
manner in which a business generally performs in the Hospitality sector in the UK and the
adequate steps which have to be undertaken by the enterprise in order to ensure long term
success. The responses of the survey were discussed critically and discussion and examination of
the results along with the review of literature analysis was undertaken. It was found that several
factors lead to employee turnover and how the firms have a greater role to play in improving the
scenario.

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