Research Project: COVID-19 Impact on HRM in Hospitality Industry

This research project investigates the impact of COVID-19 on human resource management (HRM) within the hospitality industry, specifically focusing on a case study of "The Barbary" restaurant. The report explores the challenges faced by HRM in retaining top talent during the pandemic, including issues like remote work, employee expectations, and resource constraints. The research defines key research questions, conducts a literature review, and outlines appropriate research methodologies, including survey and literature review. The project identifies the roles of HRM, the challenges encountered, and effective strategies for talent retention, such as offering benefits and leveraging technology. The study utilizes a deductive approach, positivism philosophy, and a survey strategy to gather primary data and provides a detailed analysis of the issues and potential solutions for HRM in the hospitality sector during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. The report includes research instruments, sampling methods, and discusses research reliability and validity.

Research Project
(An investigation into the Impact of COVID 19
on human resource within hospitality industry)

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION ..........................................................................................................................3
LO 1.................................................................................................................................................3
P1 Research proposal for defining research questions and literature review ............................3
P2 Different number of research methods for conducting primary and secondary research .....7
REFERENCES .............................................................................................................................12
Appendix .......................................................................................................................................14
Research proposal and ethical form .........................................................................................14

INTRODUCTION
Human resource is an employee or person in an organisation and part of the entire
workforce or personnel of that company. It is an individual person within an enterprise's overall
workforce, with each and every person leading their talents and skulls to the company to support
it succeed (Dias and et. al., 2020). HRM introduces to the effective process of recruiting,
selecting, inducting workforce, giving orientation, appraising the employee's performance,
imparting training and development, motivating employees etc. Human resource is an important
part of an organisation because it will help them in retaining of talented employees at workplace.
For this research, Barbary is a chosen small scale restaurant that provide quality in products and
services to the visitors. Human resource manger of Barbary played an essential role for retaining
knowledgeable employees that results in higher growth of company.
LO 1
P1 Research proposal for defining research questions and literature review
Overview of the title or research
Employee retention introduces to an effort by an organisation to maintain a working
environment that highly helps present employee in remaining with the company. Employee
retention is one of the main role of human resource manager that helps company in improvement
of its success. During COVID 19, HR manger of Barbary faced major challenges while retaining
talented employees such as no or lack of face-to-face intercalation, high expectation of
employees regrading salary, low resources within company and many other. All these are major
challenges that will negatively impact on business growth and success. In order to overcome
these challenges, different retention strategies will be followed by human resource such as
providing pay according to their performance, encouragement of flexibility, development of

training and development program etc. These are essential ways in retention of talented
employees during COVID 19 time period (Ferraris, Erhardt and Bresciani, 2019).
Research aim
To determine the issues faced by human resource management of an organisation while
retaining top talent during the period of COIVID 19. A study on “The Barbary”
Research Objectives
 To determine the role of HRM within hospitality industry.
 To identify the challenges faced by HR while retaining top talent in COVID 19 situation. To recommend different ways by which HR of The Barbary can retain top talent during
COVID 19.
Research questions
 What are the roles played by HRM in hospitality industry?
 What types of challenges faced by human resource of Barbary in COVID19 situation
while retention of top talent? What are the effective ways through which top talent can be retain by HR of The Barbary
in COVID 19 situation?
Rationale of the research
Main reason behind choosing this topic is to find out the major role of human resource in
an enterprise in any kind of situation. By doing this research, researcher can easily identify
challenges that may arise during COVID 19 situation while retention of top talent. This research
is essential at academic as well personal level. At academic level, current study help students by
rising their understanding about the impact of COVID 19 situation on hospitality industry. This
investigation is also essential at personal level by improving research skills of researcher. As it

will facilitate them in completion of full research systematically and successfully (Kaushik and
Guleria, 2020).
Literature review
Literature review is significant and essential process of gathering secondary data via
different sources like articles, magazines, books, publication research and many other applicable
sources related to the research topic. This is an important section of research because it helps
investigator in identification of research gap. In current study, main research gap is the issues
faced by human resource management of an organisation while retaining top talent during the
period of COIVID 19. In previous studies or investigations, there were data available about the
challenges faced by HR management while retaining of talented employees, but there is lack or
insufficient information about the challenges faced in retaining of knowledgeable employees
during COVID 19. In order to eliminate this gap, research questions will be followed. This will
support in fulfilling of research gap as well as accomplishment of research aim and objectives
(Milojevic and Katsadze, 2020).
What are the roles played by human resource management in hospitality industry?
According to the Rouse (2017), human resource management introduces to the practices
or process if recruiting, selecting, deploying and managing employees of an organisation. Human
resource played an effective and significant role within hospitality sector. They have different
roles such as recruitment, selection, retention etc. All these are major roles that will be essential
and important for hospitality industry because it will help them in increment of its sales and
revenues.

On the other side, Bolden-Barrett (2020), The hospitality sector is expectable to develop
over 17 % via 2014, relay on United State bureau of Labour Statistics. This development is
above the 14% average for many other industries. But high turnover of employees remains an
issue for the hospitality sector. Human resource can suggest incentives to maximise retention, for
example discounts on vendors' services and products or employee recognition programs.
What types of challenges faced by human resource of Barbary in COVID19 situation while
retention of top talent?
According to the Nicola and et. al., (2020), employees retention is significant part of the
business development and success. This will assist an enterprise by increasing number of
customers and also help them in achievement of competitive advantages. Along with this, there
are various challenges faced by HR of Barbary while retaining top talent and knowledgeable
employees during COVID 19. These challenges are high expectation of employees regrading
salary, no or lack of face-to-face intercalation,, low resources within company and many other.
During COVID 19, company is not able to interact face-to-face with their employees that results
in no pressure for employees to stay in current position. In COVID 19, hospitality industry faced
major issue of earnings, due to this issue, they not able in providence of salary to the employees
according to their expectations. As they leave such company and position that increase major
force on HR manger of Barbary.
What are the effective ways through which top talent can be retain by HR of The Barbary in
COVID 19 situation?
As per the view presented by Florentine (2019), employee retention is major issue for
hospitality industry during the period of COVID 19. There are different strategies that will be

useful for human resource manager of Barbary in retention of top talent. These strategies are
explained as below:
Offer the right benefits: In order to retain talented employees during COVID 19 time
period, it is the role of human resource manager to provide right benefits to the employees. For
this, they must provide facility of work from home and also give them bonus according to their
performance.
Leverage technology: This is another strategy or way for retaining talented employees in
COVID 19. For this, HR manager of Barbary must provide facility of technology to their
employees during COVID 19. This will assist them in retention of top talent at workplace for
longer time period.
P2 Different number of research methods for conducting primary and secondary research
This is a part of research methodology that facilitate investigator in gathering and
analysing of primary and secondary information regarding specific area of study (Terziev, 2020).
There are approaches and methods that will be followed within a current study for achieving
valid outcomes. These methods and approaches will be described as below:
Research approach: This is an effective process of analysing qualitative and quantitative
data through inductive and deductive approach. For performing present study over the impact of
COVID 19, deductive approach of study is more suitable as it facilitates in evluating of data in
quantitative and numerical way. Inductive approach of study is not appropriate within a research
because it not helps in driving of valid conclusion (Nieves and Quintana, 2018).
Research philosophy: There are certain kind of research philosophies which named are
epistemology, ontology and axiology. These are effective but for carrying out present study on
COVID 19 and its impact over human resource, positivism type is useful as it assist investigator

to gather and evaluate quantitative information in minimum time duration. Interpretivisim type
of philosophy is not use within a study as it takes more time.
Research strategy: There are various strategies used for collecting primary as well as
secondary information about specific area of research. These strategies are action research,
experimental, case study, systematic literature review, survey and so on. These are main types of
research strategies but for conducting primary and secondary research, survey and systematic
literature review has been followed. Survey has been applied by investigator for assembling
primary information regarding the impact of COVID 19 on human resource ability while
retaining top talent. Systematic literature review is another strategy that will help in collecting of
secondary data about the existing topic (Subramony and et. al., 2018).
Research choice: This is important section of methodology that have three different
methods such as memo method, mixed method and multi-mixed. All these are suitable for
collecting and analysing of information in form of qualitative or quantitative. Within a current
research, memo method is more appropriate because it facilitate in gathering and evaluating of
only one type of data, either qualitative or quantitative. Quantitative information will be followed
within an investigation because it not requires maximum time and helps researcher in gaining of
valid outcomes. Qualitative information is not suitable for doing present study because it requires
more sources that results in maximum cost (Papa and et. al., 2018).
Time horizon: There are basically two types of time horizon such as cross-sectional and
longitudinal. In order to conduct primary or secondary research, cross-sectional time horizon will
be more suitable as it is based on real situation and also support in completion of each activity of
study in allotted time. Gantt chart is more effective tool for analysing time of each activity

helped in completion of research project. Gantt chart according to the research will be shown as
below:

Data collection: This is an important section of data collection that will be collected from
two sources such as primary and secondary. In case of primary source, questionnaire is more
essential tool of data collection that has been followed by investigator. As it support investigator
in collecting of valid data about the topic in minimum time. In case of secondary research,
literature review is a best strategy that was applied for assembling secondary data from number
of sources i.e. articles, magazines, journals, publication research etc. Thus, within a current study
both primary and secondary sources of data collection will be used for gathering valid outcomes.
Research instruments: This is essential section of doing primary or secondary research.
There are various instruments of collecting primary information which are questionnaire,
interview, modelling, focus group, observation etc. In order to gather primary information or

data regarding the COVID 19 and its impact on human resource while retaining top talent,
questionnaire is more suitable and appropriate. This instrument help investigator by providing
reliable and valid outcomes of the study.
Sampling: This is the process followed by investigator for selecting or choosing sample
size from total population. Sampling has two techniques which are known as probability and
non-probability. For conducting current investigation, probability type of sampling has been used
as it support in selection of sample randomly. 20 employees of Barbary will be selected on
random basis under probability sampling. Main purpose for using simple random sampling as it
not take maximum time period as well as also provide logical results as compare to non-
probability type of sampling.
Research reliability and validity: This is essential section of methodology that is based
on data reliability as well as validity. In this, questionnaire is more useful tool for researcher for
testing the reliableness and validity of information. Thus, questionnaire is more suitable tool of
primary data collection that will be used by investigator for collecting legal and dependable data
about the impact of COVID 19 on HR while retaining talented or knowledgeable employees.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Dias, M. C. and et. al., 2020. The challenges for labour market policy during the Covid‐19
pandemic. Fiscal Studies.
Ferraris, A., Erhardt, N. and Bresciani, S., 2019. Ambidextrous work in smart city project
alliances: unpacking the role of human resource management systems. The International
Journal of Human Resource Management. 30(4). pp.680-701.
Kaushik, M. and Guleria, N., 2020. The Impact of Pandemic COVID-19 in Workplace.
Milojevic, D. and Katsadze, B., 2020. Social Sustainability in COVID-19 Crisis: The Case of the
Hotel Industry.
Nicola, M. and et. al., 2020. The socio-economic implications of the coronavirus and COVID-19
pandemic: a review. International Journal of Surgery.
Nieves, J. and Quintana, A., 2018. Human resource practices and innovation in the hotel
industry: The mediating role of human capital. Tourism and Hospitality
Research. 18(1). pp.72-83.
Papa, A. and et. al., 2018. Improving innovation performance through knowledge acquisition: the
moderating role of employee retention and human resource management
practices. Journal of Knowledge Management.
Subramony, M. and et. al., 2018. Leadership development practice bundles and organizational
performance: The mediating role of human capital and social capital. Journal of
business research. 83. pp.120-129.