Challenges Faced by Romanian Migrants in the UK Hospitality Sector

This report investigates the issues and challenges faced by Romanian migrants working in the UK hospitality industry. It begins with an introduction and a literature review, covering topics such as training and development, and Romanian migration patterns. The report then delves into the specific challenges encountered by Romanian employees, including low wages, housing issues, language barriers, cultural differences, and imposed restrictions. Data collection methods, including questionnaires and purposive sampling, are outlined, along with the research aim, objectives, and research questions. The report concludes with a timescale for the research activities. The study highlights the importance of addressing these challenges to ensure the well-being and successful integration of Romanian migrants in the UK hospitality sector. The report also emphasizes the need for further research and intervention strategies to improve the working conditions and opportunities for this workforce.

Investigate The Issues And Challenges Of
Romanian Migrant In Hospitality

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction......................................................................................................................................1
Literature review..............................................................................................................................1
Training and development...........................................................................................................1
Romanian migration in UK.........................................................................................................2
Challenges faced by Romanian employees in UK hospitality industry......................................3
Data collection.................................................................................................................................5
Aim objectives research question....................................................................................................5
Timescale.........................................................................................................................................6
References........................................................................................................................................8

INTRODUCTION
Human migration is a very debateable subject which can be seen in different parts of the
world. It shows the movement of individuals from one place to another. People migrate with the
objective of living temporarily or either for permanent basis (Alba and Nee, 2009). It has to be
noted that migration creates an impact on the host economy. The impact can be noticed on
different sectors such as education, health, housing, hospitality etc. When these people migrate,
they are faced different types of challenges. The wide spread of globalization has taken the
employment activities beyond the boundaries of the nation. Under the hospitality industry,
people are being employed from other countries (Bhagwati and Hanson, 2009). The existing
Romanian migration in UK is concentrated in four different sectors which includes construction,
trade, hospitality and cleaning services. As a result, people are migrating in large numbers for the
purpose of employment. Therefore this research explores the issues and challenge faced by the
Romanian migrant under the UK hospitality industry.
LITERATURE REVIEW
Training and development
Employee are the assets for the business. They play a very crucial role in the achievement
of the proposed goals and objectives (Belcourt, 2010). Companies will always look for talented
and efficient individuals who are capable of giving the maximum contribution. There are always
two categories of workers, first those who are efficient and second those who are less efficient.
Concept of training and development has been introduced for the purpose of improving the
performance of less efficient employees. It is about making the people learn certain skills which
are crucial from the business point of view (Bereri, 2009). The importance of the training and
development can be seen from the following point of views.
According to Bird, (2008), training and development activities are the core functions of
human resource management. They are to be considered important with regard to attainment of
business goals and objectives. There is a need to development effective training programs which
can lead to growth and development of the workers. This function cannot be ignored from the
side of the management.
According to Brine, (2009), training is essentially to be given to the workers in order to
achieve competitive edges. There is a need to make them more competitive and productive. It is
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important to fight with the competition surrounding the business. Companies expect to retain
their proficient employees for the long period of time.
According to Brinia, (2011), training and development is essential to enhance the skills of
the employees. Enhancing skills will have a positive impact on their performance. Their skills
can be utilized in achieving high level of productivity and profitability for the business. It will
also promote innovation and creativity within the company. This will increase the talents and the
workforce will become stronger.
According to Coetzee, (2007), training and development improves the weaker areas of
the individuals. It is evident that this function is being performed for their betterment. If some
weak areas are creating troubles for the company, then giving appropriate focus on them is the
appropriate solution (Faley, 2008). Due to weak points, employees also suffers from lack of
motivation. Hence in the situation, training can be an effective solution for avoiding the issues.
According to Fan, (2013), training and development reduces problems such as turnover,
absenteeism, demotivation etc. Firms are generally faced with the above identified issues. These
problems creates a negative impact on the performance. The issues are to be dealt with in best
manner possible and training can be a good solution in this regard.
According to Mayfield, (2011), training increases the chances of promotion, rewards,
incentives etc, for the employees within the organization. These things are also essential for their
survival and motivation. It makes them satisfied and their chances of retention are also increased.
Implementation of good training program will take out effective performance from the
employees. If they will perform better then they will be getting good rewards, promotions and
many other things (Human Resource Management. 2013).
Romanian migration in UK
According to Boyle, Halfacree and Robinson, (2014), The opportunities for the
Romanians to take entry into UK get increased when the Romania entered into the European
Union in 2007. Migration from the country is majorly for economic reasons that is to improve
employment prospects or to improve the living standards (Alba and Nee 2009). The occupation
rate in UK is higher as compared to Romania. However most of the movement is temporary
despite of long term settlement. They generally have the tendency to stay for a stipulated period,
earn money and then return to their homes.
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According to Brettell and Hollifield, (2014), It can be also be said that main destinations
for the migrants have been Spain and Italy. It is because borders were opened for them from both
the countries very earlier. There was similarity in the language also. According to (Bhagwati and
Hanson, (2009) however it can also not be denied that unemployment is high in Spain and Italy.
The economic prospects are uncertain which may restrict the future migration to these nations.
Hence this has increased the possibilities of increased migration to UK. The existing Romanian
migration in UK is concentrated in four different sectors which includes construction, trade,
hospitality and cleaning services.
According to De Haas, (2010), financial crisis of 2008 can also be identified as the main
reason for Romanian migration in the country. The crisis has affected the employment conditions
of many people. They were facing many problems related to getting jobs and earning the sources
for livelihood. According to Dingle, (2014), the financial downturn created huge impact on
different sectors such as information technology, hospitality, education, health & social care etc.
People suffered from loss of jobs, many companies went bankrupt and they all were looking for
their financial existence. So this lead to turn up of many Romanians in UK.
According to Glennie and Pennington, (2013), talking specifically about the hospitality
sector of UK, it can be said that Romanian migrants is affecting the sector on high level. The rate
of immigrants have increased significantly in the recent years. They are appearing in search of
jobs and livelihood opportunities. It is not easy for them to survive in the difficult conditions as
they are faced with numerous amount of challenges. The restrictions are being imposed from the
side of the government also on the employment conditions.
Challenges faced by Romanian employees in UK hospitality industry
The migrated employees in the industry are faced with the following challenges:
 Low wage rate – According to Papastergiadis, (2013), One of the major issue faced the
people is low wage rate. Most of them are obligatory to work under the minimum wage
rate which is 6.50 per hour. On the contrary the living standard in UK is very expensive.
Employees in the hospitality industry are required to work for a long duration. Further the
employers in UK are aware that Romanian immigrant can be appointed for cheap wages.
Many of them are working without health insurance, pension, provident funds, leave
structure etc. Hence this is exploitation of the resources.
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 Housing – According to Tomova, (2011), another issue faced them is availability of
proper housing. Many of the immigrants are sharing the rent for the rooms. One can find
6-8 people staying in a single room. Generally individuals do not worry about these
problems but presence of family creates many difficulties.
 Language barriers – According to Varsanyi, (2010), another problem is the language and
communication. Romanians face difficulties in speaking British English. It puts an
impact on their possibilities of getting job in the industry and also other factors such as
food, accommodation etc. It becomes difficult to survive, when immigrants do not find
familiarity and similarity. Further dealing with the customers of the hotel also becomes a
difficult task.
 Cultural barriers – According to Alba and Nee, (2009), Romanians also faced issues
related to culture. It is natural that they come from a different background and their
values & beliefs are quite different from UK. Hence due to difference in culture, the
migrant employees are not able to do their job appropriately.
 Imposed restrictions – According to Bhagwati and Hanson, (2009), UK imposed
constraints on the labour market for employees from Bulgaria and Romania in 2007.
These restrictions are reviewed from time to time. According EEA (European Economic
Area) nationals, the citizens of Romania can enter and live in UK without having the
consent for applying. According to Boyle, Halfacree and Robinson, (2014), Along with
some exceptions, they will need a consent from the country’s Border Agency before
doing any kind of work in UK. Further for getting any job, they will require an Accession
Worker Card which is demanded by many employers in the country.
 Lack of opportunities and growth – According to Brettell and Hollifield, (2014), another
issue faced by the immigrants are lack of opportunities related to growth and
development. Due to difference in the culture, background and language, these people are
not able to deliver what is required. It puts lot of constraints on them. According to
Glennie and Pennington (2013) there is no growth because they have not been provided
the appropriate employment conditions. Hence it can be said that there are many things
which are required to be taken into consideration by the authorities for the personal and
professional development.
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DATA COLLECTION
Data Collection is the most significant section of the whole study. It is of two types
which includes primary data and secondary data. Primary data is the first hand information for
use. It is very raw and fresh in nature (Grbich, 2012). It can be collected through different
methods such as questionnaire, survey, focus group etc.
Secondary data is available from published sources. It is collected from sources such as
books, journals, newspapers, magazines etc. This kind of information has to be collected from
valid and authentic sources (Jackson, 2010).
For this research primary data will be collected by adopting the process of questionnaire.
It will be a semi-structured questionnaire consisting of open ended and close ended questions.
The data will be collected from Romanians that are working in hospitality in London (McBurney
and White, 2009). The questionnaires will be distributed through the internet sources. Secondary
data will be compiled from secondary sources such as books, journals, newspapers, magazines
etc. It has to be collected from valid and authentic sources. (Scruggs and Masotropieri, 2006)
Sampling
Sampling is the process of selecting appropriate samples from which the primary data can
be collected. Sample will be selected by using the technique of purposive technique. It is
appropriate because it will aid in selecting the sample on the basis of requirements (Sapsford and
Jupp, 2006). Here the data is required to be collected from Romanians working in the hospitality
sector only. A sample size of 100 respondents have been kept for the research.
AIM OBJECTIVES RESEARCH QUESTION
Aim- To investigate the issues and challenges of Romanian migrant in hospitality (from
employee point of view)
Objectives:
 To explore the Human Resources literature related to employee training.
 To analyses the advancement within their organization.
 To highlight what Romanian migrants bring regarding skills and what they gain or learn
from working in this sector
Research Questions
 What are the relevant theories on employee training development?
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 What are the benefits of employing Romanian workforce?
 What does current literature states regarding Romanian immigrants working in the
hospitality industry?
TIMESCALE
ACTIVITY/WEEK 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
 Identified the problem
 Systematic analysis to choose
the topic for the study
 Chose the research
 Conduct literature review for
secondary data collection
 Set the objectives
 Primary data collected from
customers
 Identified research approach
 Design research methodology
 Preparation of structured
questionnaire
 Make Fill up the questionnaire
from customers
 Organize collected data in
excel sheets
 Apply suitable technique to
analysis data
 Interpretation of the data
 Evaluation and finding of the
research
 Recommendation and
suggestions for further study
 Outline the findings chapter
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 Create report in a presentable
manner
 Submission to instructor and
awaiting for feedback
 Revising the final draft
 Submit report
 Present report to the audience
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REFERENCES
Alba, R. and Nee, V., 2009. Remaking the American mainstream: Assimilation and
contemporary immigration. Harvard University Press.
Belcourt, M., 2010.Managing Performance Through Training and Development. Cengage
Learning.
Bereri, E., 2009. Trainee perceptions of training transfer: an empirical analysis. Journal of
European Industrial Training. 33(3). Pp. 255–270.
Bhagwati, J. and Hanson, G., 2009. Skilled immigration today: prospects, problems, and
policies. Oxford University Press.
Bird, H., 2008.Articulating the value of training: linking training programs to organizational
goals. Development and Learning in Organizations. 22(2). Pp. 20-23.
Boyle, P., Halfacree, K. H. and Robinson, V., 2014. Exploring contemporary migration.
Routledge.
Brettell, C. B. and Hollifield, J. F., (Eds.). 2014. Migration theory: Talking across disciplines.
Routledge.
Brine, A., 2009. Handbook of library training practice and development. Farnham, Surrey:
Ashgate.
Brinia, V., 2011. Project: a trainee‐oriented training method, an empirical approach. Higher
Education, Skills and Work-Based Learning. 1(2). Pp. 169–186.
Coetzee, M., 2007.Practising Education, Training and Development in South African
Organisations. Juta and Company Ltd
De Haas, H., 2010. Migration and development: a theoretical perspective1. International
migration review. Pp. 44(1), 227-26
Dingle, H., 2014. Migration: the biology of life on the move. Oxford University Press
Faley, R. H., 2008. Online training: the value of capturing trainee reactions. Journal of
Workplace Learning. 20(1). Pp. 21–37.
Fan, S., 2013.Applied theatre in corporate training. Development and Learning in Organizations.
27(4). Pp. 15-18.
Glennie, A. and Pennington, J., 2013. In transition: Romanian and Bulgarian migration to the
UK. Institute for Public Policy Research, London
Grbich, C., 2012. Qualitative Data Analysis: An Introduction. SAGE
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Human Resource Management. 2013. [Online]. Available through
<http://athanne.hubpages.com/hub/Human-Resource-Management-Importance-of-
Human-Resource-Planning>. [Accessed on 7th March 2016].
Jackson, S. 2010. Research Methods: A Modular Approach. USA: Cengage Learning.
Mayfield, M., 2011. Creating training and development programs: using the ADDIE method.
Development and Learning in Organizations. 25(3). Pp. 19-22.
McBurney, D. and White, T. 2009. Research Methods. Cengage Learning.
Papastergiadis, N., 2013. The turbulence of migration: Globalization, deterritorialization and
hybridity. John Wiley & Sons.
Sapsford, R. and Jupp, V., 2006. Data Collection and Analysis. SAGE.
Scruggs, E. T. And Masotropieri, A. M. 2006. Applications of Research Methodology. Emerald
Group Publishing.
Tomova, I., 2011. Transnational migration of Bulgarian Roma. Kaneff, Deema and Frances
Pine, pp. 103-124.
Varsanyi, M., 2010. Taking local control: Immigration policy activism in US cities and states.
pp. 135-156). Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.
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