Workplace induced stress among operational staff in the hotel industry

Abstract

Stress is an integral part of all aspects of an individual's life. In the workplace, as in other areas, stress can play a positive role by increasing alertness among staff and mobilizing their adaptive capabilities. To some extent, therefore, a certain level of stress has the potential to actually contribute to organizational effectiveness. However, stress can become counterproductive once excessive levels of unresolved stress begin to affect the health and productivity of the workforce. Employers in any setting therefore have both commercial and moral reasons for being sensitive to the incidence of stress and developing management approaches for controlling it. This is particularly so in industries such as the hotel industry, which are both labour intensive and dependent upon face to face contact with guests in the delivery of services. This paper examines the sources of stress among front office and housekeeping operational staff in four star international standard hotels on the Gold Coast (Queensland, Australia) with a view to exploring the management implications of this phenomenon. While the sample size and the context of the study limit our ability to generalize from survey results, and indication of problems requiring adjustments in management approach is provided. In particular, it appears that, while staff in both areas are susceptible to stress, front office staff are more vulnerable owing to the nature of their duties and aspects of their background that make them more sensitive to organizational deficiencies.