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Asian Journal of Applied Business and Management (AJABM)
Vol. 2, No. 1, 2023: 79-98
79
DOI: https://doi.org/10.55927/ajabm.v2i1.3114
E-ISSN: 2964-7932
https://journal.formosapublisher.org/index.php/ajabm
Employee Retention Strategies of Hotel Industries in the
Philippines Amidst the Pandemic
John Paul Galang1, John Jay Pablo2*, Quennie Melad3, Gemilu Ann Tamaray4,
Rizza Velasco5, Karen Joy Catacutan6
University of Saint Louis
Corresponding Author: John Jay Pablo
karenjoyannang@yahoo.com.ph
A R T I C L E I N F O
A B S T R A C T
Keywords: Covid-19,
Employees, Hotel Industries,
Hospitality Industry,
Retention Strategies
Received : 17, December
Revised : 29, January
Accepted: 22, February
©2023 Galang, Pablo, Melad,
Tamaray, Velasco, Catacutan: This is
an open-
access article distributed
under the terms
of the Creative
Commons Atribusi 4.0
Internasional.
This study aimed to determine the strategies of
accredited hotel industries in retaining their
employees amidst the pandemic in Tuguegarao
City, Cagayan, Philippines. A quantitative
research design employing descriptive research
method was used in the study. The respondents
of the study were the human resource manager
or hotel owner of each accredited hotels in
Tuguegarao City using a questionnaire. The
findings of the study confirm that fourteen (14)
strategies are fully employed in the five
accredited hotels. However, the strategy
concerning about the remuneration of
employees even if there is a reduction in their
total salary due to the limited working scheme
set by the government is employed.
Galang, Pablo, Melad, Tamaray, Velasco, Catacutan
80
INTRODUCTION
On December 8, 2019, the government of Wuhan, China, revealed that
health officials were treating dozens of new virus cases classified as coronavirus
disease 2019 (COVID-19). Since then, COVID-19 has been designated a novel
strain of SARS (SARS-CoV-2) and has spread to multiple countries as a global
pandemic. It's a highly contagious respiratory disease that starts with a fever,
cough, and breathing issues after contact with other sick people. Furthermore,
asymptomatic individuals can transmit the virus, with up to 40% of infected
people staying asymptomatic (World Health Organization, 2020).
However, critical global responses to control the spread of the COVID-19
have included travel restrictions, home quarantine, and social distancing
orders. A million workers suddenly became unemployed because of the
uncertainty over economic recovery and global fears of continuing COVID-19
spread and future waves. The hospitality industry has been one of the first
industries affected, specifically the hotel sector. The hotel industry, in
particular, has seen huge revenue declines as occupancy rates have declined as
a result of social distance and a sharp drop in the number of tourists
(Sobieralski, 2020). With the changes in society due to the outbreak of COVID-
19, the hotel industry experienced an employment shock earlier than other
industries, with a sharp drop in the number of employees and a dramatic rise in
temporary leave. Even before COVID-19, because of technical developments,
economic fluctuations, and political insecurity, modern working environments
cannot guarantee employment stability to all employees (Etehadi & Karatepe,
2019). Employees' views on job insecurity and their subjective and unconscious
beliefs of job loss have grown because of organizational restructuring and scale-
downs (Niesen et al., 2018), but COVID-19 has aggravated this situation. The
rapid onset of the COVID-19 pandemic is contrasted by the severe effect most
likely on many hotel employees. It has increased the number of hotels closing
their doors, resulting in increased employee turnover. (Soria, 2020).
Moreover, one of the highly valued business assets is its employees
because they do the work assigned to them in exchange for a commensurate
salary. Employee success is also strongly tied to the success of the team, and
keeping experienced and knowledgeable individuals on board will aid the
organization's success (Singh, 2018). Since the critical importance of workforce
has been recognized, concepts to improve individual and organizational
performance, such as employee commitment or engagement, must be realized
(Ongel, 2014). Employee retention is all about persuading and encouraging
employees to stay with a company for as long as possible. It is also a systematic
effort and strategy utilized by organizations to keep a productive staff while
satisfying operational goals, such as having strategies, policies, and practices
that fulfill their various needs (Mita, 2014; Bidisha, 2013; Bandt & Kostic et al.,
2015). Retaining employees in the new normal is essential because many
employees have left their job due to COVID-19. Some employees have been
forced to stop working, early retirement, and shifted to other jobs such as online
selling, sari-sari store, and many more. However, it is also noted that one of the
main problems of the business managers is not prepared to address retention
Asian Journal of Applied Business and Management (AJABM)
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81
issues (Singh, 2018). Some managers lack strategies to retain employees,
especially amidst the pandemic.
Tuguegarao City serves as the Economic Center of Region 02, strives for
outstanding performance and competence in administration, citizen
participation, community and economic development, cultural arts, education,
fiscal management, infrastructure, intergovernmental cooperation, planning,
public safety, recreation, and leisure services, social services, and technology. Its
economy changed from agricultural to secondary and tertiary economic
activities such as trading, commerce, and services. Tuguegarao's role as
Northern Luzon's Regional Government Center and Center of Commerce
ushered in the change. The city acts as a commercial and institutional center
due to its role as a province and regional government seat. As a result,
commerce and service businesses and industrial and tourism-related activities
increase in the area. Thus, as the Economic Center of Region 02, banking,
educational and commercial entities proliferate in the city (Philippines Cities,
2017). The hotel industry is one of the most growing and lucrative industries in
the town, contributing as the main driver of the social and economic growth of
the place, resulting in an increased job or employment opportunities improved
living standards, and other social and economic factors. The population and
the influx of tourists visiting Tuguegarao City resulted in the economic growth
of the place. It is one of the driving forces that led many business enthusiasts to
invest their money in building hotel establishments. The bustling city is a
commercial site where multiple businesses and buildings are easily accessible to
the target market.
It is, therefore, one of the toughest challenges an organization or
businesses encounters nowadays is to manage the people amidst the pandemic
and keep them on the job as long as possible. The hotel industry, in particular,
needs to understand how to retain its employees effectively since they highly
contribute to the continuity, profitability, and success of the business.
Consequently, it is essential to identify those retention strategies in the hotel
industry to gain new insights and approaches for stabilizing hotel employment
amidst the pandemic. However, several studies about employee retention have
been recently published, but no specific research about retaining employees
amidst the pandemic as the topic. For these reasons, the researchers have
decided to embark on this study to determine the strategies of accredited hotel
industries in retaining their employees amidst the pandemic in Tuguegarao
City, Cagayan
THEORETICAL REVIEW
Conceptual Framework
Hospitality and tourism Industry thrives on the patterns of visitations
and considerable efforts that are placed by decision makers to attract visitors to
support the sector and enhance the multiplier effect from the industry. A study
anchored to the several studies in the hospitality industry that have examined
employees' motivation, retention strategies, through a job satisfaction and
dissatisfaction theory using Herzberg's two-factor theory and other retention
Galang, Pablo, Melad, Tamaray, Velasco, Catacutan
82
strategy theory, with varying findings (Holston Okae and Mushi, 2018).
Holston Okae (2018) highlighted job satisfaction theory and dissatisfaction
theory which consists of two dimensions, relating to dissatisfaction theory is the
hygiene issues that cause to decrease employees while job satisfaction theory in
relation to the motivators which can create recognition, productive,
achievement and retain employees. However, it assessed the relationship
among the hospitality human resource managers and employees about its turn
over factors, job satisfaction, motivational factors, and retention strategies and
most the results suggested that job satisfaction, job compensation, employee
engagement in the field, and work environment are significant predictors of
turnover intentions and the need to assess the retention factors.
According to Damij et al., (2015), intrinsic motivation theory is a type of
motivation that comes from within an employee and mirroring the theory of
Maslow's psychological and self-fulfillment needs, resulting in satisfaction and
improved performance. However, management theory and practice has really
focused on the extrinsic motivators wherein these motivators are essential to
employees in today’s environment in retaining them in every organization.
These theories relate to this study give significance and importance in retaining
the number of employees in every organization to strengthen the work
environment and practices in the organization towards providing sustainable
and satisfactory services in the industry.
Hotel Industry
The hotel industry has a broad category of products and services such as
accommodation, food and beverages to provide guest satisfaction. The different
hotel companies offer it, or establishments taken action by the employees or
workers, which may increase the level and growth of the economy and
contribute to the income and production from the goods and services offered
(Motter, 2020). The hotel industry noted the qualities to successfully deliver
products and services by the hoteliers with a hospitable attitude that provides a
good experience in the hospitality aspect.
According to Yeswa & Ombui (2019), the hotel industry included a
variety of sectors, including tour operators, food and beverage, travel agencies,
lodging, attractions, and transportation, all of which require a diverse set of
talents. The hotel industry is a powerful source of revenue for all the hoteliers
and the tourism industry segment, where it contributes to the Gross Domestic
Product in a bigger way. It is also a representation of the hotel industry's
processes and actions because it exposes the worth of the products and services.
The products offered and produced are growing in the industry or a recession.
In this case, customer retention is a good platform to retain the numbers of
customers, which fascinate with customer loyalty and or brand loyalty.
There are types of hotels classified based on their star system ranging
from 1 to 5 stars. It reflects the characteristics of luxury and sophistication with
high-class facilities and meticulous services differentiated on its products and
services (Cruz, 2017). It is correlated with the brand's quality based on
awarding the quality mark symbol or with the accreditation process, which can
Asian Journal of Applied Business and Management (AJABM)
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83
be classified as De Luxe Class, First Class, Standard Class, and Economic Class.
From high-class amenities, facilities, products, and services to basic
accommodations and limited amenities offered (Bell, 2020). However, the hotel
industry needs excellent management in all its functions required, which need
an overall operation, a vision and mission, long-term goals, effective strategies,
good marketing, and properly acted in=n management (Alekseevick &
Igorevna, 2016).
Moreover, the hotel industry is one of the fastest-growing industries
with a deeper relationship with improved service quality into operations and
customer satisfaction (Fernandez, 2019). Additionally, according to Yeswa
(2019), the hotel industry promotes employee engagement, which signifies a
positive influence in the industry. Hotel managers and owners can manage this
to practice employee involvement and participation in all aspects to achieve a
clear goal of expectation for all the employees in the industry. Thus, it also
affects the practices, theories of commitment in work, and the organization's
motivations (Ashton, 2018).
Hotel Industry in Tuguegarao City
The hotel industry in Tuguegarao City offers a wide variety of products
and services. There are 18 hotel establishments in the city, namely Taj Hotel,
Hotel Casa Angela, two branches of Hotel Joselina, Hotel Carmelita, Hotel
Juliana, Mango suites, Balay B and B, Hotel Lorita, Pulsar Hotel, Coccoon
Traveler’s Inn, Benjie’s Place, Livin’s Inn, Hotel Kimikarlai, 128 lodges, Radlett
Residences, The Pad Tuguegarao, and DDD Habitat Tuguegarao. These various
hotel establishments in Tuguegarao City provide customer satisfaction in all
forms in accordance of their services and products. It is normally associated
with the hospitality sector and is offered by hoteliers, employees, and or
workers to provide customer pleasure with their supplied services and
products to their customers or visitors. The Department of Tourism-Region II
listed a number of accredited hotels within the Cagayan Valley Region or
Region II that was fully furnished. With the thirty (30) numbers of hotel listed
in the Region, the hotels were guaranteed with great set of standards whereby
these hotels complied with the different rules and regulations given by the
government for its over-all function of hotel, employees, infrastructures and
superstructures (Department of Tourism, 2019).
According to Yeswa and Ombui (2019), there is a need to concentrate on
the hospitality industry's employee management; consequently, the hotel
business seeks to prevent competent personnel from leaving the hotels, which
could harm service delivery. However, hospitality industry managers and
owners need an effective strategy in managing an employee to have more
growth potentials in the business and the employees in a long-term goal aspect
that can also result to a positive service. The hotel industry is significant as the
hotel managers in these hotel establishments in Tuguegarao City tend to be
more trained, developed, and skilled than the other managers of the different
industries in the world. However, it is also an industry infrequently studied by
Galang, Pablo, Melad, Tamaray, Velasco, Catacutan
84
many researchers and some social scientists regarding hotel managers, its
employees, and overall functions (Narag & Soriano, 2019).
Hotel Industry Amidst the Pandemic
Workers are the heart and spine of an association. It is admirable that the
lodging representatives without formal preparation and information on the
uncommon lockdown have remained by the inns as a mainstay of polished skill
(Baharin and Hanafi, 2018). According to Kumar (2021), the travel industry
business and relaxation trips have had retractions. There will be numerous
recovery plans, yet they may not be compelling. Deficient occupation tasks and
execution may prompt dissatisfaction or stress.
According to Sobieralski (2020), the hotel industry, in particular, has seen
huge revenue declines as occupancy rates have plummeted as a result of social
distance and a sharp drop in the number of tourists. The speed occurrence of
the COVID-19 pandemic is contrasted by the severe effect most likely on many
hotel employees. It has given rise to an increase in the number of hotels that
have decided to close their doors, resulting to employee turnover (Soria, 2020).
According to Van Rooyen et al. (2021), the hotel employees are putting their
health at risk of contracting the virus by working in person. That is why the
human resource management are reviewing their safety regulations to ensure
that they contain updated safety and health measures of all employees amidst
pandemic. The updated protocols would have to include a proper procedure to
dry-clean the uniforms so that employees do not contract the germs. To
guarantee everyone's health is optimal, temperature-checking will have to be
implemented every time an employee clocks in and clocks out. Finally, it has to
be mandatory for staff, especially those in housekeeping, to always wear
facemasks and gloves at all times to avoid the spread of germs.
The different accredited hotels in the Philippines listed by the
Department of Tourism (2020) can be used as quarantine facilities since they
follow the health and safety measures implemented by the DOH under the
directive from the IATF or Inter-Agency Task Force. However, with the length
of quarantine days which is fourteen (14) days, these hotel establishments are
performing and still functional despite the pandemic. The Department of
Health (2020) also recognized hotel establishments to be used in the first ten
days of the 14-day quarantine. The remaining four days will be completed at
home under the supervision of the local government unit. As of December 17,
2020, fifteen accommodation establishments in National Capital Region (NCR)
have been issued Certificates of Authority to Operate as quarantine facilities for
stranded tourists and essential workers. These include the Grand Hyatt Hotel,
Makati Shangri-La Hotel, Okada Manila Hotel, Shangri-La at the Fort, Nobu
Hotel, Joy Nostalg Hotel and Suites Manila, EDSA Shangri-La Manila, Solaire
Resort, Hyatt Regency City of Dreams, Nuwa Hotel City of Dreams, The
Peninsula Manila, Aruga by Rockwell, Sheraton Manila Hotel, Hilton Manila,
and Hotel Okura Manila. Moreover, in September 2020, Department of Tourism
Administrative Order 2020-006-A was issued, allowing four- to five-star rated
DOT-accredited Accommodation Establishments in the National Capital Region
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to operate as Staycation Hotels provided, they have Certificates of Authority to
Operate as Staycation hotels (CAOS). An accommodation Establishment
outside the NCR with at least a three-star rating was likewise allowed to
operate.
Moreover, to help these hotel establishments amidst the pandemic, the
Department of Tourism and its partner agencies and associations encourage the
hotel owners to apply for special loan programs with minimal interest and
employees' subsidies, like cash assistance, relief goods, free training, and the
like, while they are on temporary closure. These assistances seek the
government to continue its progress even though they experience limitations
brought by the pandemic. Under the joint programs of the Department of
Tourism which is the Department of Finance, Social Security System, Bureau of
Internal Revenue called as Small Business Wage Subsidy grants more than
155,000 employees, including the Hotel Employees and other tourism-related
enterprises. According to the Department of Tourism, 2020, the subsidy ranges
from Php. 5000 to Php. 8000 and according to the Department of Land and
Employment Joint memorandum circular number 2020-001 by the Republic Act
No. 11494, known as Bayanihan to Recover as One Act which provides financial
assistance and cash work program mostly with workers in the tourism sector to
assist the most impacted hospitality and tourism businesses and assistance to
the workers or employees due to this Covid-19 pandemic. This subsidy
program by the government can be a good platform for hospitality and tourism
businesses to sustain their resources, retain employees, and make progress in
the economy.
Employee Retention
Employee retention refers to motivating and retaining employees to stay
with the company for as long as possible. It is the effort of a business to
maintain a working environment that supports current employees in remaining
to the company. Employee retention is the procedure and tactic utilized by the
businesses to keep valuable personnel from quitting their jobs (Fernandez &
Worasuwan, 2017).
Furthermore, it is also determined that employee retention is the most
important business goal because recruiting a suitable applicant is critical for a
company's success. Companies invest a significant amount of money on the
orientation and training of their potential workers; therefore, retention is more
crucial than hiring. Understanding what people want in a job and what the job
wants in an employee is critical to long-term employee retention (Motter, 2020).
Aside from the intrinsic value that can be benefited from it, employee retention
is vital to the business itself. They are essential to firms or establishments
because employees help the owners and managers in running the business.
According to Rombaut and Guerry (2020), employee retention's ultimate
purpose is to keep qualified employees from leaving the organization. Khalid
and Nawab (2018) also stated that in order to accelerate and achieve employee
retention, employers must carefully establish direct and indirect forms of
employee participation as well as employee compensation.
Galang, Pablo, Melad, Tamaray, Velasco, Catacutan
86
Employee retention techniques can aid managers in keeping personnel and
maintaining profitability. Staff retention should be viewed as a significant issue
by business executives, who should take proactive measures to improve
retention by involving managers who are familiar with designing effective
employee retention methods (Singh, 2018). Among all motivational factors,
training and development and salary and fringe benefits have the highest
statistical significance with employee retention (Kaliyamoorthy, Al-Shibami,
Nusari, & Ghosh, 2018). Some practices can be put into place to help increase
retention and cut losses caused by turnover. The most important step in
reducing turnover is proper employee selection, performance appraisal, and
compensation (Motter, 2020).
Strategies of Hotels in Employee Retention
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, many workers are concerned about their
health and well-being while at work. By addressing these concerns, employers
can bring peace of mind to employees and, in turn, attract workers who may
have held reservations about their safety. Retaining employees amidst the
pandemic is essential because many employees have left their job due to the
outbreak of COVID-19.
Hotel employees at the lower hierarchies recognize compensation as an
important determinant for their retention, and top-level employees prefer to
term it less important. However, in Nepalese hotels, top-level employees see
employer branding as the most essential aspect of their retention, whereas
lower-level employees see it as less significant (Rombaut & Guerry, 2020).
Moreover, a study in Kenya by Krémer (2019), employee retention in
hotels is influenced by established practices such as paying reasonable salaries
and wages, performance bonuses, reimbursing employees for overtime and
holidays, rewarding employees with extended leave, providing enough
recreational facilities, paying salaries that match the work, and matching the
hotel's salaries with other hotels' compensations.
METHODOLOGY
The researchers utilized a descriptive quantitative research design. This
study was conducted in the accredited hotels in Tuguegarao City. The human
resource manager or hotel owner of each accredited hotel were the respondents
of the study. The researchers decided to include human resource managers or
owners as their respondents since they are involved in the day-to-day activities
of all the employees and are knowledgeable with HR management policies and
strategies of the hotel. Furthermore, purposive sampling was employed since
the criteria of selecting hotel respondents will be those accredited by the
Department of Tourism (DOT) and who have retained all their employees
amidst the pandemic. This study utilized a survey questionnaire to gather the
needed data. Part 1 consists of the profile of the hotel respondents in
Tuguegarao City in terms of length of operation, hotel classification, type of
ownership, and the number of employees. Part 2 on the other hand consists of
the employee retention strategies of accredited hotels amidst the pandemic in
Tuguegarao City. This part was modified from the study of Shweta (2019), and
Asian Journal of Applied Business and Management (AJABM)
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87
the content experts validated it. The data gathered from the survey
questionnaires were analyzed through descriptive and frequency analysis. The
respondent’s profile was analyzed using descriptive statistics such as frequency
and percentage, while the employee retention strategies of the hotel industries
was analyzed using mean with the following legend for interpretation: 3.50 -
4.00 = Fully Employed, 2.50 - 3.49 = Employed, 1.50 - 2.49 = Least Employee,
1.00 - 1.49 = Not Employed.
RESULTS
Table 1. Profile of the Hotels
Profile Variables
Frequency
Percentage
No. of Years in Operation
6-10 Years
3
60.00 %
11 Years and above
2
40.00 %
Hotel Classification
Economy Class
3
60.00 %
Business Class
2
40.00 %
Type of Ownership
Sole Proprietorship
4
80.00 %
Corporation
1
20.00 %
No. of Employees
10 Below
1
20.00 %
11-20 Employees
1
20.00 %
21 & Above
3
60.00 %
The accredited hotel establishment in Tuguegarao City are profiled in
Table 1. It can be gleaned from the table that three hotels have been in operation
for six to ten years, and two have been in operation for ten years or more. In
addition, the majority of the hotels are categorized as economy. When it comes
to ownership, the majority of them are sole proprietorships. Finally, most of the
hotels have 21 and above employees.
Galang, Pablo, Melad, Tamaray, Velasco, Catacutan
88
Table 2. Employee Retention Strategies of Hotel Industries
Strategies
Mean
Qualitative
Description
1. The hotel communicates a clear role and
responsibilities assigned to employees amidst
the pandemic.
3.80
Fully
employed
2. The hotel strictly follows government protocols
to maintain a safe and secure working
environment.
4.00
Fully
employed
3. The hotel empowers employees by having a
good time listening to their ideas and
suggestions amidst the pandemic.
3.80
Fully
employed
4. The hotel sets a work-life balance among
employees.
3.80
Fully
employed
5. The hotel continuously gives employee
benefits, such as incentives, medical assistance,
cash assistance, and the like.
4.00
Fully
employed
6. The hotel provides training and development
programs against the COVID-19 pandemic.
3.60
Fully
employed
7. The hotel conducts performance appraisals and
continuous feedback for employees’
performance.
3.80
Fully
employed
8. The hotel values and extends employee
contracts despite the COVID-19 pandemic.
4.00
Fully
employed
9. The hotel observes work fairness in job
scheduling, promotions, and the like.
3.60
Fully
employed
10. The hotel has a systematic policies, practices,
and good working conditions that retain
employees.
3.60
Fully
employed
11. The hotel persistently remunerates its
employees even if there is a reduction in their
total salary due to the limited working scheme
set by the government.
3.40
Employed
12. The hotel management consistently works and
helps boost employee morale amidst the
pandemic.
3.80
Fully
employed
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13. The hotel administration guides and manages
employees on a professional standard of
conduct.
3.80
Fully
employed
14. The hotel establishment builds a culture of
teamwork among employees in the working
environment.
4.00
Fully
employed
15. The hotel establishment promotes trustworthy,
tactful discipline and ethical considerations.
4.00
Fully
employed
The employee retention strategies of the hotel industries were analyzed
using mean with the following legend for interpretation; 3.50 - 4.00 = Fully
Employed; 2.50 - 3.49 = Employed; 1.50 - 2.49 = Least Employed; 1.00 - 1.49 =
Not employed. The table shows that majority of the strategies have been fully
employed except for one strategy which concerns about the remuneration of
employees even if there is a reduction in their total salary due to the limited
working scheme. Since majority of strategies got a mean of 3.50-4.00, the 5
hotels strongly agreed that they are using the following strategies to retain their
employees amidst the pandemic.
DISCUSSION
This study has provided data needed to learn how hotel industries,
specifically in Tuguegarao City, managed to develop and implement strategies
for employee retention amidst the pandemic. The result regarding the employee
retention strategies were obtained from the five (5) respondents of different
accredited hotels, primarily using their total profiling percentages.
First, it was found that three (3) accredited hotel establishments in
Tuguegarao City were functional and offering their products and services by
their employee’s workforce over 6 to 10 years while the remaining two (2) were
found operating for at least 11 years and above. Second, it was noted that three
(3) hotels were classified as economy class, while the remaining two (2) hotels
were revealed as business class. Third, these accredited hotels' ownership type
has shown four (4) single individual or sole-proprietorship while one (1)
accredited hotel was established with shareholders or corporate ownership.
Lastly, it was found that three (3) hotels have 21 and above number of
employees, one (1) accredited hotel has 11-20 employees and one (1) accredited
hotel has below 10 employees respectively.
On the other hand, the result of the study shows that hotel respondents
in Tuguegarao City had strictly followed and implemented strategies to retain
employees. Based on the result, these accredited hotels have identified the
following as their top strategies to support them in keeping their employees
amidst this adversity. These accredited hotels in Tuguegarao City who had
retained their employees showed that they are highly-engaged with their
employees which resulted to a mean of four (4) and considered as the
Galang, Pablo, Melad, Tamaray, Velasco, Catacutan
90
qualitative description (QD) of fully employed ranked as the highest strategies
by this accredited hotel establishments.
First (1), the hotel strictly follows government protocols to maintain a
safe and secure working environment. This implies that amidst the pandemic,
the hotel industries strictly act and work in accordance to the protocols within
the working environment to avoid contacting the disease in every employee at
work. This relates with the publication study of the International Labor
Organization (2020) that in every working establishment, it is significant to
have a safe, secure and healthy working conditions in order to avoid
circumstances in every employee and the management of the company, can
sustain the workforce, and sustain the quality of service in the industry.
Second (2), the hotel continuously gives employee benefits, such as
incentives, medical assistance, cash assistance, and the like. It implies that in
every industry and/or working company, excellent packages of benefits and
assistance in rewarding and appreciating employees’ work is helpful in
retaining them. This result of the study agrees with the findings of
Stalmasecova & Genzorova (2017), that it has been really a significant and an
excellent factor to motivate employees in the hotel. Through this strategy, it
may result to success of the company. With the presence of this employee
benefits, it may be an excellent form of building their corporate identity on
interesting, excellent, and unique employee benefits and advantages.
Third (3), the hotel values and extends employee contracts despite the
COVID-19 pandemic. The result of this strategy implies that with all its
importance, employee contracts continuously values and extends by the
accredited hotels in Tuguegarao City despite the Covid-19 pandemic, as it has
something to do with all the employee rights, responsibilities, the different
duties and working conditions in every hotel industry which also signify the
company’s duty to pay their employees. This result contradicts with the
publication study of International Labor Organization (2020) that with the
threat of Covid-19, some contracts of employees from the different
company/organization had experience severe stress and collapsed of
employees due to the forfeit of sales and income in the company. It has been
reported that employee contracts are still vital to every business
company/organization.
Furthermore, the fourth (4) strategy is the hotel establishment builds a
culture of teamwork among employees in the working environment. This
implies that in every business company and/or hotel industries, it is an
excellent mark leading to better productivity in every employee, greater
profitability, and highly collaborative work actions to be done by the employees
allowing them to meet the goals in the hotel. With this result, it relates to the
study of Wanyeki & Maina (2019), that collaborative working effort indicates
and enhances the team effectiveness in terms of productivity, effectiveness, and
efficiency at the workplace. Through the culture of teamwork, every employee
in the hotel industry keeps each other and also realize the group reward
resulting to a more motivated and an excellent performance. Fifth (5), the hotel
establishment promotes trustworthiness, tactful discipline, and ethical
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considerations. This result implies that every employee evolves to their quality
a trustworthy, tactful discipline and ethical behavior which resulted to them a
culture of inspiring, developing aspect, and may establish an excellent culture
of trust and respect in the working environment. This strategy is an advantage
to retain the number of employees in the company, increased productivity and
loyalty. The result of this study agrees with the findings of Soria (2020) that in
every company, employees should acquire the ethical behaviors under the rule
of the company, rightful discipline and quality of trust in which the hotel
industries can achieve and sustain its goals not just within the company but also
to its employees.
The second to the highest ranked strategies of accredited hotels focused
on the support given by hotels toward their employees amidst the pandemic
namely, first (1), the hotel communicates a clear role and responsibilities
assigned to employees amidst the pandemic. It implies that most accredited
hotels conveyed all the necessary duties and obligations to each employee
amidst the pandemic. In line with this, according to Fernandez & Worasuwan
(2017), once employees are given autonomy, they have the necessary
information to assess different situations and they are empowered to make
decisions and take responsibility. They feel they are able to communicate with
both immediate colleagues and senior management in an open and honest way
through a two-way open-door policy. Clearly, effective communication
encourages staff to adjust their assumptions of what is expected of them. So, the
management of expectations is one of the most important ways in managing
employee retention; second (2), the hotel empowers employees by having a
good time listening to their ideas and suggestions amidst the pandemic. It
shows that the majority of the employers emancipate their workers to tender
their opinion and recommendations in regard to hotel operations amidst the
pandemic. Based on the results of the study of Fernandez & Worasuwan (2017),
listening is a key to improve employee retention because it creates an
environment where employees feel valued and because it provides managers
with insights into ways to continuously improve the workplace. By seeking first
to identify and understand the needs and interests of the employees, it can
create an environment that lets them voice out their thoughts and opinions. The
more they share the more information it may have to create innovative
solutions for motivation and engagement. But it is more than just listening to
the words they say. To become an effective listener, managers must go beyond
literal content and learn to hear the intent, the emotions, and the deeper
meaning others are trying to communicate.
Third (3), the hotel sets a work-life balance among employees. It can be
inferred that, commonly, accredited hotels equalize work and personal life
among their employees. Contrarily, as stated in the results of the study of
Shrestha (2018), the relationship between age group and career growth,
balanced work life, and employer branding indicates that younger employees
view career growth opportunities as the strongest HR retention factor that
could retain them with their current employment.
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92
Moreover, the fourth (4) strategy that concerns about the hotel conducts
performance appraisals and continuous feedback for employees’ performance
implies that most accredited hotels ensured that there is a clear communication
between their employees for them to carry out their tasks effectively and
efficiently amidst the pandemic. According to the study of Fernandez &
Worasuwan (2017), management techniques in the hotel employee retention
manifest itself in understanding themselves, proper communication, listening,
engaging, and providing autonomy, personal and professional development,
trust, and reciprocity. Nevertheless, individual managers can have a profound
effect on employee retention by implementing these strategies. They foster an
environment in which workers are more likely to share the organization's
values, to recognize their roles, to be happy and committed, and to provide
higher-quality service to hotel guests;
Fifth (5), the hotel management consistently works and helps boost
employee morale amidst the pandemic. This implies that most accredited hotels
persistently motivates and empower their employees to increase their
confidence during this time of adversity. The results demonstrated that the
more motivated the human factor is, the higher efficacy, loyalty, and individual
performance is given to the institution in the chosen three dimensions: strategy,
communications, and common feedback (Zámečník, 2020).
Sixth (6), the hotel administration guides and manages employees on a
professional standard of conduct. This implies that most accredited hotels
exerted an effort to guarantee the improvement and development of their
employees on a standard professional basis. This relates to the study of Yeswa
& Ombui (2019), that the reward systems, career development, employee
engagement, and training are major contributors to influencing employee
retention in the Kenyan hotel industry. Thus, reward systems should be further
improved.
The strategies that ranked as 3rd highest strategy got a mean of 3.60 and
fully employed accredited hotels in Tuguegarao implemented in retaining their
employees were: first (1), the hotel provides training and development
programs against the COVID-19 pandemic. This implies that some of the
accredited hotels made their employees undergo series of training and
development programs to avoid contracting the deadly disease during the
COVID-19 outbreak. According to Gigauri (2020), in terms of development of
HRM strategy to adapt to the new reality shaped by the pandemic and for
managing remote working systems considering the employee perspectives,
training and development of employees are vital. Second (2), the hotel observes
work fairness in job scheduling, promotions and the like. This implies that some
of the accredited hotels promoted fairness among their employees regarding
their work schedule and promotion amidst the pandemic. High performers and
non-hourly workers were more likely to cite advancement opportunities and
organizational prestige as reasons for staying, whereas low performers and
hourly employees were more likely to cite extrinsic rewards. These findings
highlight the importance of differentiating human resource management
practices when the goal is to retain valued employees (Hausknecht, Rodda &
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Howard, 2009); Third (3), the hotel has systematic policies, practices and good
working conditions that retain employees. This implies that some of the
accredited hotels practiced their systematic policies and took less consideration
regarding the working condition of their employees during the COVID-19
pandemic. There are positive inter-correlations among employee retention
factor and other factors that relate to work conditions that support employee
retention such as compensation, employee development, work engagement,
work relations, and working hours (Ezeuduji & Mbane, 2017).
The least strategy that the accredited hotels employed was (1) the hotel
persistently remunerated its employees even if there is a reduction in their total
salary due to the limited working scheme set by the government. This implied
that remuneration for employees was an area that most hotels neglect and do
not take as a threat in retaining their employees. The result of the study agrees
with the findings of Khalid & Nawab (2018), that employee compensation
significantly moderated the relationship between types of employee
participation and employee retention. Furthermore, the study concluded that
organizations of both manufacturing and service sectors should develop such
practices, which could enhance employee engagement and voice within their
task-related decisions. These participation practices would in turn enhance
employee retention and would give organizations its aligned benefits.
CONCLUSION
Based on the findings of this study, it is concluded that the accredited
hotels in Tuguegarao City had used different strategies to retain their
employees. These strategies are fully employed namely: (1) The hotel
communicates a clear role and responsibilities assigned to employees amidst
the pandemic; (2) The hotel strictly follows government protocols to maintain a
safe and secure working environment; (3) The hotel empowers employees by
having a good time listening to their ideas and suggestions; amidst the
pandemic; (4) The hotel sets a work-life balance among employees; (5) The hotel
continuously gives employee benefits, such as incentives, medical assistance,
cash assistance, and the like; (6) The hotel provides training and development
programs against the COVID-19 pandemic; (7) The hotel conducts performance
appraisals and continuous feedback for employees’ performance; (8) The hotel
value and extend employee contracts despite the COVID-19 pandemic; (9) The
hotel observes work fairness in job scheduling, promotions, and the like; (10)
The hotel has a systematic policies, practices, and good working conditions that
retain employees; (11) The hotel management consistently works and helps
boost employee morale amidst the pandemic (12) The hotel administration
guides and manages employees on a professional standard of conduct; (13) The
hotel establishment builds a culture of teamwork among employees in the
working environment; (14) The hotel establishment promotes trustworthy,
tactful discipline and ethical considerations. However, the strategy that
concerns about the remuneration of employees even if there is a reduction in
their total salary due to the limited working scheme set by the government is
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94
also employed. Therefore, this is a good indication that the accredited hotels
here in Tuguegarao City are undertaking efforts to retain all their employees.
The findings of this study have practical implications for the retention
strategies of hotels and future direction of research. First, this study has a
limited outline due to the relatively small number of respondents. Therefore,
future researchers may increase the sample size and associate with the other
available and active hotels within the community to encapsulate the differences
in the effective strategies of these operational hotels within the region.
Furthermore, the researchers advise future researchers to use the same sample
population but collect additional data using a qualitative or mixed method. As
for the participating accredited hotels, it is recommended that they maintain
their strategy to retain their employees. Moreover, hotel owners or managers
may share their employee retention strategies with other managers outside
their firm to help hotel industry in the region to retain their employees. To
generate sufficient innovative capacity and achieve competitive advantages in
the hotel sector, business managers may implement these strategies to improve
stability, reduce employee turnover, and boost the relevant expert knowledge
in an organization.
ADVANCED RESEARCH
The researchers also recommend to the accrediting body of hotels,
Department of Tourism, to use these strategies to strengthen the retention
policies and practices of the hotel industry in Tuguegarao City towards
providing a sustainable and satisfactory service.
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