Employee motivations in Starwood Hotels&Resorts - is.vsh.cz

Institute of Hospitality Management in Prague

Emília Juhásová

Employee motivations in Starwood Hotels&Resorts

Bachelor dissertation

2014

Taking the opportunity, I would like to thank all the associates in Sheraton Prague

Charles Square Hotel who helped me with completing this research.

My appreciation goes foremost to the Thesis Supervisor, Ing.Stanislava Belešová, PhD.

for her valuable time and opinions she has shared with me during the research process.

I swear

that this bachelor dissertation titled Employee motivations in Starwood Hotels&Resorts

was wiritten by me independently and that all literature and additional material used are

cited in the bibliography and that

this version is exactly the same as the work submitted electronically.

In accordance with §47b law n.111/1998 coll. on higher education institutions, I

agree to my dissertation being published in its complete form in the publicly

accessible electronic database of the Institute of Hospitality Management in Prague.

In Prague on 23.4.2014 Emília Juhásová

Abstract

Juhásová, Emília. Employee motivations in Starwood Hotels&Resorts. [Bachelor

dissertation] Institute of Hospitality Management in Prague. Prague: 2014

The main theme of this thesis is employee motivations in Starwood Hotels&Resorts.

This analysis focuses on answering three research questions which underpins loyalty of

the employees in Sheraton Prague Charles Square Hotel, their motivations towards

international company Starwood and the willingness of hotel management to retain their

best employees. The aim of my work is to determine primary demotivators in this hotel

and outline suggestions how to improve motivation of its employees and thus boost

them to better performance.

Key words

Employee motivations, demotivators, drivers, employee satisfaction, loyalty, feedback.

Abstrakt

Juhásová, Emília. Employee motivations in Starwood Hotels&Resorts. [Bachelor

dissertation] Institute of Hospitality Management in Prague. Prague: 2014

Hlavnou témou tejto práce je motivácia zamestnancou spoločnosti Starwood

Hotels&Resorts. Táto analýza sa zameriava na zodpovedanie troch výskumných otázok,

ktorých základom je lojalita zamestnancov v hoteli Sheraton Prague Charles Square

Hotel, ich motivácia voči spoločnosti Starwood a snaha hotelového manažmentu si

uchovať najlepších zamestnancov. Cieľom mojej práce je určiť hlavné demotivátory v

tomto hoteli a poskytnúť návrhy ako zlepšiť motiváciu zamestnancov a tak ich

povzbudiť k lepším výkonom.

Kľúčové slová

Motivácia zamestnacov, demotivátory, vodiče tzv.drivers, spokojnosť zamestnancov,

lojalita, spätná väzba.

Table of content

Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 1

1. Employee motivations in hospitality industry .......................................................... 5

1.1 Employee motivation ......................................................................................... 5

1.1.1 Maslow´s Hierarchy of Needs .................................................................... 6

1.1.2 McGregor Theory X and Theory Y ............................................................ 8

1.1.3 Herzberg´s Motivating and Hygiene Factors .............................................. 9

1.1.4 Skinner´s Positive Reinforcement ............................................................ 11

1.1.5 Vroom and his Expectancy Theory .......................................................... 12

1.2 Incentives and Rewards .................................................................................... 13

1.3 Feedback and Coaching ................................................................................... 14

1.4 Hotel employee satisfaction ............................................................................. 17

1.5 When the loyalty is not a driver ....................................................................... 19

2. Analysis of employee motivations in Sheraton Prague Charles Square Hotel ....... 22

2.1 Benefits of the employees ................................................................................ 23

2.2 Primary research of employee motivations in Sheraton Prague Charles Square

Hotel

2.2.1 Front Office Department ........................................................................... 27

2.2.2 Engineering Department ........................................................................... 32

2.2.3 F&B Department ....................................................................................... 36

2.2.4 Housekeeping Department ........................................................................ 40

2.2.5 Kitchen Department .................................................................................. 44

2.2.6 Personal observations ............................................................................... 48

2.2.7 Interview with HR manager ...................................................................... 50

3. Suggestions for improvements ................................................................................ 51

Conclusion ...................................................................................................................... 54

List of reference .............................................................................................................. 56

Appendix 1 ...................................................................................................................... 58

Appendix 2 ...................................................................................................................... 61

Appendix 3 ...................................................................................................................... 61

1

Introduction

Motivation, leadership and empowerment are inextricable parts of employees every day

performance. First off all, people need a reason to wake up in the morning—and ‘‘they

pay me’’ is hardly the ideal alarm clock. To some people, financial support and perks

they receive at work are sufficient enough and do not seek for more. But there are quite

a lot of people who do their job for a meaningful purpose. Those people are the ones

who are trying to reach their potential by exceeding their knowledge in the field they

work, looking for more than getting the work done and last but not least, they are

willing to face new challenges and attract different opportunities for their growth and

self- improvement. In the light of these characteristics, there is a considerable need for

motivating these employees to show them that their efforts really pay off and that their

contribution is widely seen and appreciated by their managers. Therefore, the

motivation of employees has become one of the top discussed topics nowadays, looking

for all kinds of strategies and practical ways how to drive employees to perform desired

results.

Hospitality industry is one of leading business industry in the world where thousands of

new properties are being build and open every decade. Also, it is the one of the

businesses where turnover of the employees is very high and therefore it is the crucial

task for managers to find the reasons why it is so and take appropriate actions to

minimilize it. It is generally understood that employment in these industries is often

considered to be temporary, or stop-gap employment, with workers leaving eventually

for many reasons. Definetely, one of the highest-ranked reason is lack of motivation and

incentives. It is true that a motivated worker provides better customer service, improves

sales and is more likely to stay loyal to the job longer than the one who is demotivated

and being punished for every mistake he does.

Unfortunately, the process of motivating people is far from an exact science. There is no

secret formula, no set calculation, no work sheet to fill out. In fact, motivation can be as

individual as the employees who work for you. One employee may be motivated only

by financial incentive such as money. Another may appreciate personal recognition for

a job well done. But basic objective is to find out what your employees require and find

a way to give it to them or enable them to earn it. (Inc., 2014)

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The impulse of conducting this research was based on hand-on experiences of

researcher who has been working in hospitality for more than three years. Currently, she

has been working in Sheraton Prague Charles Square Hotel for almost two years where

she has been experiencing lack of motivation and appreciation from management´s side.

Despite of the fact that Starwood Hotels&Resorts was her dream company to work for,

her expectations were neither met nor exceeded. As a very social and people-oriented

person, researcher tried to motivate herself with the program called Vita Futura / it will

be explained to the reader in Chapter 2 / which was supposed to be a big step further in

her hospitality career. Unfortunately, according to some circumstances, she did not get

admitted which was the big disappointment for her. Since the researcher did not have

any motivations left in this property and the fact that many her hospitality–devoted

colleagues started leaving, it made her think about the reasons why these people quit

and what could be done to avoid it. As much as the analyst is fond of working in this

company, she has been thinking about leaving this job, too. However, before she might

do that, researcher wants to show to the hotel management that there is a big need for

improvement in motivating its employees which cannot be overlooked.

Aim of this research is to analyze the employee motivations in Starwood

Hotels&Resorts and prove that there is a big gap between theoretical Starwood´s core

values and human truths and their implementation in real practical life. The partial aim

of this analysis is to show to the hotel management in Sheraton Prague Charles Square

Hotel that its employees are key element in the revenue process and that there is

important coherence between the relation of motivated employees and satisfied, happy

guests. Lastly, this study is meant to demonstrate the importance of putting the great

emphasis on the value of the employees as it is put on the guests.

In order to achieve aim of the study, three objectives have been set as the following:

Objective One: To analyse Starwood five human truths and core values and how

they are / are not implemented in practise

Objective Two: To identify the significant importance of motivating employees

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in hospitality industry

Objective Three: To examine the linkage between job satisfaction and employee

performance within the team and towards guests

After having identified aim and objectives of the study, three research questions were

generated:

Question n.1 : Are the five human truths presented by Starwood Hotels&Resorts

truly respected in the practice of hotel management?

Question n.2 : To Starwood, is loyalty of employees as important and valuable as

the loyalty of the guests?

Question n.3 : Is the hotel management of Sheraton Prague Charles Square Hotel

willing to work on their employee motivations to avoid losing

another worthwhile staff member?

The research questions are being systematically answered throughout the study and

finally summed up to fulfill the aim of the research.

This Bachelor dissertation covers the employee motivations in Starwood

Hotels&Resorts. Analyst divided this thesis into three chapters.

In the first chapter, she explains principals of well-known motivational theories and

their impacts on employee motivations. Moreover, researcher focuses on the

significance of using incentives and rewards as the one of the most important drivers

along with feedback and coaching. Lastly, analyst determines top ten reasons why best

employees leave the company and what could be done to improve their overall

satisfaction.

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Second chapter is based on case study of Sheraton Prague Charles Square Hotel as the

one of the nine Starwood brands. Researcher introduces basic philosophy of Sheraton

brand and put the emphasis on benefits offered to the employees in this property.

Further on, analysis of the employee motivations is provided and elaborated in every

operational department. All findings are summarized and concluded at the end of this

chapter.

Last chapter determines main problems found in Sheraton hotel and offers suggestions

for the management how to eliminate these problems in order to keep their employee

motivated and loyal to the company. Researcher also proposes solutions how to improve

total employee satisfaction in this property and give her personal standpoint about the

raised issue.

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1. Employee motivations in hospitality industry

Vandenberghe (2004) states that “motivation is identified as an energizing force—it is

what induces action in employees. This force has implications for the form, direction,

intensity, and duration of behaviour. It explains what employees are motivated to

accomplish, how they will attempt to accomplish it, how hard they will work to do so,

and when they will stop.”

1.1 Employee motivation

Cherry (2014) defines motivation as „the process that initiates, guides and maintains

goal-oriented behaviors. Motivation is what causes us to act, whether it is getting a glass

of water to reduce thirst or reading a book to gain knowledge.“

We can also define motivation as „a conscious or unconscious driving force that arouses

and directs action towards the achievement of a desired goal.“ (Starwoodone,2014)

„Work motivation is a set of energetic forces that originates both within as well as

beyond an individual´s being, to initiate work – related behaviour, and to determine its

form, direction, intensity and duration“ (Pinder,1998).

„Motivation is generally related to the Latin movere, which means „to move“, and as

used in contemporary management also means to entice employees to move in a

direction and manner that meet the organization´s goals“ (Jones,1955; Atkinson, 1964;

Vroom, 1964).

According to Victor H. Vroom (1964), origins of motivation stem from the principle of

hedonism which comes from Greek philosophers. The general assumption is that

behaviour is directed toward pleasure and away from the pain. In every situation people

choose from alternative possibilities the course of action they think will maximize their

pleasure and minimize their pain. Another assumption was executed by Abraham H.

Maslow (1954) who used hunger as paradigm in order to demonstrate the individual as

an integrated whole. He explains that even though human being´s stomach is sending

the signal about the hunger, it is the whole organism who desires the food. And after

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fulfilling this need, the satisfaction comes to the whole individual, not to his stomach.

So behind the overall motivation expressed by human being, there are many other

drives which are consciously or unconsciously responsible for reflecting this desire on

the surface. To make one person motivated in something, there is a need to see the

desired end (Maslow, 1954, p.21). If the end is not seen or unknown, employee does not

feel the obligation to fully perform his job. Therefore it is very essential to keep on

reminding to employees what it is desired end and how can be approached.

There exist many motivation theories which are used by companies and managers to

help them with driving their workers to reach their goals. In this research, these theories

are being discussed and used in practical analysis:

Maslow´s Hierarchy of Needs

McGregor Theory X and Theory Y

Herzberg´s Motivating and Maintenance Factors

Skinner´s Positive Reinforcement

Vroom´s Expectancy Theory

1.1.1 Maslow´s Hierarchy of Needs

Abraham H. Maslow has set up a hierarchy of five levels of basic needs. Beyond these

needs, higher levels of needs exist. These include needs for understanding, aesthetic

appreciation and purely spiritual needs. In the levels of the five basic needs, the person

does not feel the second need until the demands of the first have been satisfied.

(Simons, Irvin and Drinnien, 1987)

the Psychological needs

They are all biological needs such as hunger, need for oxygen and water. As soon as

those needs are fulfilled, organism of human body becomes satisfied and other

dominant needs emerge.

the Safety needs

When all psychological needs are being satisfied, the needs for security become

active. In general, adults do not feel these needs unless they are in real urgent threat

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such as war or terror. Contrary to adults, infants are more vulnerable to feelings of

lost, punishment and endanger. These needs consist of security, stability,

dependency, protection, freedom from fear and anxiety, need for structure, order,

law and so on.

the Belongingness and Love needs

If the both physiological and safety needs are gratified, love and belongingness will

emerge. People seek to be loved and understood by others, they want to belong to

the society, be part of teams and friendships.

the Esteem needs

All people in the society have a desire for self-respect, high appreciation and self-

esteem. They all seek for confidence, stability, good reputation and prestige. When

there is a satisfaction of one´s self-esteem, person feels useful and necessary to the

world. But thwarting of these needs leads to inferiority, weakness and uncertainty.

the Need for self-actualization

Even if all previous needs are being fulfilled and satisfied, there is still one missing

step in Maslow´s pyramid (picture 1). It is described as a tendency to become more

and more what the person is, in other words, trying to reach his potential. The need

for self-actualization can vary from person to person, one might find being a

housewife as the desirable job whereas the other might seek for the

acknowledgement in science. According to McGregor (1960) these needs are also

considered as egoistic ones thanks to which human being is able to accomplish what

he ought to.

Picture 1 – Hierarchy of needs

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Research History, 2012

1.1.2 McGregor Theory X and Theory Y

In The Human Side of Enterprise, McGregor (1960, In:Travis L.Russ, 2013)

conceptualized Theory X and Theory Y to reflect two polarized categories of

assumptions that managers may have about their employees. These frameworks are

grounded in the premise that managers motivate and communicate with employees

based on their assumptions about human nature. In his work, he explains assumptions

about human nature and human behaviour.

Theory X

The average human being has an inherent dislike of work and will avoid it if he can.

Because of this human characteristic of dislike of work, most people must be coerced,

controlled, directed, threatened to get them to put forth adequate effort toward the

achievement of organizational objectives.

The average human being prefers to be directed, wishes to avoid responsibility, has

relatively little ambition, wants security above all.

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Theory Y

The average human being does not inherently dislike work. To him, work may be a

source of satisfaction or source of punishment.

External control and the threat of punishment are not the only means for bringing about

effort toward organizational objectives.

Commitment to objectives is a function of the rewards associated with their

achievement.

The average human being learns not only to accept but to seek responsibility.

Both Theory X and Theory Y show the human activation in the workplace thanks to

which managers are able to presume employee´s behaviour. Whereas Theory X talks

about inherent dislike of work which cannot be changed, Theory Y, on the other hand,

places the problem in the lap of management. If employees are lazy, inactive and

unwilling to cooperate, Theory Y indicates that is management´s fault. These theories

are widely being used and accepted among managers to help them control their

worker´s performance.

1.1.3 Herzberg´s Motivating and Hygiene Factors

Herzberg et al. (1959) presents that employee motivation is best understood as soon as

the work attitude is understood. In his approach of studying feelings of people toward

their jobs, he set up three questions to be answered:

1. How can one specify the attitude of any individual toward his or her job?

2. What causes these attitudes?

3. What are the consequences of these attitudes?

The importance of the attitudes toward work became the starting point and basis for his

dual-factor theory where Herzberg differentiates 2 distinct types of factors.

The first set of factors, called motivators were caused by happy feelings and good

attitude within a worker and they were task-related.

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Among job factors – motivators belong:

Recognition

Achievement

Possibility of growth

Advancement

Responsibility

Work itself

Those motivators are intrinsic factors since they are directly connected with the job

itself. According to Herzberg et al. (1959), motivators cause positive job attitude

because they satisfy worker ´s needs. Their presence creates job satisfaction,

however, if there is absence of these motivators, dissatisfaction does not happen.

Contrary to the first group, Herzberg developed Hygiene factors (extra-job factors)

which primarily consisted of unhappy feelings and bad attitude toward job, which

were not related to job itself, but to the surroundings which had an influence of

doing that particular job.

Hygiene factors:

Salary

Interpersonal relations – supervisors

Interpersonal relations – subordinates

Interpersonal relations – peers

Supervision – technical

Company policy and administration

Working conditions

Personal life

Status

Job security

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Since the dissatisfier factors essentially describe the environment and serve primarily to

prevent job dissatisfaction, while having little effect on positive attitudes, they have

been named hygiene factors. This is an analogy to the medical use of the term meaning

“ preventive and environmental”. (Vroom and Deci, 1970) They also have big potential

to create dissatisfaction, which is not the opposite of satisfaction. (Herzberg, 1959)

1.1.4 Skinner´s Positive Reinforcement

Positive reinforcement is “any pleasant or desirable consequence that follows a response

and increases the probability that the response will be repeated" (Wood, Wood, and

Boyd, 2005)

According to Skinner (1948), behaviour which is reinforced tends to be repeated (i.e.

strengthened); behaviour which is not reinforced tends to die out-or be extinguished (i.e.

weakened).

Skinner (1948) invented the term operant conditioning; it means roughly changing

of behaviour by the use of reinforcement which is given after the desired response.

Skinner identified three types of responses that can follow behaviour:

Neutral operants – responses from the environment that neither increase

nor decrease the probability of a behaviour being repeated.

Reinforcers – Responses from the environment that increase the probability of

a behaviour being repeated. Reinforcers can be either positive or negative.

Punishers – Response from the environment that decrease the likelihood of a

behaviour being repeated. Punishment weakens behaviour.

Positive reinforcement strengthens a behaviour by providing a consequence an

individual finds rewarding. The removal of an unpleasant reinforcer can also

strengthen behaviour. This is known as negative reinforcement because it is the

removal of an adverse stimulus. Negative reinforcement strengthens behaviour

because it stops or removes an unpleasant experience.

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Punishment is defined as the opposite of reinforcement since it is designed to

weaken or eliminate a response rather than increase it. Like reinforcement,

punishment can work either by directly applying an unpleasant stimulus like a shock

after a response or by removing a potentially rewarding stimulus, for instance,

deducting someone’s pocket money to punish undesirable behaviour. (McLeod,

2007)

Picture 2 – Operant Conditioning

Resource: McLeod, 2013

1.1.5 Vroom and his Expectancy Theory

This theory provides the explanation why individuals choose one option over the

another. "The basic idea behind the theory is that people will be motivated because they

believe that their decision will lead to their desired outcome" (Redmond, 2009).

Since every individual has different goals, he can be motivated if he believes that:

There is a positive correlation between efforts and performance

Favourable performance will result in desirable reward

The reward will satisfy an important need

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Expectancy theory is based on three components (Redmond, 2010):

Expectancy

Can be described as the belief that higher or increased effort will yield better

performance. This can be explained by the thinking of "If I work harder, I will

make something better".

Instrumentality

Can be described as the thought that if an individual performs well, then a

valued outcome will come to that individual. Some things that help

instrumentality are having a clear understanding of the relationship between

performance and the outcomes, having trust and respect for people who make

the decisions on who gets what reward, and seeing transparency in the process

of who gets what reward.

Valence

Valence means "value" and refers to beliefs about outcome desirability

(Redmond, 2010). There are individual differences in the level of value

associated with any specific outcome. For instance, a bonus may not increase

motivation for an employee who is motivated by formal recognition or by

increased status such as promotion. Valence can be thought of as the pressure or

importance that a person puts on an expected outcome.

1.2 Incentives and Rewards

Motivating employees is a big challenge for managers and therefore it is necessary to

use the power of incentives and rewards. Incentive programs are becoming more

common as a way to attract the best employees. If implemented effectively, they can

help solve three perennial problems in the hospitality industry: reliability, retention and

recognition. (Kotch, 2007)

Simple “thank you” means sometimes more than any monetary recognition. Being

appreciated by the supervisors for a job well done is one of the key elements to show

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your employees that you care. However, incentives and reward programs carry

significant cost in the company, they are always the investment. Good manager who

loves his job and performs exceptional service towards his customers, helps with

boosting the revenue by retention of loyal, high-repeated guests.

There are two types of rewards recognized – extrinsic and intrinsic. Extrinsic rewards

are separated from work and include bonuses, time off and pay rises. Intrinsic rewards

come from the act of carrying out the job itself and include satisfaction from job well

done and have the opportunity for creativity and self-development.

One of the top-ranked reward is money. Financial rewards play an important role in the

affecting job performance of employees. Money acts as generalized reinforcer, as a

conditioned incentive, as an anxiety reducer, as a “hygiene factor” and as an instrument

for gaining desired outcomes. (Opsahl and Dunnette, 1966).

Whereas money does influence employee productivity and interest, there are other

incentives which drive individuals to be efficient at their work. Examples are free food,

extra days off, departmental team-buildings, activities connected with company growth,

support for leisure activities such as gym pass, cultural performances etc.

As simple as being nominated for “employee of the month or the year”, it does make a

huge difference for the ones who are fully devoted to their jobs. It is the way how to

retain hard-working people in your company which takes only small effort but brings

enormous pay back.

1.3 Feedback and Coaching

Feedback is the information about how we are using our efforts in order to reach a goal.

It should be given at the appropriate time and place. The more frequent the feedback,

the more beneficial it is for employee. Feedback should consist of specific, subjective

data but not too detailed since it could be overload to the learner. It should focus on

behaviour which learner can control and modify so next time he can act differently or

the same, if the feedback was positive. (Wood, 2000)

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Feedback provided by manager or supervisor can be based on:

Positive consequence (e.g. congratulations, a tip, thank you…). This

reinforcement increases the probability of the person repeating that behaviour.

Negative consequence (e.g. reprimand from the manager or angry customer). It

does decrease probability of repeating this behaviour.

Neutral consequence (e.g. zero response from the manager, customer). It also

decreases the probability of repeating the behaviour in such situation.

We are usually excellent at the negative consequence – catching people doing

something wrong instead of catching people doing something right and give them

positive remark about that. (Starwood one)

We differentiate two types of feedback (Starwoodone,2014):

1. motivational - is positive reinforcement - what you like about the action, what

you want the person to continue doing. This feedback helps to build and

improve confidence, motivation and willingness to work.

2. developmental – is advice or recommendation about the action, what can be

improved, changed or thoroughly stopped. This feedback creates competence

towards job.

There are two main obstacles which can stop manager from providing the feedback to

his employees: it is either fear of hurting the feelings or making the person become

conceited. The solution to overcome these obstacles is to focus on behaviours and not

people. Therefore to give the effective feedback, manager needs to be factual and

specific what was said or done.

According to Starwood, managers are obliged to follow some basic rules when giving

the feedback to their employees:

Rule 1: Listen before you speak

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always ask your employees about their opinions, why they act in this situation

like they did, what they can improve next time.

Rule 2: Maintain and improve self-confidence

it is very easy when providing with positive feedback, however managers need

to maintain while saying negative things as well. As it was already said, the key

is focusing on behaviour, not on the person himself.

Rule 3: Be factual and specific

we can only comment on what we heard or saw, thus not considering any other

information which was brought to us from someone else.

According to Whitmore (2009), coaching is „unlocking person´s potential to maximize

their own performance. It is helping them to learn rather than teaching them.” There are

many benefits of coaching such as improving conflict management, motivation, making

own decisions in critical situation and better self-reflection.

Branham (2006) created Five steps for successful coaching:

1. Get the employee agreement that problems exist

2. Mutually discuss alternative solutions

3. Mutually agree on actions to be taken in order to solve the issue

4. Follow up to measure results

5. Reinforce any achievement when it occurs

A core benefit of coaching the employees is time management, which provides people

with less stressed environment. (Fosh, 2008) People working in hospitality industry

need to have a coach who is able to train them so they can easily make their own

decisions in case of no management on side. Therefore, Starwood underpins these

Golden Rules:

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Be available for people

Respect person´s individuality

Listen to the content and feeling of the message

Encourage participation and involvement within company

Coaching is usually embraced by supervisors and managers. They are responsible for

training the employees, teaching the company standards and letting them grow within as

well as outside of the company. (Starwoodone, 2014)

The main roles of supervisors are:

Create the positive atmosphere and environment within workplace

Give rewards to whom they are deserved

Promote the intrinsic value of the job

Keep team informed

Make work fun place

Be impartial in allocating work

Treasure contribution of everyone

Give scope for growth

Give constructive feedback

Delegating

Providing constructive feedback and be a good coacher is very challenging for

managers and supervisors but as soon as are those skills fully acquired and used on

daily basis, there is higher probability of reaching company´s objectives.

1.4 Hotel employee satisfaction

Why are some hotel employees happy to come to work every morning? What lies

behind the smile of receptionist who has been working at the same company for more

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than two years and her positive attitude is noticed by the guests? The answer is very

simple – employee satisfaction. As the answer is simple, the process of getting satisfied

employees is on the other hand very difficult. Incentives and rewards, which were

already discussed in chapter 1.2, are not the only tools how to keep satisfaction of

employees on high level.

When there were many job opportunities, one dissatisfied worker would quit the job

immediately and find better one. But since the unemployment rate has become higher,

unhappy employees still „quit“ the job, but they stay in the company. And this new

phenomenon has an enormous effect on the overall team performance and particularly

on the guests. Many researches were carried out about this topic which led to

establishing seven factors that could easily increase satisfaction of hotel employees

(Folkman, 2013).

They are (Folkman, 2013):

1. Consistent values - core values of the company cannot be abandoned, conversely

they need to be kept and reminded to its employees

2. Long-term focus - employees do not mind going through difficult times when

they see that there is a brighter future to come

3. Local leadership - supervisors and managers need to asses satisfaction within

every operational department in order to identify the problems, reduce them and

lead the team to the desired end

4. Continuous communication - communication is the key part of every work

environment. Even there are bad times, it is essential to share all the fears to

avoid getting misleading information about the future of the company

5. Cooperation - there is a strong correlation between collaboration of employees

and effectiveness of their job

6. Opportunities for development - it is necessary to have the space for promotion

and individual development of each employee.

7. Speed and agility - to be able to make quick decisions and keep your employees

active

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As soon as the employee is satisfied with his job, the positive results are to come up.

Happy guests are becoming loyal, returning to the property more often which brings

bigger revenue and thus enables hotel to invest money to reconstruction and

improvements where are needed. It is literally vicious circle which starts with employee

satisfaction and also ends at the same place - employee and his appreciation from

company. Therefore management needs to place great emphasis on its employees since

they are the only ones who could bring them to the prosperity but at the same time to

terrifying misfortune (H&MM, 2001).

1.5 When the loyalty is not a driver

In everyday life, we are all loyal to something. Either it is the brand clothes we purchase

every month, hairdresser you get your hair done by, or simply going to same bakery

store on your way to work – these are all examples of loyalty. We are being loyal

because we like the service provided to us, we trust the quality of products and we are

being motivated by these companies not to leave them.

But if the effort of keeping loyalty alive is not visible, there is a threat of leaving for

something better. Employees start thinking about leaving when basic needs are not

being met. These needs are (Jackson, 2011):

The need for trust - expecting that company will treat you fairly, will be open

and honest to you.

The need to have hope - believing that you will be able to grow and develop

your career within the company.

The need to feel a sense of worth - feeling that you are worth working in the

company, believing that if you work hard enough, you will get promised

rewards.

The need to feel competent - being responsible for the work you were assigned

with and feeling content with the results.

20

If these needs are not fulfilled, employees do not feel any motivation to stay and they

leave. (Branham, 2006) There have been many researches done about the reasons why

employees do not stay loyal to the company. And since analyst works in big

international hotel chain, she found a parallel in the article written by Eric Jackson,

contributor to business magazine Forbes. Jackson (2011) put together ten top reasons

why large companies fail to keep their best talents. The reasons are:

1. Big company bureaucracy – sometimes there are rules which make no sense and

as soon as your employee becomes disenchanted by these rules and expresses

his disagreement, he is neither understood nor accepted.

2. Failing to find a project for the talent that ignites their passion - if you as a

manager are having best people in the team who loves their job and are

passionate about their projects, you need to have one-to one discussion as often

as possible to find out if they are satisfied or if there is anything you can do to

challenge them more. Because top talented people are not driven by money, but

by the opportunity to be a part of something huge, that will definitely change the

world and for which they are really passionate. Unfortunately, big companies

usually do not spent quality time focusing on these people.

3. Poor annual performance reviews - you would be surprised how many

companies do not do annual reports. And if they do, they are not that effective

and rewarding towards their employee success.

4. No discussion about career development - it is very important to have face-to-

face discussion with your employee about his career path. When you engage in

this conversation and you show that there is space for promotion, your best

employee is more inclined to stay in the company longer.

5. Shifting whims/ strategic priorities - try not to make promises about future and

new projects which could be exciting to work on. Best employees do not like to

be “jerked around” and wait for your promise to come true. Conversely, be open

21

to them and try to proceed what you have brought up. It gives the opportunity

for your employee to grow and broaden his knowledge.

6. Lack of accountability / or telling them how to do their job - good employees

want to be in charge of projects, being responsible for outcomes and more

importantly they want to be seen as the responsible ones in the team. However,

they do not mind being controlled by the manager , they appreciate manager´s

insights, observations and advise.

7. Top talent likes other top talent - top talent employees need to work with people

who are similar to them in their passion towards work. Many companies keep

people who are not supposed to be there and that is the reason why are best

employees leaving the company. They are easily turned off by co-workers who

are not passionate enough and who are just filling the team because there is no

replacement, or it is not good time to let them go.

8. The missing vision - as it was already said, your employees need to see the

vision – where the company is heading and what is the role of your employee.

9. Lack of open-mindedness - the best people want to share their ideas with you,

even though they are not pleasant to hear but they could be of positive change.

Your role as a manager is to listen to them and incorporate their ideas into new

strategies. If not, you will be left out with people always saying “yes” to

everything and everybody which does not make company prosperous.

10. Who is the boss? - if few of your people have recently left the company within

one department, it is not a coincidence. In general, people leave because of the

manager, not because of the company. And when you as the boss were not able

to hear your best employee´s siren calls, you need to face the truth of not being a

good coacher enough to make them stay.

22

The researcher found these ten reasons applicable to her situation which she will more

elaborate on that in the analytical part, Chapter 2.

2. Analysis of employee motivations in Sheraton

Prague Charles Square Hotel

As it was already mentioned in the introduction, researcher chose to do analytical part in

Sheraton Prague Charles Square Hotel where she has been working for almost 2 years.

This research consists of the introduction of Starwood Hotels&Resorts to the readers,

the benefits this international hotel chain offers to its employees and lastly the analysis

of employee motivations in this particular hotel.

Starwood Hotels&Resorts is international hotel chain which operates nearly 1100 hotels

located in more than 100 countries. This chain includes nine renowned brands which are

thematically different but fulfilling same standards and values presented by Starwood.

These are St.Regis, Luxury Collection, Le Meridien, Westin, W Hotels, Sheraton, Four

Points by Sheraton, Element, Aloft.

Starwood values are:

Go the extra step by taking actions that build lasting connection and loyalty

Play as a team by working globally and across all teams in the company

Do the right thing by using good judgment, respecting our communities,

associates, owners, partners and the environment

And since analyst work in Sheraton brand, she will focus in her work on that one.

Every brand has its own ideology which helps to build the brand and be recognized by

the guests and employees.

“Life is better when shared” is positioning statement in Sheraton brand. Sheraton

provides associates with great ideology which is based on its core values and five

human truths. All these values and truths are presented by the management of the hotel

23

in the Service Culture Trainings to demonstrate the importance of being a part of

Sheraton Family.

Sheraton brand has three core values which represent the whole Starwood philosophy.

They are:

Warm - associates are genuine and welcoming, conveying a generosity of spirit

and caring for and about your needs.

Connected - even far from home, you are able to connect with what matters to

you the most.

Community - hotels provide social place for people to come together and share

their experiences and memories.

Along with the core values, Sheraton presents five human truths which underpin the

whole philosophy of this brand. These truths are used in the Service Culture trainings to

reflect the importance of employee as well as the guest. They provide the basis of

understanding the heart of Sheraton brand and are ones of the most used within the

property.

They are:

We need to be understood

We want to belong

We long to feel special

We crave more control over our lives

We dream of reaching our potential

2.1 Benefits of the employees

Employees in Sheraton Prague Charles Square Hotel are provided with benefits which

either stem from Starwood as the company or the benefits which were created by the

property itself. Researcher will focus on couple of them which are distinctive for this

hotel.

a) Sheraton as a part of international chain

24

Starwood Hotels&Resorts is international chain offering many opportunities to work for

the well-known hotel chain across the whole world. Employees are offered with the

transfers after working one year in the company. They could be transfered within the

EAME1 region to the same position or similar one.

Transfers are generally supported by General Manager and Human Resources manager.

In this hotel, there were already some transfers realized to Qatar, London and

Barcelona. The biggest advantage is to gain new experience from different country,

broaden the knowledge in the hospitality field and continue in the career growth within

the company.

b) Starhot and Starfriend rate

Employees of Starwood have the privilege to use special rates called Starhot and

Starfriend.

Starhot rates are available for the employee himself and his family and can be used

within the whole hotel chain. However, some luxury brands such as Luxury Collection

and St.Regis do not have them open. Their availability also depends on the season and

occupancy. Along with this special Starhot rate which can vary with region and brand,

employee is entitled to get fifty percent discount on Food&Beverage. This discount card

is provided upon check-in and can be used troughout the whole stay when presented.

To be eligible for this rate, employee has to have Starhot form approved by HR

manager on him. As soon as this form is not provided, rate is changed to the best

available rate according to the property.

Starfriend rate is the rate which can Starwood employee offer to his friends. This rate is

a bit higher that the Starhot rate but it still has competitive price towards rack rates

offered by hotels. Also, Starfriend form has to be provided upon check-in, no fifty

percent discount available with this rate.

Globally, these rates are used by the employees while travelling abroad for vacation or

other purposes.

1 EAME – Europe-Africa-Middle East region

25

c) Starwoodone

Starwoodone is an internal portal for all Starwood employees. It provides them with

internal information, trainings, learning material, development center and job finder.

It is used by managers to assign their employees with trainings, for self-development

and helps with everyday tasks encountered by all associates. It is also a tracker of the

employee development, reflects the career path of the employee and provide him with

all useful information he may want to absorb.

d) Service Culture Trainings

Service Culture Trainings are obligatory part of learning Sheraton standards. Sheraton

as a brand has many set-up standards which need to be followed in order to deliver

exceptional service to the guests. Since this brand is well-known, there are high

expectations from the guest side. If these expectations are not met, nor exceeded, hotel

loses guests and thus the revenue.

Therefore, these trainings play important role for the associates. They help them to

better understand guest´s needs, be more open and understanding to their requests and

also teach them to handle the stressful situations which they encounter every other day.

e) Vita Futura

Vita Futura is a managerial programme designed for ambitious young people who long

to work for Starwood Hotels&Resorts. It gives the opportunity to grow on the

managerial levels and build the career in this international hotel chain.

This programme last for one and half a years and it is divided to three sections. In each

section which is timely framed by six months, chosen associate are placed in different

departments as supervisors. Last six montths, associates spend quality time in their

chosen department where they see themselves working in the future.

After completing this programme, Vita Futura´s Alumni have better perspective to be

placed in any Starwood property and become well-trained managers.

26

Among other benefits in Sheraton Prague Charles Square Hotel belong:

Free stuff canteen – breakfast, lunch and dinner for employees

Be our guest programme – employees have a chance to try the product they offer

to the guest, it consists of one night spent in the hotel with special dinner,

breakfast and opportunity to use Sheraton fitness

Five weeks of vacation

Special bonuses

Multisport card – card used in more than twohundred sport facilities

Other activities orginized by Fun Commitee2, e.g. Flea market, Teambuildings,

UNICEF donation, Blood donation, Staff meetings and etc.

2.2 Primary research of employee motivations in Sheraton

Prague Charles Square Hotel

This primary research took part in Sheraton Hotel where the researcher has been

employed for almost two years. Researcher focused on operational departments which

consists of Engineering, Front Office, Food&Beverage, Kitchen and Housekeeping

department.

Research method and sample size

Analysis was based on questionnaires (Appendix 1) and interviews with managers

(Appendix 2) of these individual departments and HR manager (Appendix 3).

Researcher has approached 45 potential respondents within the property and received 39

filled-in questionnaires. Each questionnaire includes 18 questions, mainly open ones to

demonstrate the individuality and significance of each associate within every

department. These questionnaires were translated to Russian and Czech language as

2 Fun Commitee – group of associates within property who organize fun activities

27

well and were distributed to individual associates by researcher herself or through the

heads of departments. Also, analyst composed 7 questions for each head of department

and 8 questions for HR manager. The structure of all interviews is attached in Appendix

2 and 3.

Researcher will analyse each department separately, starting with the interview of the

manager and then comparing the results with actual responds from associates. At the

end of this analysis, researcher will reveal overall findings concluded from all

departments. All of the participants will be anonymous in this research.

According to research questions, analyst will focus on those questions which

demonstrate the aim of this work and show interesting results.

2.2.1 Front Office Department

Front Office Department consists of 15 employees and the manager on the top. Out of

this number, 11 respondents took part in filling in the questionnaires. Analyst gives the

example of interview ´s questions

Interview with Front Office Manager

Analyst was interviewing Front Office manager who has been with the company for

more than 4 years already. To her „motivation is the most important drive for

development, gives me trust and responsibility. Overally, motivation for me is the

collaboration with others, having empathy towards them and show them support in their

difficult times.“ Unfortunately, she was not awared of any motivational theories when

asked. She thinks that 5 human truths represented by Starwood are iplemented in the

practice of management but it takes longer time. She said that it also depends on

General manager and his personality which influences the implementation. When it

comes to seeing the parallel between employee and guest satisfaction, Front Office

Manager sees strong correlation there, because it is the most visible one and it is very

challenging for associate to hide problems and get over them when the guest is around.

Also, she believes that her team is motivated but she would welcome more motivation

from General Manager as well. She tries to motivate their employees with positive

28

attitude, being supportive and provid them constructive feedback. Front Office Manager

would implement more financial and bonuses rewards, teambuildings and regular one-

to-one meetings with her associates.

How is it seen by individual Front Office associates?

Graf 1 – Employee motivations in Front Office department

Resource: Own Research, 2014

As it shown on the graf, more than half of the respondents are not motivated by the

managers at all and only one feels motivation from the manager side. There is a

controversy between the findings of the survey and the interview with the manager who

thinks that her team is motivated.

As it was theoretically elaborated in Chapter 1, there are extrinsic and intrinsic factors

which influence our attitude to work. Analyst asked participants in the questionnaire

what intrinsic factors are of big importance to them and findings are shown in Graf 2.

Graf 2 – Intrinsic factors

Motivated

Demotivated

Sometimes

29


As it is displayed in the table, the most significant value to FO associates has

recognition and possibility of growth. These two are unfortunately the ones who have

been missing in the company and are difficult to implement. On the contrary, the least

important for them is advancement.

Researcher has already mentioned 5 human truths (to belong, to feel special, to be

understood, to have control, to reach the potential) and she was keen to know if they are

really implemented in the hotel management. According to the findings, all of the

associates think that they are not implemented in the practice except for one. They

pointed out that „to feel special and be understood“ is not working in this property at all.

One of the respondents answered: “I think the whole concept is breaking down. A lot of

employees are leaving the hotel as they do not feel special and they cannot reach their

potential after so many years of loyalty to the company.”

The biggest demotivators and motivators identified by respondents are displayed in

Table 1.As it is shown, associates find self-esteem, experience and friendly environment

as the biggest motivators in the company and lack of cooperation, no teamwork, no

career development and recognition as the biggest demotivators in this property.

012345678

Intrinsic factors

30

Table 1 – Best Motivators and Demotivators


Respondents were asked if the loyalty to company means something to them and Graf 3

proves that 7 of them value loyalty and only 4 do not.

Graf 3 – Loyalty to the company

f


According to the findings, top reason why employees leave the company is no career

development. (Graf 4) Second place belongs to manager/hotel management and third to

having too many standards in the company.

Motivator

• money

• friendly environment

• none

• people - guests

• self-esteem

• experience

• staff

• work for Starwood company

Demotivator

• lack of cooperation

• shift schedule

• no teamwork

• non-qualified colleagues

• no career development and recognition

• lack of communication

• inadequate salary

• unfairly distributed work

• somebody slowing you down

• gossiping

It does

It does not

31

Graf 4 - Reasons why employees leave the company


Another question in the survey was focused on the benefits, what would participants

suggest to improve the motivation. Most of them proposed to have more team buildings,

more associate working on the shift, trainings, language courses. They would welcome

paid over-time, better financial and personal recognition and any kind of rewards.

To summarize the research findings from Front Office Department, data showmore than

80% of Front Office associates are not motivated by the manager despite the fact that

manager thinks they are motivated. They all value recognition and possibility of growth

as the most important intrinsic factors at work. Findings demonstrate the importance of

loyalty towards company and list more demotivators than motivators encountered by

them at work. According to the acquired data, highest ranked reasons why employee

leaves the company are no career development and manager/hotel management as it

was already mentioned in Chapter 1. Also, human truths were not proved to be truly

implemented in the management of this hotel. Front Office employees do not feel

special and their potentials are not being reached at all. There were couple of

0 2 4 6 8 10 12

Missing vision of the company

No career development

Too many standards

Lack of responsibility

Non-qualified co-workers

Lack of new projects

Manager/hotel management

Why employees leavecompany?

32

recommendations listed to improve motivations such as more trainings, rewards,

financial and personal recognition etc.

2.2.2 Engineering Department

This department consists from the manager and 5 associates. Only three of them were

willing to participate in the survey along with their head of department.

Interview with Chief Engineer

Chief Engineer expresses his motivation as “stimulation in every direction towards

better performance. It consists od financial and social motivation.“ As well as FO

Manager, he is not aware of any motivational theories used by the companies. He agrees

that 5 human truths are being implemented in this hotel, especially “to feel special and

to belong” since there are many staff and team meetings organized, aslo employee of

the month/year. He also finds big parallel between employee and guest satisfaction

which underpins his saying “when the associate has a smile on the face there is a big

probability that the guest will react the same.“ When asked about his motivation and

motivating his employees, he hopes that his associates are motivated, but first he tries to

be motivated himself in order to better motivate his emplyoees. As a part of his

motivational techniques, each time he goes for vacation he brings them souvenir or

something memorable from that destination and tries to distribute financial rewards

fairly according to the actual performance. And what would he improve? He would

definetely promote Starhot possibilties more and organize more activities outside of the

work place.

How is it seen by individual Engineering associates?

According to findings, associate are more demotivated than motivated. Only 1 of 3

associates who took part in this questionnaire is motivated by his manager. (Graf 5)

33

Graf 5 – Employee motivations in Engineering department


According to Herzberg, employee of Engineering department value work itself and

recognition the most out of all intrinsic factors provided in Graf 6. Surprisingly, they do

not see the importance in the possibility of the growth and advancement at all.



Motivated

Demotivated

0

0,5

1

1,5

2

2,5

3

3,5

Intrinsic factors

34

On the basis of findings, all of the associates believe that 5 human truths are only empty

phrases and motto used by the company. They do not see “to be understood” be

working in this hotel, saying: “To be understood? When it is busy, everybody wants

everything to be done immediately. Impossible.”

When it comes to loyalty, all of the associates expressed the great importance of the

loyalty. (Graf 7) This was the only department who is loyal the most of all departments,

associates are already with the company either from the early beginning or for more

than 2 years.

Graf 7 – Loyalty to the company


When asking about motivators and demotivators, respondents named job well done,

salary and vacation as the biggest motivators for them in this property. As the

demotivators, they listed non-qualification, dealing with petty things and unwillingness

to cooperate within each other and mainly within departments. (Table 2)

Yes

No

35


Associates put the same importance on all of the reasons except for two (shown in Graf

8) why employees quit and leave. They think that lack of new projects and missing

vision of the company are not most ranked reasons to quit.

Graf 8 - Reasons why employees leave the company


Motivator

• Job well done

• Salary

• Vacation

Demotivator

• Non-qualification

• Dealing with petty things

• Unwillingness to cooperate

0 0,5 1 1,5 2 2,5



Too many standards



Lack of new projects andtrainings


Why employee leavecompany

36

Engineering associates would suggest having more additional, but meaningful bonuses

on the top of their salaries. Also they would improve staff canteen especially during the

weekend which is underestimated by management and kitchen as well. And also, they

would enjoy having insurance contributions.

However, this department is one of the smallest, it plays crucial role in the process of

operations. Associates are the most loyal ones, since three of them are already couple of

years with the company. Therefore their opinion is very valuable and constructive

regarding the evaluation of motivations. All of the participants do not see human truths

be working in the reality as it represented by theory of Starwood.

2.2.3 F&B Department

F&B Department is composed of 12 members including manager. There were 11

associates taking part in this survey.

Interview with F&B Manager

Researcher concluded interview with F&B Manager who confidently stated that his

team is motivated as well as himself. Since he was like them, he knows what it takes to

be a waiter, prepare banquet events therefore he tries to motivate them on daily basis.

He always talks to them, asks them if everything is all right, gives them feedback. When

his associates are satisfied and happy, their actions have an impact on guests and thus

influence guest satisfaction. He, as only one manager, is aware of Maslow´s Hierarchy

of Needs. In his opinion, 5 human truths are respected in this hotel but it is also up to

the individual manager to make associates belong. He has some techniques how to

motivate his employees - “I come up with some promotions of beverages, such as wine.

And who sells the most, wins the price. Also, I try to distribute performance bonuses

fairly, provide them with trainings on site.” He already thinks that this hotel has many

great motivators. Free canteen, year bonuses, employee of the month/year etc. But he

would definately welcome more career development for his associates.

37

How is it seen by individual F&B associates?

F&B associates are being motivated by his manager and none of them are demotivated

which is the only department where this finding occurred. (Graf 9) Only 2 of them are

sometimes motivated and seek for improvement. The findings of the survey support

perception of manager about his team being motivated which was confidently expressed

during the interview.

Graf 9 - Employee motivations in F&B department


The most important intrinsic factor is achievement and possibility of growth. (Graf 10)

Surprisingly, these two are those who are generally missing in the company, especially

in operational departments. Respondents put similar value on the recognition,

responsibility and work itself.



Motivared

Demotivated

Sometimes

01234567

Intrinsic factors

38

There were various opinions put to question about 5 human truths and their

implementation in reality. Some of the respondents doubt that they are fully

implemented, some of them are highly positive about this statement but majority think

that it is only psychology of higher management and that employees in operational

departments do not need these truths to perform their job.

Most of the employees value loyalty to the company as it shown on Graf 11. Only to 2

of them loyalty does not mean anything. Out of these findings we can infer that these

associates will stick to the company for longer period of time as the other.

Graf 11 – Loyalty of the employees


F&B associates were very broad with their ideas about biggest motivators and

demotivators in this hotel. (Table 3) They consider recognition, money along with

bonuses and experience as the biggest motivators. Contrary, top demotivators for them

are uncooperative co-workers, negative approach to work itself, gossiping and no

respect and trust from higher management. As shown in the table, some of the

respondents find the recognition as the motivator, some of them put it as the

demotivator for them in this property.

Yes

No

39



As it was already stated in the Table 3, no career development is not only the biggest

demotivator for associates but also one of the top reasons why employees leave the

company. (Graf 12) Another significant reasons are hotel management and non-

qualified colleagues.

Graf 12 – Reasons why employees leave the company


Motivator

• Recognition

• Money, bonuses

• Opportunity to grow and improve

• Experience

• To feel special and different

Demotivator

• No recognition

• Uncooperative co-workers

• Negative approach to work itself

• Gossiping

• Lazy attitude towards work from colleagues

• No respect and trust from Head of Department

0 2 4 6 8

Missing vision of the…


Too many standards



Lack of new projects…

Manager/hotel…

Why employees leave thecompany

40

F&B associates named many benefits what they think would really help to boost

motivation among them. They suggest having more teambuildings, cross trainings

within departments and previous job agreement (more free time). They would also be

glad for receiving food vouchers, vouchers for massages, bonuses and incentives for

upselling. But the most urgent advice is to have their salary increased since the high

season is already here and they want to be fairly evaluated by finances as well. Also,

they would really appreciate more recognition and respect from top management.

To sum up, this department leads in motivation and loyalty. They are highly motivated

by their manager as it was confidently proved by himself during the interview and

confirmed by his associates. However, F&B associates are lacking possibility of growth

and achievement in their hospitality career, not getting any promotions in couple of

years. They would also prefer more team-buildings and incentives. And since they are

one of the most physically hard-working departments, there is a need for showing them

gratefulness in any form of recognition.

2.2.4 Housekeeping Department

This department is not ordinary one. It consists not only from hotel employees but

mostly from employees coming from outsourced companies. Therefore, concluded

research might not be that precise and objective since half of the respondents are not

employed by Sheraton Hotel. However, it gives certain and valuable picture of

employee motivations. Questionnaire was distributed to 14 employees, which 7 of them

are outsourced.

Interview with Executive Housekeeper

Executive Housekeeper believes that motivation provides employees with the

environment where they feel satisfied and understood. She was one of the two managers

who were aware of Maslow´s Hierarchy of needs. Executive Housekeeper was very

open to analyst with all the questions, especially with one regarding to 5 human truths.

41

Since she had worked in different Starwood property, she could say that they are

working in other properties but not in ours. To her, it is difficult to reach the potential

and get any career development in such small hotel. “It is not fair, especially to those

associates who go extra mile in their service for others “she says. She agrees that there

is an important correlation between happy staff and happy guest. When it comes to

motivation of her employees, she believes they are motivated. Executive Housekeeper

try to motivate them with the constructive feedback and as soon as she sees that there is

no career development, she supports transfers and is willing to help with preparation for

another open position somewhere else. However it might be a little bit more

complicated with outsourced people since they are not that linked to this hotel and its

vision. But still they are part of the team which this manager values the most. As she

says: “Even when the housekeeper is good at her work, when she is not a team player,

she needs to go. I would rather have less skilful people than someone who are ruining

the team.” To her, having the own motivation is very crucial in order to be happy with

the work done and eventually results will appear. And what would she suggest to

improve? “I would suggest having more trainings, professional ones where you need to

pass the exams in order to be successful. Also better financial recognition and somehow

make them proud to work for Starwood. The pride is really missing here.”

How is it seen by individual Housekeeping associates?

Housekeeping employees are higly motivated as it shown in Graf 12, whereas only 2 of

the associates are not.

Graf 12 – Employee motivations in Housekeeping department


Motivated

Demotivated

42

Among the most important intrinsic factors, Housekeeping employees ranked

responsibility as the highest along with work itself. (Graf 13) It is very understandable

since they are responsible for cleaning process which is one of the most significant in

the run of the hotel.



According to the findings, majority of Housekeeping associates do not see

implementation of human truths in the reality. They do not feel special and understood.

However, there were few of them stating that company is trying to work on them.

Since outsourced staff is not employed by the hotel, it is hard to be talking

about loyalty towards company. According to results, they are loyal to the

agency they work for. Associates employed by hotel are loyal to the hotel,

wishing to have it mutually considered from the company´s side as well.

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

Intrinsic factors

43

As the biggest motivators for this department is having a team and their co-workers.

(Table 4) On the contrary, the biggest demotivators for them are hard work, low salary

and physical state of the hotel.

Table 4 – The biggest Motivators and Demotivators

MAGC3

To these associates, top reasons why employee quit the job in the company are no

career development, non-qualified co-workers and manager/hotel management. Nobody

named responsibility and lack of new projects and trainings. (Graf 14)

3 MAGC – Make a green choice program implemented by Starwood. When the guest refuse HSK service,

he is entitled to get either 500 Starpoints, voucher for bar or he can donate these points to UNICEF.

Motivator

• Money

• Recognition

• Co-workers

• Career development

• Team

Demotivator

• Hard work

• Low salary

• MAGC

• Physical state of the hotel

• Morning shift

44



As one of the most hard-working department, all of them need to feel great motivation

every day in order to perform their job perfectly. As they are not that recognized by

managers, they would welcome to get simple “thank you”, appropriate salary and

bonuses.

Researcher has really enjoyed the interview with Executive Housekeeper as she had

some interesting insights about motivation and teamwork. As the whole department is

split to company´s and outsourced employees, findings are various. As stated by

manager, all of them are motivated and the biggest motivator for them is money and

their team. Analyst valued her approach to the team as she would welcome the same

approach from her manager in Front Office Department.

2.2.5 Kitchen Department

Kitchen consists of 12 members and the manager as the head of the department.

Researcher found this department as the most problematic one regarding distributing the

questionnaires by manager. Analyst approched manager couple of times asking for the

interview and spreading the questionnaires to kitchen associates as she thought it would

be easiest way how to get them most filled-in. She was told that associates are not

willing to cooperate, despite of the fact that analyst approached couple of them

0 2 4 6 8 10



Too many standards



Lack of new projects and…

Manager/hotel…

Why employees leavecompany

45

individually and they did not seem to have a problem with that. Researcher got the

feeling from the employees that they are afraid of giving the opinions since they thought

it was management purpose, not for the researcher herself. That was the way how it was

presented by their manager.

Therefore this questionnaire material is not considered to be trustworthy since

employees were not honest and open. Researcher tried to approach as many associates

as she could personally to see the real reason and tried to understand their fear. Some of

the associates filled in questionnaires once more and afterwards they were given

directly to the analyst. She has not completed interview yet with the manager since he

still has not found right time and started ingnoring her. As the last effort, interview was

sent to the manager, but there was no respond.

Although, survey is not fully reliable, analyst will try to evaluate findings according to

the structure she has used in other departments.

How is it seen by individual Kitchen associates?

Unfortunately, question about motivation from manager was left blank or answered

“yes”. After having individual discussion with the associates, answer was very clear:

„no – we are not motivated by our manager at all“.

Evaluating intrinsic factors which are the most significant to associates, analyst was

given with 10 respondents who value recognition the most and 9 respondents for whom

is possibility of growth the most important one. (Graf 14) Other factors we ranked

similarly low.

46



When the analyst asked question about loyalty, she has received all of the answers „no“

except for one „yes“.

According to 5 human truths, associates see many paradoxes in everyday life, especially

they do not feel understood neither special.

Furthermore, findings show that the biggest motivators for them are their co-workers,

vacation and free food in the canteen. Sadly, there were couple of respondents who do

not see any motivation here. As the biggest demotivators for them are distrust,

misinformation and no career development appraise from chef. (See Table 5)

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

Intrinsic factors

47

Table 5 – The biggest Motivators and Demotivators


Top reasons why employees leave the company are no career development, then non-

qualified co-workers and thirdly manager/hotel management. (Graf 15) Only 1 of the

respondents marked missing vision of the company as the top reason.



Motivator

• Financial benefits

• Team-buildings

• Year bonus

• Co-workers

• Vacation

• Free food in the canteen

• Nothing

Demotivator

• Distrust

• Misinformation/being not informed at all

• Tolerated incapability

• No career development

• No recognition and appraise from chef

0 2 4 6 8 10



Too many standards



Lack of new projects and…


Why employees leavecompany

48

To sum up, this department is lacking the motivation from the manager, not being

appreciated at all. The fact that they were not able to freely express their opinions, gives

the impression that this department is facing a big problem which can not be solved by

themselves. Although, survey might not be accurate, researcher took all the individual

insights and provided information into the consideration and she will follow up on them

with HR manager since she sees a great need of improving the attitude and managerial

skills of the Chef. As she experienced ignorant and unfair treating herself, she will be

the one fighting for better treating from the chef to his associates.

2.2.6 Personal observations

As it was already mentioned, I have been part of this Sheraton family for almost 2

years. I have been really enjoying working in the international hotel chain which brings

many opportunities in the career development worldwide. Unfortunately, I have been

demotivated for more than 1 year already by not moving anywhere. As I am always

seeking for more responsibilities and absorbing more knowledge every day, I have been

asking my manager to assign me more work so I can learn and grow. She tried to give

me some responsibilities such as taking control over MAGC and expressing her trust

towards me. But, as much as Starwood cares or wants to care about development of its

associates, also has many standards and rules which need to be respected and followed.

Therefore I was not able to perform more of the tasks since, from my position as Guest

Service Agent, I did not have proper rights to do it. And this „can not“ attitude lead me

to continuous dissatisfaction and demotivation which I expressed verbally many times.

Since I am a part of Front Office Department, which is one of the most guest-facing

operational department, I see a great significance on putting the big emphasis on

motivating this department. It is stereotypical work, check-ins, check-outs, the same

procedures every day and therefore there is a need to find something new, innovative

everyday in order not to feel that routine.

Working with people requires meeting them half–a-way and having a team which plays

crucial role in hospitality industry. Unfortunately, from my point of view, Front Office

department can not be considered as one team. I have been really missing the team

spirit, having the chance to rely on my co-workers and fairly distribute work among us.

49

As I am enthusiastically going extra mile to provide exceptional service to the guests, it

is very difficult to do so when I do not feel appreciated and special. I have been missing

not only motivation but the feedback as well – any kind of the feedback. Even though,

you do a good job, you need to hear it from your manager so you do not get the

impression that she takes your performance for granted. Therefore, I am the one who

asks for one-to-one meetings when I would like to share something with my manager,

which is supposed to be done other way around.

The biggest demotivations for me are non-qualified co-workers who do not express any

interest in this job. It is very demotivating to have people barely speaking English next

to me, getting their job done superficially without even realizing they work in 5*hotel

which requires some certain high-level standards. And on the top of that – it is tolerated

by the manager and no appropriate actions are being taken to change it.

Also financial aspects are a big problem here. Not being evaluated according to the

work performance, having the same salary as people who do not care that much is

unacceptable to me. As money is one of the extrinsic motivator, it is very important to

me to receive the right amount for job well done.

I consider myself as the person who was born to work in hospitality business and so I

need to feel special within the place I work and be able to reach my potential, which

unfortunately, is not being reached in this property. I long for more trainings, on-site or

outside of the property, to have set-up personal targets in order to improve and have

more responsibilities and control over the tasks.

As I became the observer for couple of months, I have been noticing many factors

which may cause dissapointment and demotivation in the property such us poor

recognition, no career development and low salaries (all of the factors are reflected in

the survey ). People within the property are frustrated by the amount they receive every

month which can have impact on their attitude towards the work. And it does have a big

influence how they approach their task every day as well. I do believe that any financial

recognition will boost the employee´s performance which is noticable by the guests and

the management as well.

50

2.2.7 Interview with HR manager

Researcher was interviewing HR manager, she has posed 8 questions which can be

found in Appendix 3.

To summarize the interview, HR manager sees motivation as having impulses for new

projects for the employees, having the creativity to come up with more motivational

activities how to encourage associates to take their job not only as the responsibility but

mostly as the experience. She is a supporter of cross trainings within the property,

transfers across the company and other activities such as organizing team-building,

donations, Flea markets etc.

According to turnover data, in 2012 there was turnover around 58%, in 2013 it

decreased to almost 31% but now, in 2014 hotel is experiencing wave of leaving which

is up to this date around 11%.

HR manager sees the problem in the small property where are not many possibilities to

grow and not having a large range of open positions, therefore people decide to leave

for something more appealing to them.

As being a part of the Starwood, it brings along many restrictions and limitations when

it comes to individual development and budget. Also, the fact that there is the owner on

the top of the hotel, brings many projects not being approved because of his

perceptions. And that is why it is sometimes very difficult to see the effort of HR

manager implementing new projects.

But as she states: „I do not give up, I always come up with something new which I hope

will be approved by owner and the management.“

51

3. Suggestions for improvements

After completing the survey about employee motivations in Sheraton Prague Charles

Square Hotel, main problems were defined and suggestions to eliminate these problems

were provided to hotel management.

Problem n.1 : Missing motivation from manager

Firstly, researcher woud suggest to have trainings for managers about motivating their

employees, make them aware of motivational theories used by companies since just few

of managers had any clues about them. Secondly, it would be recommended to have

managerial transfers within individual departments so that managers could see

operations of different department in process and that can help to brainstorm their ideas

and implement their own techniques in order to create better working environment for

associates. One manager might be lacking motivating managerial skills, whereas the

other could help to share her/his and together all of them can make a difference in the

lives of every associate.

Problem n.2 : Recognition

Analyst would suggest to managers to invest more time to their employees, have a

regular one-to-ones with their associates, discussing their strengths and weaknesses, set-

up targets they need to reach and provide them with advice how to reach the these

targets and improve their skills. On the top of that, it would be useful to use any kind of

recognition such as apprraises, simple „thank you“ for the job well done after shift or

any motivating bonuses which can help to boost their interest and enthusiasm (vouchers

for massages, team-buildings, competitions..) For example, recognize the associate who

gets the most positive feedbacks from the guests or the management, associate who is

52

the best at upselling at the certain period, person whose name will be posted on

Tripadvisor or any other portal etc.

Problem n.3 : Career development

Along with the cooperation of HR manager and top management, try to create more

open positions to show the associates that they can grow within the company. Simple

positions as supervisor or shift leader can be implemented in every department, or come

up with unique positions which would make associates feel special at some point.

Moreover, transfers within and outside of the company should be promoted more to

demonstrate the great range of opportunities offered by Starwood. Also, organize more

intratrainings (how to cope with stress, cultural differences, reaching the potential, how

to lead and delegate etc.) with visible results and attractive motivations at the end of

these trainings (certificates, diplomas...)

Problem n.4 : Raising the salary

As it was detected in survey, employees feel financially underrated. They would

welcome raise of the monthly salary from 2000 CZK and higher, plus bonuses and

rewards for the job well done. Any amount of raise would be a positive gesture from

management´s side in order to keep their employees loyal and prevent the company of

losing another best talent.

Problem n.5 : Non-qualified, uncooperative, co-workers without team spirit

It is suggested to evaluate each employee deeply before completing trial period and

keep the focus afterwards as well. As soon as there are these upper characteristics

expressed by associates about one of the co-workers, appropriate actions need to be

taken right away by the manager and after not showing the interest to change the

attitude, there should not be the fear of letting this employee go and find better one.

53

Giving x-chances and overlooking the problem turns of the passionate workers and you

might lose them before you fire the right one. There are always more appropriate

replacements waiting for the opportunity. Not promises, but actions are required.

54

Conclusion

In the conclusion I would like to summarize the findings of my work. In theoretical part

I tried to explain motivational theories which are most used by companies and express

the importance of their implementation in hospitality industry. I have elaborated the

significance of using incentives and rewards on employees in order to encourage them

to better performance as well as using constructive feedback and coaching.

In practical part, I introduced Starwood as international hotel chain and deeply

explained its main ideology which consists mainly from core values and 5 human truths.

These 5 human truths were the base of my research completed in Sheraton Prague

Charles Square Hotel where I have been working for almost 2 years. I wanted to analyse

and find the answer if all of these truths are being fulfilled and implemented in the

management of this hotel. According to findings, the answer is very clear. Not all of

these truths are truly implemented, especially associates do not feel special and

understood. They do feel that they belong to the Sheraton family, but unfortunately their

great potential is not being reached and it is seemed to them as not recognized by the

management as well. Secondly, I was interested in their approach towards loyalty to the

company. Results show that associates value loyalty a lot and this is supported by the

fact that almost 20 employees are with this company from the opening. However, they

do not feel that hotel management cares about their loyalty as much as they care about

the loyalty of the guests, which is the big contrast to Starwood philosophy. Especially,

this year shows the biggest turnover of the employees which is not taking seriously to

the consideration. Reasons why employees quit are very obvious but they seem to be

overlooked and ignored which does not make any sense. Not being recognized and

appreciated by the managers, no career development and possibility of growth within

the company, non-qualified colleagues and managers not possessing managerial skills

are top-ranked reasons why good employees say goodbye to this job and find another

attractive one.

Being demotivated myself and observing demotivation in other departments, I

concluded this research to show the hotel management in Sheraton Prague Charles

Square Hotel that there is a great need to improve motivations here. Since employees of

operational department are the ones who interact with guests every day, guests who

55

bring money to the property, it is unaccountable to see that they are not of the biggest

importance to the top management. Thanks to this survey, many disappointing facts

came on the surface which were hidden and not seen. My biggest concern goes to

Kitchen department where all of the associates are not only demotivated by their Head

Chef but they are afraid of expressing their opinions and dissatisfaction in order not to

get any punishments. This finding will definitely have a follow up from my side and it

will be shown and discussed with HR manager to solve this issue.

As we are already facing high season in the hotel, it is a high time for management to

wake up and make the difference. If not, the property will end up with non-qualified

employees without any enthusiasm towards their job and this fact will be easily

reflected on the service they provide to the valuable guests and these guests would

definitely not return to the hotel. This is the vicious circle which starts with the

employee either satisfied or not and ends with the guest satisfied or dissatisfied. And the

core of the whole process is motivation provided to the associates. Of course, it is very

important to have own motivation and drive but talking from my own experience, as

soon as management does not provide any additional one, own motivation drive become

vague and will disappear.

My partial aim was to find out if the management cares enough not to lose me, as one of

the most enthusiastic and hospitality-devoted person. Yes, there were some attempts to

tell me how much they want to keep me, but it is still word-framed and no actions were

taken. Being there for almost two years, these attempts are empty promises to me and if

nothing changes in the near future, I would be left with no other options but to leave.

Nevertheless, if there is any positive change, it still will be not spontaneous and

automatically deserved for the job well done as it supposed to be, but just the listening

to the threats and warnings from my side. And this is exactly how is not supposed to be

done in hospitality and any other businesses.

I hope this research will open the eyes to the top management and will realize that if

there are no actions taken immediately, people will leave and loyalty will not be a driver

for them.

56

List of reference

Branham, Leigh. The 7 hidden reasons employees leave: how to recognize the

subtle signs and act before it's too late [online]. New York: American

Management Association, ©2005 [cit. 2014-04-23]. Dostupné z:

http://site.ebrary.com/lib/natl/Doc?id=10075612.

Deci, Edward L. a Vroom, Victor Harold, ed. Management and motivation:

selected readings. Repr. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books, 1979. 399 s. Penguin

Education. Penguin Modern Management Readings.

Evans, Richard Isidor. B.F. Skinner: The man and his ideas. 1st ed. New York:

E.P. Dutton, 1968. xiv, 140 s. Dialogues with Notable Contributors to

Personality Theory; vol. 4.

Ference, G., 2001.: Coaching plans help managers increase employee

commitment. H&MM[online]

Herzberg, Frederick, Mausner, Bernard a Snyderman, Barbara Bloch. The

Motivatin to Work. 2nd ed. New York: J. Wiley, 1959. xv, 157 s.

Maslow, Abraham Harold. Motivation and personality. 2nd ed. New York:

Harper and Row, 1970. 30, 369 s.

McGregor, Douglas. The human side of enterprise. New York: McGraw-Hill,

1960. 246 s.

Payne, Kirby D., 1997.: Leadership, motivation can stem from human resources.

H&MM [online]

Thorn, Bret. 2002.:Appreciating workers the way to retaining them. Nation´s

Restaurant News [online]

Vroom, Victor Harold. Work and Motivation. 3rd print. New York: John Wiley

& Sons, 1967. ix, 331 s.

57

Vandenberghe, C., & Peiro, J. M. (1999). Organizational and individual values:

Their main and combined effects on work attitudes and perceptions. European

Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 8,569–581.

http://one.starwoodhotels.com/portal/page?_pageid=157,4306094,157_4306465

&_dad=portal30&_schema=PORTAL30

http://www.simplypsychology.org/operant-conditioning.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Employee_motivation

http://www.inc.com/guides/hr/20776.html

http://www.forbes.com/sites/joefolkman/2013/11/27/seven-ways-to-increase-

employee-satisfaction-without-giving-a-raise/

http://www.forbes.com/sites/ericjackson/2011/12/14/top-ten-reasons-why-large-

companies-fail-to-keep-their-best-talent/

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Appendix 1

Employee motivations in Sheraton Prague Charles Square Hotel

„Motivation is defined as the process that initiates, guides and maintains goal-

oriented behaviors. Motivation is what causes us to act, whether

it is getting a glass of water to reduce thirst or reading a book to gain knowledge.“

(Cherry, 2014)

My beloved colleagues,

I would like to kindly ask you to fill in this questionnaire which focuses on the

employee motivations in Sheraton Prague Charles Square Hotel.

As the motto implies, motivation is an important driver in our daily lives and

therefore it plays crucial role for us employees as well as for the management.

We all have different motivations to wake-up in the morning and go to work, but is

there anything what can help us to do it more enthusiastically?

This questionnaire is anonymous so please be as much honest and open as you wish.

:)

Thank you very much for your help and time.

And remember, we are Sheraton and we all can make a difference...

1. How long have you been working in Sheraton Prague Charles Square Hotel?

2. What sex are you?

Female

Male

3. In what department do you work?

4. What is your age?

18-25

59

26-35

36 +

5. According to Herzberg, there exist motivators, so-called intrinsic factors which

cause positive job attitude because they satisfy employee´s needs. Please choose

3 of them which are of the biggest importance to you.

Recognition

Achievement

Possibility of growth

Advancement

Responsibility

Work itself

6. Abraham H. Maslow has set up a hierarchy of five levels of basic needs which

you can see on the picture below. In the levels of these needs, the person does

not feel the second need until the demands of the first have been satisfied. To

you, are all of these needs fulfilled in this property? If not, which ones need to

be improved? (Picture 1 – Hierarchy of needs )

7. What is the biggest motivation for you here?

There are 2 types of rewards: Extrinsic - include bonuses, time off, pay rises.

Intrinsic - satisfaction from the job well done, opportunity for creativity and

development. Which of those do you find more attractive in the workplace?

8. We all know that financial rewards drive us to better performance. How much

rise of money would motivate you more in this hotel?

rise of 1000 CZK on the top of your salary

60

rise of 2000 CZK on the top of your salary

rise of 3000 CZK and more...

9. What is the biggest demotivator for you in this hotel?

10. Are you motivated by your manager?

11. What benefits/incentives/ would you suggest to implement in order to improve

the motivation of employees in Sheraton Prague Charles Square Hotel?

12. Are you overall satisfied with the position you are assigned with within the

property?

13. Are 5 human truths ( to belong, to feel special, to be understood, to have control,

to reach the potential) represented by Starwood fully implemented in the

management of Sheraton Hotel? Give the opinion.

14. Does the loyalty to the company you work for mean something to you?

15. When was the last time you got any kind of feedback ( positive, negative,

constructive) from your manager?

16. What do you think are the top reasons employees leave the company? Please

choose 3 options.



Too many standards


Unsuitable co-workers

Lack of new projects and trainings


17. Where do you see yourself in 2 years?

61

Appendix 2

Interview with manager

1. To you, what does it mean “motivation”?

2. Are you aware of any motivational theories used by companies?

3. In your opinion, are 5 human truths represented by Starwood implemented in the

practice of Sheraton Prague Charles Square Hotel?

4. Do you think that your team is motivated? Are you motivated yourself?

5. Do you see a parallel between employee and guest satisfaction?

6. How do you motivate your employees?

7. Is there anything you would do to improve their motivation? What would it be in

particular?

Appendix 3

Interview with HRmanager

1. To you, what does it mean “motivation”?

2. Are you aware of any motivational theories used by companies?

3. In your opinion, are 5 human truths represented by Starwood implemented in the

practice of Sheraton Prague Charles Square Hotel?

4. Do you think that employees of the hotel are motivated? Are you motivated

yourself?

5. Do you see a parallel between employee and guest satisfaction?

62

6. You as HR manager, how do you motivate employees?

7. What are you working on right now?

8. Are you restricted by/supported by Starwood? Management and the owner of this

hotel?

Documents

Employee motivations in Starwood Hotels&Resorts - is.vsh.cz