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IJCHM
20,4
412
Received 10 May 2007
Revised 20 August 2007
Accepted 17 January 2008
International Journal of
Contemporary Hospitality
Management
Vol. 20 No. 4, 2008
pp. 412-427
q Emerald Group Publishing Limited
0959-6119
DOI 10.1108/09596110810873525
Hospitality workplace problems
and poor training: a close
relationship
Jill Poulston
School of Hospitality and Tourism, AUT University, Auckland, New Zealand
Abstract
Purpose – This paper seeks to examine common hospitality problems with the aim of identifying
relationships between them, and the central issue.
Design/methodology/approach – Self-completed questionnaires were used to collect data from
hospitality students and employees, and analyses of variance used to identify relationships between
the problems, and isolate the central issue.
Findings – The paper finds that poor training is associated with workplace problems, and improving
training is likely to reduce problems such as under-staffing and theft.
Research limitations/implications – The collection of data on exact lengths of employment
would have facilitated a more rigorous analysis of the causes and effects of staff turnover and is
recommended for future studies of training and turnover.
Practical implications – Investment in training is recommended even when turnover is high, as
training reduces workplace problems.
Originality/value – This study focuses on the relationships between problems, rather than
investigating them in isolation, facilitating an holistic approach to solving staff turnover.
Keywords Training, Hospitality services, Employees, Dismissal, Harassment, Employee turnover
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
Tourism is New Zealand’s primary earner, accounting for 19.2 per cent of exports in
2006, 21 per cent of which were accommodation, food, and beverages (Statistics New
Zealand, 2006). The same year, nearly 136,000 workers, 6.5 per cent of New Zealand’s
total working population, worked in hospitality (Whiteford and Nolan, 2007). However,
while hospitality is critical to New Zealand’s economy, low unemployment (currently
2.6 per cent, Statistics New Zealand, 2007) threatens the industry’s ability to meet the
demands of business, particularly the provision of quality experiences to travellers.
Furthermore, the low barrier to entry for hospitality work means recruitment is an
ongoing activity for business owners and managers, as many who enter the industry
do so on a temporary basis only.
In 2006, 40 per cent of New Zealand’s hospitality workers were under 25, the largest
cohort being the 15-19 year old group (Whiteford and Nolan, 2007). Reliance on youth
labour will by definition incur turnover, but problems such as sexual harassment and
ad hoc disciplinary processes, although associated with hospitality in the literature
(e.g. Hoel, 2002; Price, 1994), are not necessarily features of a young labour force.
Understanding problems associated with hospitality may therefore provide insights
into why so many young people leave the industry, as well as into ways to reduce the
problems. Because service is labour intensive, workplace problems can eat away
management’s time, impeding training and development, and generating a pattern Hospitality
somewhat reminiscent of a cat chasing its tail. The anticipated tourism growth in New workplace
Zealand of 7.4 per cent annually (Ministry of Tourism, 2007) suggests it is both
relevant and timely to examine problems adversely affecting the hospitality industry’s problems
image and service standards.

Problem definition 413

New Zealand hospitality organisations pay poorly (Tourism Industry Association New
Zealand, 2006) and suffer from persistent staff turnover (Brien, 2004), resulting in
environments that cultivate and feed workplace problems. Hospitality employees have
poor social status (Wildes, 2005) and service staff often feel inferior to the guests
(Thomson and Thomson, 1995) who pay to be “served, obeyed, and entertained”
(Gabriel, 1990, p. 3). The requirement to please both guests and managers can place
workers in subservient and vulnerable roles, exposing them to abuses such as sexual
harassment (Guerrier and Adib, 2000; Poulston, 2007; Uggen and Blackstone, 2004) and
ad hoc disciplinary processes (Head and Lucas, 2004; Poulston, 2005). In such
environments it is hardly surprising to find some employees stealing from guests, their
employers, and each other (Divine, 1992; Mars and Nicod, 1984) and ignoring safe food
hygiene practices (Klara, 1999).
Although prior studies have addressed typical problems such as employee theft (e.g.
Mars and Nicod, 1984), the relationships between specific industry problems are
difficult to determine. Furthermore, the literature does not reveal which problems are
the most common, nor where they occur most, and therefore, where management’s time
should be spent. Similarly, while poor food hygiene has been linked to poor training
(Klara, 1999), problems such as employee theft, have not. If there is a link between poor
training and poor food hygiene, there may be links between these and other workplace
problems. Identifying these links will help determine the direction of future research
aimed at solving workplace problems, which are unlikely to occur in isolation.
This research therefore aims at identifying which of a selected group of workplace
problems is considered to be most common, and also, any relationships that may exist
between them.

Literature review
After informal discussions with hospitality employees and managers, a list of typical
workplace problems was developed, and six selected for detailed study. Under-staffing,
poor training, employee theft, constructive dismissals, sexual harassment, and food
hygiene were chosen for their potential to harm employees, customers, and businesses
generally. The following review briefly outlines the impact of these problems in a
hospitality context.

Under-staffing and staff turnover

The hospitality industry’s problem with recruitment, retention, and therefore
under-staffing, is well documented and well recognised (e.g. Baum, 2002; Brien,
2004; Choi et al., 2000; Gustafson, 2002; Jameson, 2000), as is its impact. Ulrich et al.
(1991) found high employee turnover negatively affected customer satisfaction, and
Simons and Hinkin (2001) found it negatively affected profitability.
IJCHM In an Auckland study, Lo and Lamm (2005) concluded that although occupational
20,4 stress caused staff turnover, high turnover could not be solely attributed to stress.
They referred to Hinkin and Tracey’s (2000) study of turnover, in which job
dissatisfaction, poor quality supervision and poor employment conditions were cited
as major causes. Other studies suggest causes such as inadequate human resources
support (Taylor et al., 2001), age (i.e. youth) and job dissatisfaction related to pay, long
414 hours, and boring work (Ghiselli et al., 2001), sexual harassment (Gilbert et al., 1998),
poor training (Lashley and Best, 2002), and the social stigma of working in hospitality
(Wildes, 2005).

Poor training
Although most hospitality organisations train employees to behave appropriately with
customers (Gilbert et al., 1998), the industry has a poor reputation for training (Maxwell
et al., 2004; Pratten, 2003), although this is not well supported empirically. Managers
may be reluctant to invest in training in case staff subsequently leave (Davies et al.,
2001; Jameson, 2000; Loe et al., 2000; Lowry et al., 2002), or because their time is already
fully occupied with recruitment and selection. Performing a task publicly with
insufficient skill jeopardises service quality, and can demean and embarrass
employees, yet anecdotal evidence overwhelmingly suggests training is poor, and
employees are disciplined for their inability to perform. Training and development
affects job satisfaction and organisational commitment (Lam and Zhang, 2003; Lowry
et al., 2002; Pratten, 2003; Smith, 2002; Taylor et al., 2001), which in turn affect staff
retention. Hotels that provide inadequate training exacerbate staff turnover (Lashley
and Best, 2002), and threaten quality standards and profit.

Employee theft
Theft represents a major loss to many organisations, and is estimated to cost $200
billion annually in America (Niehoff and Paul, 2000). In New Zealand, the cost of
employee theft in retail outlets was estimated at around $270 million annually (Guthrie,
2003), in a study comprising more liquor shops than any other type of outlet. Although
quantitative data on theft in hospitality is elusive, writers agree that theft is common
(Divine, 1992; Johnson, 1983; Mars and Nicod, 1984; Stevens and Fleckenstein, 1999;
Wanhill, 1994), and various causes such as poor pay and the use of student and youth
labour have been suggested.
Employee theft affects prices, profits and wages (Pankratz, 2000; Wanhill, 1994),
contributing to the tight operating margins that can constrain training and staff
development. Thoms et al. (2001) and Withiam (1996) found that theft was associated
with staff turnover, and Mohsin (2006), with poor control mechanisms.

Constructive (unfair) dismissals

Constructive dismissals (changing employees’ working conditions to force a
resignation) are unfair, and in many countries, illegal. In 2005, inappropriate
dismissals for misconduct, poor performance, and redundancy resulted in 436 personal
grievance claims in New Zealand, with the majority being won by employees (Lowe,
2006). Constructive dismissals are endemic in the hospitality industry, often
perpetrated by supervisors inadequately prepared for their responsibilities
(Poulston, 2005). In a British study, Head and Lucas (2004) noted that hospitality
staff are often “let go” rather than dismissed, which they attributed to “widespread Hospitality
arbitrary management practice” (p. 239). In an earlier study, Lucas (2002) found that a workplace
fifth of hospitality workplaces lacked formal grievance and disciplinary procedures,
and employment tribunal complaints were more common in hospitality than problems
elsewhere, with constructive dismissal being the main problem.

Sexual harassment 415

Sexual harassment is also strongly associated with hospitality work. In Hoel’s (2002)
doctoral dissertation, a British study of bullying and harassment, 24 per cent of
hospitality respondents experienced unwanted sexual attention at work, the highest
figure of all the participating sectors. The New Zealand Human Rights Commission
(2001) analysed 284 sexual harassment complaints received between 1995 and 2000;
19 per cent came from hospitality, even though the industry employed only 4.5 per cent
of the workforce at that time. Similarly, a report on working conditions in the Danish
Hotel, Restaurant and Café sector found 6 per cent of hospitality workers had reported
sexual harassment, against a national average of 2 per cent (European Foundation,
2003).
Hospitality students on work experience are particularly vulnerable to harassment.
Worsfold and McCann (2000) found 57 per cent of British students returning from work
experience had been sexually harassed, and in Lin’s (2006) Taiwanese study, 92 per
cent of students on work experience had been subjected to gender harassment, and
more than 70 per cent experienced “seductive behaviour”.
Sexual harassment is harmful by definition. The New Zealand HRC report found
that most victims left their jobs after being harassed, and a significant number
reported problems with absenteeism. The HRC cited “monetary damages, legal costs,
increased worker sick days and general absenteeism, staff losses, the cost of hiring and
training new staff, negative publicity and lower staff productivity and morale” as costs
of sexual harassment to employers (p. 4).

Food hygiene
Poor food hygiene can cause serious illness or death, and is a particular risk for
cafeteria and restaurant operators. In a New Zealand food safety study (UMR Research,
2005), 20 per cent of respondents said they had suffered from food poisoning in the past
two years (83 per cent of which had occurred outside the home) and around half said
they had observed poor food safety practices in food outlets. Food hygiene is
self-regulating, as restaurants that poison their customers are soon discovered and the
problem rectified by closure or the implementation of procedural changes. Poor food
hygiene can therefore be regarded as occurring against all odds, such as legal
constraints, staff and management attitudes, and customer complaints. Likely causes
are negligence, the pursuit of profit (Walczak and Reuter, 2004), and poor training
(Green et al., 2007; Hu et al., 2005; Klara, 1999; Lynch et al., 2003; Roberts and Deery,
2004).

Methodology
Self-completed questionnaires were used to collect data on the selected problems and
on the characteristics of respondents and their workplaces. This enabled collection
from a large group of participants who could respond anonymously, thereby
IJCHM improving the reliability of the data. Questionnaires surveying large populations are
20,4 frequently used in social science to measure seemingly abstract concepts such as
organisational culture (e.g. Hofstede et al., 1990). Hospitality research predominantly
uses quantitative survey instruments such as questionnaires (Lucas and Deery, 2004),
which are particularly favoured for measuring aspects of service such as quality (e.g.
Lee and Hing, 1995) and service orientation (e.g. Kim et al., 2003).
416
Questionnaire design
To avoid an investigative approach, questions were framed so respondents could
report problems without incriminating themselves. For example, respondents were
asked if food that had been dropped on the floor was served to customers where they
worked, rather than if they personally had served unhygienic food. This provided data
on workplaces rather than on individuals, consistent with the study’s aims. Except for
responses on sexual harassment, answers were interpreted as perceptions rather than
reality, in case answers were based on hearsay rather than observation.
Questions on the six problems used five point Likert scales with spaces for written
comments at the conclusion of each section. Respondents were asked to make a
selection from a range of responses relating to the frequency of each problem’s
occurrence at their workplace in the previous 12 months. Statements relating to the
questions were:
.
If someone calls in sick or cannot work their shift, we have had to manage
without replacement staff.
.
Some employees have taken hotel property home for their personal use, without
asking.
.
Some staff have had to work without proper training.
.
Supervisors have written unfair rosters or hassled staff to get rid of them.
.
I have been sexually harassed at my workplace.
.
Food has been served to customers after it was dropped on the floor.

Responses gauging frequency were “never”, “occasionally”, “commonly”, “frequently”,

“all the time”, “does not apply”, and “don’t know”. Although these descriptors were
intended to clearly identify different levels of frequency, the differences between
“commonly”, “frequently” and “all the time” were subsequently considered too
subjective, and the categories collapsed as one, and analysed as “commonly”.

Pilot and main studies

Refinements were made to the questionnaire after a preliminary study (n ¼ 3) to clarify
questions and reduce completion time, and two pilot studies conducted early in 2003.
As no further changes were indicated after the second study (n ¼ 29), the same
instrument was used for the main collection and distributed amongst staff, supervisors
and managers in 27 Auckland hospitality-related workplaces. These included food
services premises, nightclubs, bars, hotels (three, four, and five star), and AUT
University’s hospitality school. Of the 1,848 questionnaires distributed, 534 (29 per
cent) were returned completed, and the remainder either lost (43 per cent) or returned
unused (28 per cent).
Profile of respondents Hospitality
Students’ academic backgrounds ranged from basic service and culinary skills to workplace
second year post-graduation. Students were included to increase the number and
variety of responses. Without them, there would have been insufficient responses from problems
bars and nightclubs, and none from small cafes, restaurants, back-packer hostels, or
motels, due to the complexities of working with numerous small businesses. However,
care should still be taken when applying results of this research to small operations, as 417
these comprised less than a third of the workplaces in the study.
Although the students’ responses were expected to lower the average age and
length of stay of respondents, these were not important to the aim of identifying
relationships between workplace problems. Student responses increased reliability of
the data by including the views of those working in small businesses.

Analysis
Responses were analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS), and
frequencies, means comparisons and eta used as the main analysis tools. Eta is useful
for determining the strength and significance of relationships between variables in
cross-tabulation tables, and can be used where some categories are nominal, such as
gender (Bryman, 2001). Workplace problems in this study are measured on interval
scales, and although most demographic characteristics are ordinal or scale, some are
nominal, such as business type and gender. Eta ranges from 0 to 1, with 1 indicating
the strongest level of association.
Frequency analyses are presented in Tables I and II. Table I shows the percentage
of respondents reporting a particular problem occurring in their workplace, and
Table II shows the perceived frequency of occurrence.
Mean responses for the problems are presented in Table III, with higher means
indicating higher frequencies of occurrence. Where eta values over 0.1 indicated a
strong relationship between problems and respondents’ personal or workplace
characteristics, these means are also presented. Otherwise, only overall means are
presented.
Because a different eta value is obtained depending on whether a variable is treated
as dependent or independent, eta was also used to identify relationships between
workplace problems, to determine if these were occurring in isolation, or whether the
presence of some problems was indicative that others would also occur (Table IV).
Because the analysis of variance (Table IV) suggested that workplace problems are
inter-related, a factor analysis using the Kaiser Varimax rotation method was used to
identify which problem had the highest loading against the others, and was therefore
the most influential (Table V).

Results
Respondent profiles
The majority of respondents were inexperienced, low paid young women without
formal qualifications, managed by a small group of experienced, well paid and better
qualified older males (Table I). The respondent profile is similar to that of hospitality
workers elsewhere, indicating the population was a reliable sample.
Respondents comprised 57 per cent women, compared to 62 per cent in hospitality
nationwide (Whiteford and Nolan, 2007). About 57 per cent were paid under $NZ15.00
IJCHM
Seniority
20,4 Valid percent
Staff Supervisor Manager Other Total

Age (count) 312 60 90 4 466

Under 20 31.1 16.7 2.2 0.0 23.4
418 20-24 42.6 33.3 11.1 25.0 35.2
25-29 10.6 15.0 17.8 25.0 12.7
30-39 7.7 20.0 40.0 50.0 15.9
40 or over 8.0 15.0 28.9 0.0 12.9
Gender 320 61 91 4 476
Female 60.0 59.0 42.9 75.0 56.7
Male 40.0 41.0 57.1 25.0 43.3
Qualification 306 59 91 4 460
None or school 44.4 42.4 29.7 25.0 41.1
Bursary or trade 41.8 39.0 31.9 25.0 39.3
Bachelor’s degree 11.4 15.3 25.3 50.0 15.0
Post-graduate 2.3 3.4 13.2 0.0 4.6
Experience 322 62 91 3 478
Under 5 years 79.5 53.2 20.9 100.0 65.1
5-10 years 14.0 19.4 29.7 0.0 17.6
11 years or more 6.5 27.4 49.5 0.0 17.4
Pay per hour 321 60 84 4 469
Under $10 25.9 5.0 3.6 0.0 19.0
$10-$14.95 67.3 65.0 16.7 100.0 58.2
$15-$19.95 5.9 25.0 33.3 0.0 13.2
$20 or more 0.9 5.0 46.4 0.0 9.6
Tenure 322 62 91 3 478
Under 5 years 90.4 75.8 80.2 100.0 86.6
5-10 years 6.8 9.7 11.0 0.0 7.9
11 years or more 2.8 14.5 8.8 0.0 5.4
Job security 324 62 91 3 480
Table I. Casual (irregular) 11.1 4.8 2.2 0.0 8.5
Cross-tabulation of Part-time 67.3 35.5 12.1 33.3 52.5
demographic Full-time (40 hrs) 17.6 43.5 14.3 66.7 20.6
characteristics by Salaried 4.0 16.1 71.4 0.0 18.3
seniority Overall (%) 23.0 35.1 12.8 16.0 13.0

This occurs here

Valid percent
Common Once or twice Subtotal Never Count Order of severity

Under-staffing 52.6 38.2 90.8 9.1 492 1

Poor training 36.8 38.7 75.5 24.5 481 3
Table II. Theft 29.9 47.7 77.6 22.4 344 2
Frequency analysis of Unfair dismissal 22.1 33.5 55.6 44.4 448 4
workplace problems Sexual harassment 7.4 17.0 24.4 75.7 530 5
(actual and perceived) Food hygiene 4.3 16.9 21.2 78.8 420 6
 Hospitality
1 ¼ Never
3 ¼ All the time workplace
Poor Unfair Food problems
Under-staffing training Theft dismissal Harassment hygiene

Seniority (eta) 0.060 0.122 0.093 0.194 0.091 0.164

Staff 2.14 1.82 1.28 419
Supervisor 2.21 1.98 1.37
Manager 2.07 1.53 1.10
Pay (eta) 0.365 0.263 0.197 0.166 0.106 0.069
Under $10 2.21 1.98 1.81 1.81 1.28
$10-$14.95 2.47 2.16 2.18 1.86 1.35
$15-$19.95 2.63 2.27 2.07 1.63 1.37
$20 or more 2.65 2.02 2.14 1.43 1.16
Business (eta) 0.146 0.114 0.159 0.075 0.128 0.080
Hotel 2.52 2.18 2.15 1.27 Table III.
Food and beverage 2.32 1.99 1.90 1.44 Means comparison of
Mean 2.43 2.12 2.08 1.53 1.32 1.25 perceived incidence of
Order of effect 1 2 3 4 5 6 workplace problems

Dependent variables
Independent variables Under Poor Unfair Food
Eta values staffing Theft training dismissal Harassment hygiene

Under-staffing 0.363 0.351 0.260 0.112 0.147

Poor training 0.347 0.277 0.390 0.203 0.276
Theft 0.365 0.263 0.329 0.185 0.334 Table IV.
Unfair dismissal 0.253 0.328 0.389 0.199 0.230 Analysis of variance:
Sexual harassment 0.114 0.203 0.186 0.203 0.066 relationships between
Food hygiene 0.147 0.303 0.256 0.232 0.067 workplace problems

Component
1 2

Under-staffing 0.727 2 0.068

Poor training 0.756 0.021
Employee theft 0.549 0.456 Table V.
Unfair dismissal 0.625 0.257 Principal component
Sexual harassment 0.180 0.469 analysis using Kaiser
Food hygiene 0.441 0.257 normalisation

an hour, whereas the average hourly wage for women at that time was $NZ16.57
(Statistics New Zealand, 2003). About 52 per cent worked part-time, compared to 49 per
cent in hospitality nationwide (Whiteford and Nolan, 2007), and most (87 per cent) had
worked less than five years in their present job, reflecting the staff turnover
commented on elsewhere (e.g. Brien, 2004).
IJCHM As 55 per cent of responses were collected directly from students, respondents were
20,4 better qualified than other hospitality workers; 40 per cent had either no formal
qualifications, or school certificate (Year 12), compared to 68 per cent in hospitality
nationwide (Whiteford and Nolan, 2007). Similarly, while only 40 per cent of New
Zealand’s hospitality workers are under 25 (Whiteford and Nolan, 2007), this study
comprised 58.6 per cent under 25 year olds.
420
Workplace problems
Under-staffing was the most common problem (Table II), with 90.8 per cent reporting
that this occurred in their workplace. Understaffing was more critical in hotels than in
food and beverages businesses (Table III), although this was fairly weakly indicated
(eta of 0.146). Both quantitative and qualitative data indicated critical labour shortages,
and written comments reflected a reluctant reliance on unreliable staff because “better”
employees could not be found. Although staff held management and their colleagues
responsible, comments from supervisors and managers acknowledged that
under-staffing was ubiquitous, and exacerbated by persistent absenteeism. While
comments revealed a strong mentality of “the show must go on”, many also reflected
the stress associated with under-staffing:
It is way too hard on us, because we are expected to run around and be able to work way too
hard. It is impossible and very stressing. And it then causes customers to complain of bad
service.
Tenures were short, with 86.6 per cent saying they had been in their current job for
under five years (Table I). As 35 per cent of respondents were 20 to 24 years old, the age
of many tertiary students, this figure was not at first considered indicative. However,
when student responses were removed, the proportion adjusted only to 80 per cent. Of
those stating their exact length of service (n ¼ 192), the median stay was one year (i.e.
half the sample had been in their jobs less than a year). This represents a turnover rate
of 50 per cent (i.e. each position changed twice a year). Turnover was highest for casual
workers, and noticeably lower for full-time workers. Although turnover was lowest for
supervisors, rather than being a low turnover group per se, it is also possible that
supervisors find their ways into their roles merely by staying longest.
Working without proper training was considered common by 36.8 per cent of
respondents with a further 38.7 per cent saying it had happened once or twice (Table II).
Although the frequency analysis suggests that employee theft was the second most
common problem, the means comparisons presented in Table III provide the more
accurate result, that poor training is more common.
Unfair dismissals were perceived as common by 22 per cent of all respondents
(Table II), and 37 per cent of casual workers (data not presented), and around one in
four (24 per cent) said they had been sexually harassed, the same proportion as
identified in Hoel’s (2002) study. Responses on food hygiene indicate that 21 per cent
thought food had been served after being on the floor, a proportion consistent with that
in Ghiselli and Ismail’s (1999) American study, in which 18 per cent of respondents
agreed with serving food that had been on the floor.
A mean comparison of the perceived incidence of problems shows that managers
perceived problems as occurring less frequently than did either staff or supervisors,
and supervisors perceived them as occurring more frequently (Table III).
Relationships between workplace problems Hospitality
As presented in Table IV, high eta values (0.200 or more) for the dependent column workplace
variable of “poor training” show that each problem was perceived to occur most where
training was poor. Theft was strongly predicted by under-staffing (eta of 0.363), problems
supporting the results of Withiam (1996) and Thoms et al. (2001), who associated
employee theft with staff turnover. Unfair dismissals were predicted by each of the
other problems, but most strongly by poor training (eta of 0.390); that is, unfair 421
dismissals were significantly more likely to occur where training was poor. The results
of prior studies associating poor food hygiene with poor training (e.g. Green et al., 2007;
Klara, 1999; Lynch et al., 2003) were also supported.

Multivariate analysis
The rotated solution of the principal component analysis revealed that poor training
had the highest loading against the other factors (followed by under-staffing),
indicating very little of the variance was accounted for, and poor training was the
central factor. However, under-staffing and poor training are very likely inextricably
linked, and attempts to isolate one as the cause of the other, while statistically pleasing,
is not considered important. Therefore, although poor training was associated with the
presence of other problems, poor training and under-staffing were strongly correlated,
and difficult to separate in terms of their causal relationships with other problems.
The discussion therefore focuses on poor training as a cause of other problems, as
satisfaction with training is more likely to be within management’s control than (for
example) theft, which was also strongly associated with each of the other problems.

Discussion
The prevalence of high staff turnover, poor training, and theft, suggest serious and
persistent management inadequacies, especially with regard to providing “proper”
training. Training is a common requirement of due process when poor performance
results in disciplinary action, and is a means of raising performance standards.
Responses to open-ended questions about training identified three major themes:
poor training, misuse of the concept of on-the-job training, and the frequency of (and
support for) sink-or-swim workplace initiations. While on-the-job training is an
effective method when trained trainers are used, responses showed that this concept of
training is widely abused, and the buddy system and other “show as you go” methods
used as cheap substitutes. In fact, the only similarity between these and proper
on-the-job training, is that they are both conducted in the workplace. Formal on-the-job
training is a systematic approach to skills training, usually conducted by a regular
trainer, and undertaken in a workplace where the appropriate props are available,
rather than to simultaneously meet the pressures of work. Being “thrown in the deep
end” appeared to be a frightening and bewildering experience for many respondents,
and one which (i.e. to extend the swimming metaphor further), is likely to have resulted
in faulty techniques that merely raise trainees above the surface, gasping for air with
neither dignity nor grace.
Training and development reduce stress (Faulkner and Patiar, 1997) and affect
organisational commitment (Chiang et al., 2005; Lam and Zhang, 2003; Lowry et al.,
2002; Pratten, 2003; Smith, 2002; Taylor et al., 2001) that affects staff retention. The
particularly strong relationships between under-staffing, poor training, and unfair
IJCHM dismissals, suggest that if staff were better trained they would stay longer, and be
20,4 treated more fairly. In contrast, poorly trained staff are likely to behave in an ad hoc
manner, generating the kinds of problems examined in this study. It therefore makes
economic sense to provide training, if only to avoid the complications and
consequences of negative behaviours.
As labour shortages in hospitality are not restricted to either Auckland or New
422 Zealand, under-staffing is likely to be associated with the types of people attracted to
the industry, and the frequency with which they change jobs. Written comments show
that persistent under-staffing was a source of unhappiness and frustration for many
respondents, perhaps because it represents a barrier to improved service quality,
employee satisfaction, training, and profitability.
Written comments and quantitative data point to a strong connection between
supervisory practices such as unfair dismissal, and under-staffing (Table IV), and
comments relating to unfair dismissals suggest that supervisors are keen to dispose of
unwanted staff, even when there are insufficient. The connection is significant. If
supervisors trained employees instead of discarding them as inappropriate, not only
would they have enough staff, but also their service quality would rise, as staff would
be retained long enough to learn their jobs.
Results suggest that many managers are caught in a destructive and
self-perpetuating cycle of workplace problems, some of which may derive from
constraints on spending, and therefore, on effective human resource management. The
tight operating margins common to hospitality organisations may be the result of a
labour intensive industry trying to compete with profit margins more easily achieved
elsewhere, such as in property investment.

Recommendations
Improving training is likely to reduce under-staffing, theft, constructive dismissals,
sexual harassment, and poor food hygiene, and solving staffing problems is likely to
reduce theft. Training may help break the cycle of reactive management by reducing
the incidence of costly workplace problems. In a persistent cycle, inadequate training
may lead not only to high staff turnover, but also to other workplace problems,
exacerbating turnover and strengthening the cycle.
The hospitality industry is largely comprised of young women with no formal
qualifications, supervised by older and better-educated males. The onus is on senior
managers to accept the responsibilities of their roles by using their knowledge and
experience to ensure not only that staff are trained and developed, but also, offered
some degree of pastoral care. Workers from vulnerable groups such as young people,
are likely to need more rather than less training, if they are to make a realistic
contribution to their workplace.

Conclusion
This study set out to identify the comparative severity of typical workplace problems,
and the relationships between them. Dissatisfaction with working conditions was
worse than anticipated, and worse than some managers realised, evidenced by the
inconsistency of responses between staff, supervisors, and managers. Some disturbing
anomalies emerged, such as management’s relatively low awareness of problems such
as unfair dismissals and poor training (Table III), while ostensibly puzzling over Hospitality
critical staffing shortages and high staff turnover. workplace
Young people attracted to the lively environment and accessibility of hospitality
work may lack the skills to defend themselves against behaviours such as sexual problems
harassment and unfair dismissal. The effect on workplaces is that older and cannier
managers find it easy to exploit young and enthusiastic staff, and the effect on
profitability is the cost of high staff turnover as the enthusiasm wanes. While some 423
turnover is inevitable, some is also redeemable. With proper training and development,
staff are likely to stay longer, perhaps making a career out of work that has an
engaging appeal to those who enjoy a stimulating and complex environment.

Limitations
As collecting data from hotels and restaurants proved difficult, almost half the
responses were collected directly from students, resulting in data skewed to younger
age groups and shorter employment lengths. However, as 31 per cent of Auckland
hotels surveyed by Milne et al. (2004) stated half their staff were under 25, use of
student (and therefore youth) data in this study is considered to have influenced, but
not invalidated findings. Although the results of this study indicate that training is
likely to reduce workplace problems such as theft and staff turnover, the study was
conducted in an area reliant on youth labour, and prone to staff turnover. Caution
should therefore be used in extrapolating the findings to other populations, especially
those in which staff are older and less transient.
It is a regret that more data were not collected on exact lengths of service and
turnover, as this would have facilitated a more rigorous analysis of the relationship
between staff turnover and other problems. Further research is also recommended to
confirm the strength of the relationship between training and behaviours such as theft
and unfair dismissal.

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Corresponding author
Jill Poulston can be contacted at: jill.poulston@aut.ac.nz

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