Part-Time Event Management Employee Expected Quality of Work Life

Grace Suk Ha Chan

doi:10.5539/ijbm.v10n5p233

Abstract

Research has highlighted the importance of quality of work life in hotels and restaurants, with less attention paid to event management. Given the rapid growth of event management in Hong Kong and consequent increase in demand for part-time staff, this study investigated the quality of work life expectations and perceptions among such staff. Data from in-depth interviews with 10 event management practitioners were analysed using grounded theory. The results suggest that event management organisations can develop human resource policies to improve both the quality of their part-time employees’ work lives and the fit between staff members’ needs and organisational benefits.

Highlights

Hong Kong is well known as the world’s third-largest trade exhibition destination
The event management industry contributes a great deal to the Hong Kong economy, it creates a number of problems
A number of practical implications for human resources (HR) practitioners can be drawn from the findings of this study

Summary

Introduction

Hong Kong is well known as the world’s third-largest trade exhibition destination. Its leading position as a venue for conferences, exhibitions and corporate meetings provides 70,000 full-time jobs per year in a market worth almost half a billion Hong Kong dollars (Hong Kong Exhibition Convention Industry Association, 2010). The event management industry contributes a great deal to the Hong Kong economy, it creates a number of problems. 39% of event management practitioners report that their family relationships have been damaged due to a lack of work-life balance (Siu, 2013). The long work hours, shift work, unfamiliar work environment and demanding customer base in the event management industry are taken for granted, and this pressure forces individuals to make decisions about the balance between work and family. Achieving a good work-life balance has become a powerful human resources (HR) tool worldwide, and is worth studying in a context characterised by long and irregular working hours. As the event management industry is currently finding it difficult to attract and retain high-quality employees, businesses within it need to adopt an employee-centred and integrative approach to QWL programmes

Methods

Results

Conclusion