Quality of work life in the resort spa industry

Abstract

ABSTRACTDue to the rapid growth and the changing economy in recent years, spas have experienced increased challenges in the recruitment and retention of a quality workforce. This has resulted in greater concern for human resource practices within the industry. The purpose of this study was to understand quality of work life practices within the resort spa industry. Results were broken down by category. Motivation findings included the most important company attributes to be “good working conditions,” “good wages,” and “feeling appreciated” and most common positive attributes of the respondent’s direct supervisor to be “welcomes input” and “works hard.” Benefits most valued included health insurance, retirement plans, bonuses, and dental insurance. Sixty-four percent indicated training to be effective in their organisation, where 80% indicated a desire for more training. Performance evaluations were noted to be both important for self-development (93%) and motivating (92%). Overall, respondents indicated their current organisation has met or exceeded their expectations (83%). Importance-performance analysis revealed that resort spas are succeeding at “good working conditions,” “full appreciation of work done,” “job security,” “interesting work” and “feeling of being involved,” but need to improve in their “loyalty to employees,” “good wages,” and overall QWL.