Work attitudes of Generation Y in Macau’s hotel industry: management’s perspective

Abstract

Purpose – This study aims to explore the factors that affect the work attitudes of Generation Y towards the hotel industry in Macau from the perspective of senior management. Design/methodology/approach – Using a purposeful sampling method, an in-depth interview with five executives in the hotel industry who are having a supervisory or managerial role from different departments and types of hotels was undertaken; the executives have a supervisory or managerial role from different departments and types of hotel. Findings – The results reveal that attitudes of Generation Y lack the key aspects that potential staff should carry, but organizational culture and human resource management strategies, as well as external environment, can influence Generation Y’s work attitudes and loyalty. The findings also indicate that building Generation Y’s positive work attitudes and moderating the negatives are vital roles of human resource management strategy to maintain service performance. Originality/value – A comprehensive Generation Y work-attitude framework is developed, and this study incorporates practitioner engagement in real-world practice, which impacts upon service performance in the hotel industry.