Work-related Stress in Hotels: An Analysis of the Causes and Effects among Frontline Hotel Employees in the Kumasi Metropolis, Ghana

Wireko-Gyebi Sampson

doi:10.4172/2167-0269.1000127

Abstract

Work-related stress has become an important issue within the hospitality literature. Inspite of the increase in the number of hotel facilities with its corresponding increase in employment opportunities in the Kumasi Metropolis little is known on work-related stress among frontline employees. Questionnaires were administered to 296 frontline hotel employees in the Metropolis with a view of assessing the causes and effects of work-related stress. From the study, it emerged that seven factors cause work-related stress. Frontline hotel employees indicated they suffer headaches, become frustrated and are unable to concentrate as a result of work-related stress. Hotel managers should address issues relating to training of frontline employees in the bid to empower them to handle problems that arise as a result of dealing with guests. Finally, frontline employees are encouraged to include relaxation activities such as exercising and taking enough rest in their daily routine.

Highlights

Work within the hospitality industry and for that matter, hotel, is highly labour intensive and has increasingly harsh environmental demands imposed upon it
Lo and Lamm [2] reported that working in the hospitality industry can be stressful and that many workers are vulnerable in terms of their poor working conditions and low wages
The above assertions give credence to the incidence of Work-Related Stress (WRS) among those who work within the hotel environment, especially frontline employees

Summary

Introduction

Work within the hospitality industry and for that matter, hotel, is highly labour intensive and has increasingly harsh environmental demands imposed upon it. Frontline work in hotels, according to Dann [3], place much emphasis on face-to-face contact with guests and the real time nature of service delivery means that workers in this environment are exposed to pressure of being required to respond to promptly. Hales and Nightingale [4], posit that frontline employees are ‘subject to a mass of competing, often contradictory or conflicting demands and expectations for a multiplicity of services’. This has the potential to affect frontline employees in relation to their output and can result in health related issues as well as absenteeism and labour turn over

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