The research proposal talks about the causes of employee turnover and absenteeism in City Limits Hotel. The organization has experienced high employee turnover in the recent years affecting its operations. As such, the human resource manager must conduct research to determine the factors that have caused the issue because it is affecting the operations of the business. In this regard, the research proposal is organized into three sections for effective research. The first chapter is about the research problem and background that helps to understand the underlying facts of the issue. The chapter also presents the research objectives and questions that guide the entire research. The second chapter is about literature review that discusses the scholarly reviews about employee turnover and absenteeism at the workplace. The section helps to have a clear knowledge about the topic and relate it to the situation at City Limits Hotel. In chapter three, the researcher will discuss the research methodology used in the study process. The organization of the chapter is necessary as it helps to conduct the study effectively.
The hospitality industry is one of the fastest growing industries generating income to the government. However, the industry has experienced high employee turnover and absenteeism which is worrying to the investors in the industry (Karatepe and Karadas 2014). High workforce turnover has impacts on business operations. For instance, it increases the cost an organization incurs in reorganization because the human resource manager has to hire employees regularly to fill the vacant positions. In the process, it affects employee productivity adversely affecting the competitiveness of the business.
The reason why the management of an organization is worried about the issue is that it has a direct relationship with the profitability of the business. It is the responsibility of the human resource manager to take appropriate measures to control the absenteeism of the employees (McPhail et al. 2015). It is because managing the welfare of the employees contributes to maintaining the culture of the business and team working. The employees leave the organization because they are not satisfied with the working conditions and they need to search for better jobs elsewhere.
City Limits Hotel is one of the organizations that have encountered the issue of employee turnover and absenteeism. As a result, the operational expenses have increased, and this implies that the profitability of the business declines. Besides, hiring new employees means that they will take time before they adapt the new culture of the business (Torrington et al. 2008). The clear indication is that the employees are not satisfied and the human resource manager is not practicing best employment practices. It is true that challenges can arise between the employer and the employees, but the human resource manager can exercise personal experience to solve the issues.
On the other hand, the factors that influence the performance of the workforce directly include the level of compensation. Every employee expects the employer to be competitive about remuneration so as to improve the motivation of the employees. If the employees think that the employer is exploiting their skills without competitive payment structure, they can seek for better working conditions elsewhere, and this affects the productivity of the employees (Stredwick 2005). Also, lack of motivation is another factor directly affecting the productivity of the workforce. The human resource manager can use various strategies to motivate the workforce. They include better working conditions and employee engagement in strategic management. Therefore, the human resource manager should put in place measures to ensure that workforce is satisfied so that they enjoy working together.
Most managers think that it is costly to meet the needs and expectations of the employees. Rather, they focus on creating value for the customers failing to take into account the issues affecting the employees. In this case, the workforce keeps moving from one place to another where the employer can meet their needs (Hesketh et al 2014). In this case, the human resource has to balance the interest of different stakeholders so that they can work as a team to realize the vision and mission statements of the business. However, the hindrance is that they do not understand the causes of employee turnover. As such, it is important to research about the factors causing employee turnover so as to address the issue properly. In this regard, the proposal aims to find out the factors causing high employee turnover.
The aim of this research proposal is to investigate the causes of high employee turnover and absenteeism.
This research proposal is guided by the following objectives;
The following questions guide the research proposal.
This chapter reviews existing literature about the employee turnover and absenteeism. It helps to provide a clear background about the factors causing high labor turnover and the strategies the human resource managers are applying to manage the issue at the workplace with the aim of improving the performance of the business. The section discusses these issues in line with the research goals and objectives.
Various factors influence the labor turnover at the workplace. The first one is poor working conditions. The employees wish to work in an environment where the employer has put in place strategies to provide safe working conditions (Guest 2013). However, if the employees are not satisfied with the working conditions, they tend to search for better working conditions elsewhere, and this increases employee turnover.
Another factor is the lack of competitive remuneration package. One of the objectives of the employees is to provide quality labor services to the organization and in turn expect effective remuneration package. However, if the human resource manager fails to pay the employees competitively, they will keep searching for better working places where they can meet their financial needs (Foot 2011). Therefore, it is the responsibility of the human resource manager to review the prevailing market conditions and develop an effective compensation strategy satisfies the workforce.
Another factor is the lack of employee engagement in the decision-making process. The human resource manager should engage the employees in making managerial decisions so that they can develop their skills (Foot & Hook 2008). However, in cases where the employees are not involved, they feel oppressed as they think that the employer is not recognizing their efforts. In the process, they can seek for better services elsewhere hence increasing the labor turnover, and this affects the operations of the business.
The first effect of high employee turnover is that it affects the profitability of the business. It is because newly hired employees take time before they adapt the culture of the business. It means that at first, their productivity will be low because they do not understand how the business is doing its operations (Armstrong 2006). Also, the cost incurred while hiring new employees can affect the profitability of the business. Therefore, regular recruitment causes business disruption affecting activities in the business.
Another effect is that it affects the morale of the remaining employees. For example, when most of the group members leave the organization, the morale of the remaining employees will be low because they were used to doing things with the leaving employees. In the process, the productivity of the remaining employees will be low because they think that the management is not doing enough to retain competent workforce (Bamberger and Meshoulam 2000). Besides, the leaving employees can influence the other employees to leave the company, and this can paralyze the operations of an organization.
High labor turnover affects damages the reputation of a firm. The employees in the labor market will wonder why such a firm can lose employees at a high rate. In the process, little employees will want to work in the company (Bhatnagar and Sharma 2004). Even when the human resource manager advertises for vacant positions, few applicants submit their applications, and this affects the operations of the business because it will not have access to the competent workforce.
The human resource managers are interested in solving the issues of absenteeism so as to improve the performance of the workforce. The first challenge is the lack of employee engagement. Failing to engage the employees in solving the issues that affect them can be tricky because regardless of the strategy the manager develops the employees will not support it (Dransfield et al. 2006). In this regard, the managers should engage the employees in making decisions as a way of understanding the factors leading to increased absenteeism.
Another challenge is the lack of top management support. A human resource manager can develop an effective strategy that focuses on reducing employee turnover, but without the support of top management, it will be difficult to implement the strategy (Christensen 2011). It is because the interests of top management are different and there can be a conflict of interest between the senior staff and the line managers (Fleetwood and Hesketh 2009). In this effect, the managers can control absenteeism if they work as a team and avoid conflict of interest as well as engaging the employees in finding the solution affecting their well-being at the workplaces.
If the management fails to solve issues affecting employees, an organization will fall. The first strategy applied in solving conflicts includes compensating the employees well. Every organization wants to retain skilled labor by offering unique working conditions taking into account the needs and expectations of the stakeholders (Corbridge and Pilbeam 2008). One reason why employees keep moving from one organization to another is that they want better pay. Therefore, the human resource manager should develop an effective remuneration package to motivate the workforce to remain working for the company.
Another strategy is to offer training and development opportunities. The objective of the employees is to develop their skills to greater heights and become competent in the labor market. However, if an organization does not create these opportunities, it will not be possible to satisfy their needs (Bloisi 2007). Therefore, the human resource manager should create opportunities that allow employees to develop their skills and this contributes to the ability to attract and retain labor in the organization.
Some of the factors influence the performance of the employees. The first factor is skills and expertise. When the employees are skilled, they can utilize their skills to improve their productivity. However, when they have limited skills, they need guidance and close supervision so that they can perform their duties as expected (Beardwell and Claydon 2014). Therefore, the level of experience and expertise can affect the performance of the employees.
Also, the level of employee satisfaction is critical as it influences their commitment towards various tasks. If the employees are not satisfied, they will be slow in doing performing their activities. However, high motivation level promotes responsibility among the workforce because they work under minimal supervision and having the vision of improving the performance of the organization (Bagshaw 2004). Also, training and development are critical as it helps to develop labor skills to increase their efficiency at the workplace.
Managing workforce turnover and absenteeism is critical because it influences the performance of an organization. The factors that contribute to high employee turnover include lack of effective compensation, low skills, and poor leadership. An organization that experiences high labor turnover can experience low productivity and damaged the image in the labor market. In this regard, it is important for the managers to take initiatives that can manage employee turnover and focus on building favorable working environment. The strategies the management can apply include building partnership working, better compensation and rewards and improving the working conditions.
The section discusses the methods used to conduct the research proposal. It is significant for the investigator to conduct the research study using appropriate methods because it helps to collect adequate data for the study to answer the research questions effectively. Therefore, the methodology sections discuss research design, data collection methods, data analysis, and discussion.
The research design used in this research study is explanatory research design. It is because other scholars have tried to conduct research on the same topic but have not managed to find critical answers to the research design (Berg 2008). Also, the technique is selected because it helps to collect adequate data that helps to understand the research topic effectively and improve the decisions the managers make regarding workforce.
The advantage of using descriptive research design is that it improves the understanding of the study. It enhances the knowledge of the researcher in the study topic and draws conclusions that improve the decision-making process. Also, the technique is appropriate because it helps to test the concept before putting into action (Bischoping 2009). Besides, it assists the researchers to conduct the study effectively because they can access the adequate amount of information about the research topic. Finally, it helps to promote flexibility of the research process. Therefore, the technique is effective because it helps to enhance the reliability of the research study.
The method used to collect data in this study is the primary method. It means that the researcher will use primary data to answer the research questions. The reason why the researcher opts to use primary methods of collecting data is that the method helps to collect first-hand information that can help the researcher to explore the research topic effectively (Bell 2005). However, the investigator uses secondary information through literature review to understand the concept of employee turnover and absenteeism. Therefore, a literature review is critical because it helps to understand the underlying facts about employee turnover thus improving the decision-making process.
In this study proposal, the researcher will use questionnaires to collect data. The questionnaire will be used because it helps to gather adequate data used in the research process. The instrument is helpful in collecting data because of its ability to collect sufficient data from the respondents thus improving the reliability of the findings (Bryman & Bell 2003). Besides, the questionnaires are flexible because the researcher can change the questions in the tool to suit the changes in the process of collecting data. In this effect, they are practical to collect data relevant to answering the research questions. Most importantly, they are cost effective, and this makes the entire process of conducting the study flexible.
The research study will use questionnaires to collect primary data from the respondents. As a result, it is important to use an adequate technique to select the sample from the population. In this, the study will use a random sampling technique to select the sample (Bryman & Bell 2003). This is the approach where the investigator identifies the population and selects the sample randomly. The method is chosen because it helps to promote equality since every individual in the community will have an equal opportunity to take part in the study process. Therefore, the technique contributes to improved results. However, in some cases, the style is discouraged because it might lead to selecting individuals who do not have adequate experience regarding workforce management.
The sample size the researcher will use in the study is 100 participants. They include senior management staff, the line managers including human resource manager and finally the employees who help to understand the reasons for their turnover (Eriksson & Kovalainen 2008). The reason why the researcher will use the sample is that the number is manageable and possible to analyze the findings effectively. As such, it will be possible to complete the study including analysis of the results.
The researcher must apply research ethics so as to finalize the research study effectively. The first issue to take into account is honesty. It means that the researcher will have to collect data and analyze it as it is without making any changes. In this way, the findings of the study will be reliable. Further, the researcher should respect the opinions of the respondents without trying to make them change their minds (DeMarrais & Stephen 2010). In this effect, the findings will find out the causes of employee turnover and absenteeism from the workplace. Finally, the researcher will analyze the results using tables and graphs so that the readers can understand the findings adequately.
The following is the estimation of the budget to incur during the entire study process;
|
Activity |
Cost ($) |
|
Topic selection |
30 |
|
Developing research questionnaire |
50 |
|
Literature review |
100 |
|
Data collection |
200 |
|
Data analysis and presentation |
50 |
|
Total |
430 |
The research project is expected to take eight weeks. The most important thing is that the investigator should allocate time effectively to each activity so as to avoid wasting time. The diagram below shows the estimated schedule;
|
Activity |
Duration |
|
Selecting the topic |
1 week |
|
Designing the questionnaire |
2 weeks |
|
Literature review |
2 weeks |
|
Data collection |
1 week |
|
Data analysis |
1 week |
|
Data presentation |
1 week |
References
Armstrong, M 2006, A Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice, 10th ed. London: p Kogan.Page.
Bamberger, P, and Meshoulam, I 2000, Human Resource Strategy. Thousand Oaks (CA): SagePublications.
Bhatnagar, J, and Sharma, A 2004, Strategic HR Roles in India: HR Dares to be the Think Tank? Management and Labor Studies. Vol. 29, No. 3, pp. 153-222.
Bagshaw, M 2004, Is Diversity Divisive? A Positive Training Approach. Industrial and Commercial Training, Vol. 36, No. 4, pp. 153-157.
Beardwell, J and Claydon, T 2014, Human Resource Management: A Contemporary Approach 7th ed. Boston: Pearson
Berg, B 2008, Qualitative research methods for the social sciences. 7th ed. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
Bischoping, K 2009, Review of Social research methods: Qualitative and quantitative approaches, 5th ed. Palgrave Macmillan.
Bell, J 2005, Doing your Research Project 4th Ed., Maidenhead: Open University Press.
Bryman, A & Bell, E 2003, Business Research Methods, Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Bloisi, W 2007, An Introduction to Human Resource Management London: McGraw-Hill.
Corbridge, M and Pilbeam, S 2008, Employment Resourcing. New York: FT Prentice Hall.
Christensen, H 2011, HRM, and Universalism: Is there one best way? International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality, Vol. 14, No. 2, pp. 221–228.
Dransfield, R. Howkins, S. Hudson, F and Davies, W 2006, Human Resource Management for Higher Awards. London: Heinemann.
DeMarrais, K. B & Stephen D. L 2010, Foundations for research: Methods of inquiry in education and the social sciences. Mahwah, NJ: L. Erlbaum Associates.
Eriksson, P & Kovalainen, A 2008, Qualitative Methods in Business Research, 1st ed, London: SAGE Publications Ltd.
Fleetwood, S and Hesketh, A 2009, Understanding the Performance of Human Resources, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Foot, M and Hook, C 2008, Introducing Human Resource Management 5th ed. Harlow: Financial Times Prentice Hall
Foot, M 2011, Introducing Human Resource Management 6th ed. Harlow: Financial Times Prentice Hall.
Guest, D. E 2013, Personnel Management: The end of orthodoxy? British Journal of Industrial Relations, Vol. 29, No. 2, pp. 147–175.
Hesketh, I., Cooper, C.L and Ivy, J 2014, Leavism and public sector reform: will the practice continue?, Journal of Organizational Effectiveness: People and Performance, Vo. 1, No. 2, pp. 205 -212.
Karatepe, O.M., and Karadas, G 2014, The effect of psychological capital on conflicts in the work–family interface, turnover and absence intentions. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 43, No. 3, pp.132-143.
McPhail, R., Patiar, A., Herington, C., Creed, P. and Davidson, M 2015. Development an initial validation of a hospitality employees’ job satisfaction index: Evidence from Australia. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, Vol. 27,No. 8, pp.1814-1838.
Stredwick, J 2005, An Introduction to Human Resource Management 2nd ed. London: Elsevier.
Torrington, D., Hall, L and Taylor, S 2008, Human Resource Management, Harlow: Financial Prentice Hall.
Essay Writing Service Features
Our Experience
No matter how complex your assignment is, we can find the right professional for your specific task. Contact Essay is an essay writing company that hires only the smartest minds to help you with your projects. Our expertise allows us to provide students with high-quality academic writing, editing & proofreading services.
Free Features
Free revision policy
$10Free bibliography & reference
$8Free title page
$8Free formatting
$8How Our Essay Writing Service Works
First, you will need to complete an order form. It's not difficult but, in case there is anything you find not to be clear, you may always call us so that we can guide you through it. On the order form, you will need to include some basic information concerning your order: subject, topic, number of pages, etc. We also encourage our clients to upload any relevant information or sources that will help.
Complete the order form
Once we have all the information and instructions that we need, we select the most suitable writer for your assignment. While everything seems to be clear, the writer, who has complete knowledge of the subject, may need clarification from you. It is at that point that you would receive a call or email from us.
Writer’s assignment
As soon as the writer has finished, it will be delivered both to the website and to your email address so that you will not miss it. If your deadline is close at hand, we will place a call to you to make sure that you receive the paper on time.
Completing the order and download