The Hunted Gourmet September 2015 Industry Research Project Motivating casual employees in hospitality: Today and tomorrow. Page 2 of 45 I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ............................................................................................ 3 II. INTRODUCTION & PROBLEM STATEMENT ............................................................. 5 III. GOALS AND OBJECTIVES..........................................................................................7 IV. RESEARCH BACKGROUND- LITERATURE REVIEW ................................................... 8 V. METHODOLOGY .................................................................................................... 12 VI. TIMETABLE AND KEY PERSONNEL ......................................................................... 19 VII. FINDINGS ............................................................................................................... 20 VIII. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS ............................................................. 33 IX. REFERENCES .......................................................................................................... 36 X. APPENDIX .............................................................................................................. 40 Page 3 of 45 I. Executive Summary This study examines the attributes that motivate casual employee's within their workplace. The context of the study is a catering business called, 'The Hunted Gourmet.' Through developing a knowledge of these attributes, managers at The Hunted Gourmet will have the ability to more effectively attract and retain workers , and this is essential to its ongoing sustainability. Many studies have examined the motivation of employees within the hospitality industry, but few speak to the context of a the regional, high-end catering business setting such as The Hunted Gourmet. Thus to fill this gap, this study adopts a mixed methods approach , utilizing interviews and questionnaires - to offer an insight into what motivates casual employees at The Hunted Gourmet. Interview and questionnaire respondents were asked a range of questions concerning motivation, in addition to ranking the main motivators to work and stay within the firm. Findings were expected to show that money or wages would be the main motivator to work and it was, however, other factors were also popular choices and these included: x having fun and meeting new people x flexible hours x autonomy within the business. The respondent's age also appeared to be a significant factor influencing employee motivation, with the twenty-one and under age group generally indicating that money, having fun, and meeting new people was important to them in the workplace. While the thirty plus age group were motivated by autonomy, more money and recognition. This is significant for the future of the company and warrants attracting employees from each group. Page 4 of 45 The findings also support some changes in management thinking. Decision makers need to recognise that different motivators matter more or less to diverse age categories. Additionally, by promoting flexible hours, a fun working atmosphere as well as money will help The Hunted Gourmet attract young effective staff. The findings, however, also indicate , that no matter what attributes are promoted, young casual employees will leave the business to seek other careers. Employees under twenty-one mostly agreed that their hospitality work was just a stop-over job. The Hunted Gourmet will be required to work on those attributes of motivation that will encourage good staff to be retained within the business. Thirty years plus of age commonly have a shift in priorities to your mid to late twenties and this demographic regards job flexibility and recognition as more favorable attributes. Page 5 of 45 II. Introduction & Problem statement Introduction to The Hunted Gourmet The Hunted Gourmet is a high-end private and event catering business, which has been trading successfully for over 20 years. This business proprietor is Meryan McRobert who is a chef of high standing, and who is a passionate gourmand. Meryan is highly committed to furthering on the success of her business, and is generally an engaging entrepreneur. This business has a history of succuss, and this is significant as business failure is common in the hospitality industry, notwithstanding a sector-wide ethic of hard work, odd hours and demand turbulence. Major clients of The Hunted Gourmet include international, corporate Thoroughbred Horse Breeding Studs such as Coolmore, Darley and Emirates. Large corporate functions catered by The Hunted Gourmet are often upwards of 1000 pax. Smaller private events such as private dinners, weddings and general local functions make up all other catering income. The Hunted Gourmet has a focus on generating an outstanding service environment, whereupon operations are professional, the business concept Meryan McRobert and her professional team at The Hunted Gourmet always provide us with the highest quality catering and service at the many corporate functions we host each year. Excellence is always achieved regardless of whether we are entertaining a thousand people at a cocktail party, or thirty at an intimate client lunch – Darley Stud Page 6 of 45 mirror's a clear idea of the customers' demands and back of house deliverance coordination is highly effective. In this environment, the service contact point between customers and The Hunted Gourmet are the front-of-house staff. These staff need to be highly motivated and trained to generate positive outcomes for the business, so much so that the overall customer experience and indeed the long term business success of The Hunted Gourmet is very much tied to the staff members. Taken as a whole the business has been effectively marketed and has a strong permanent staff base of twenty employees. Casual workers within The Hunted Gourmet can be upwards of 150 people over a yearly period with many of these employees often only contracted for minimal shifts. In the context of this study, a ‘casual worker’ is defined as one who can be employed on a temporary basis, depending on the needs of the employer. Problem Statement 'The Hunted Gourmet is a high-end catering and event business which relies heavily on exceptional service delivery.' Meryan McRobert, Business owner. Exceptional service is connected deeply to motivated employees. Employee motivation can often elude this business due to: x Short term and seasonal employment x The regular rotation of casual staff working within the business x Menial tasks, such as polishing glasses or folding napkins. x Demanding clientele and environment x Deficiency of long term incentives Page 7 of 45 Multiple incentives are often required across various demographics to influence staff to want to do their best work. Motivated staff are a premium resource in a rural and regional areas and are difficult to come by. mployee motivation is defined as the eagerness or drive in an employee that directly influences their level of involvement or performance in the workplace." The purpose of this study is to determine what factors influence the motivation of The Hunted Gourmet employees. Short-term financial incentives are often the popular choice to foster motivation and are generally considered favourably by employees, however recent research has indicated that there are other factors that can significantly influence motivation. III. Goals and Objectives Noting that the largest part of The Hunted Gourmet's is casual employees, and that these employees largely provide the customer interface points, this research aims to: Goal 1 Discover the key factors that motivate casual staff working within The Hunted Gourmet. Goal 2 Align casual employee motivation with the future business operations i.e. plan staff attraction and retention models. The problem of motivation has not been previously addressed within The Hunted Gourmet. It is anticipated that this research will provide recommendations to enhance retention and motivation of casual employees in the business, enhancing the long term market viability. "E IV. Research Background- Literature Review Literature review Previous research on motivating employees in various hospitality services is extensive. Work motivation is psychological process resulting from the reciprocal interaction between the environment and the individual that affects a person's choices, effort and persistence (Latham and Ernst, 2006) . However, there is a lack of research examining employee motivation in the hospitality industry, and even less in the context of small/medium catering enterprises. Theories of Motivation The more traditional explanations of motivational theory include Maslow’s hierarchy of needs (1943), Hertzberg’s two-factor theory (1974), and expectancy theories proposed by Vroom (1964), Porter and Lawler (1975) and finally Locke and Latham's (2004) goal setting theory. Latham and Pinder (2005) believe there have been few fundamental new models on work motivation since. Poulston (2009) stated that several motivation theories that emerged from the last half century are so enduring, their application to current problems continues to be appropriate. Drawing together different motivational theories assists a business to review the attributes of motivation to work. Page 9 of 45 Motivation Attributes The term 'motivation' can be used in different ways, at its core, it refers to any sort of general drive or inclination to do something (Wildes, 2008). Motivation is categorised as either extrinsic (outside) or intrinsic (inside). Extrinsic motivation refers to the influence on attributes of external factors; examples include wages, commend/praise and standing. Intrinsic motivation refers to attributes that come from the inside, examples include challenging tasks, pride in making a difference, professional development from performing a job well. Intrinsic motivation is considered to be the reason why people do things a certain way without any external rewards. Workplace motivation focuses on the attributes of employee motivation and demographics within the casual work force and the hospitality industry. These include economic rewards, intrinsic satisfaction and social relationships. (Shin and Lee, 2011) Economic rewards comprise the pay and fringe benefits, which can satisfy a variety of needs including basic needs for survival (Maslow) , as well as a need for self-esteem and status (Gursoy, Maier and Chi, 2008), and these dominate the motivational theory. Economic rewards have significant motivating power as they symbolise many intangible goals and the satisfaction of needs. However, within the academic literature, there is controversy about the strength and effectiveness of money as a motivator (Kovach, 1995, Latham and Ernst, 2006). Page 10 of 45 The Growth of Casual employees The hospitality industry within Australia has experienced some substantial changes in employment patterns and arrangements over the past forty years (Enz, 2001 and Lowry, 2002). These changes include a growth of casual workers. This trend is suitable for the hospitality industry due to their inherit reliance on labour to fulfil the industries basic functions of customer service in mostly seasonal conditions (Poulston, 2009). Theorists have argued that the growth of casual employment has seen the greatest transformation and motivating these employees has become a common area for debate. Casual employment is not easily defined due to different legal definitions but Lowry (2002) explains that, in the broadest sense, casual employees are those who are not offered job security and are scheduled to work according to demand. Generational Differences A generation is defined as an identifiable group that shares birth years, age, location and significant life events. The shared experiences will influence the person on many aspects of their life including their work related values, attitudes and behaviors. For the first time in the history of the contemporary workforce, employees from so many different generations are working side by side and closely both with people who are as young as their children or as old as their parents (Prewitt, 2000). Baby boomers, Generation X and Y and the upcoming Millennials are competing for the same jobs There are large amounts of research completed on the different motivational attributes of the generations (Gursoy et al, 2008) and it is important for The Hunted Gourmet to give consideration to the current generations characteristics of those seeking casual employment. In particular, 'how appealing is the casual work offered by The Hunted Gourmet to each generation?'. The most recent entrants to the workforce and the largest employee group of The Hunted Gourmet is the group, Generation Y. This generation generally have high expectations, enjoy having fun at work and require a supportive and nurturing Page 11 of 45 environment (Buultjens and Cairncross, 2007). They lack long term commitment and attachment to an organisation (Choi,Kwon and Kim, 2011), which can be a significant challenge to the hospitality industry. While each of these four generations brings a highly valuable and diverse skill set, mindset, and perspective to the workplace, it is critical to understand each generation individually in order to maintain a good generational mix, which in turn will result in a continued competitive advantage in hospitality. Generation Z -Zeds- Born between 1995 - 2010 Managing Motivation Kruja, Ha, Drisht and Oelfke (2015) believe that managers need to motivate employees continuously and provide ongoing feedback. Employees need to feel good about themselves , have a sense of accomplishment, enjoy a challenging work environment and be given responsibility to be highly motivated within their workplace. Managers should also provide job training so employees can be fully skilled. Kusluvan (2003) states that the most important factor is that managers support and recognise employees. Page 12 of 45 II. Methodology Research approach and design A mixed methods research approach was adopted to examine employee motivation in The Hunted Gourmet. Mixed methods research is a methodology for conducting research that involves collecting, analysing, and integrating or mixing quantitative and qualitative research and data in a study. The research design is inductive based. This is best suited to the study of human behaviour and enables more flexibility in the research design.The purpose of this form of research is that both qualitative and quantitative research in combination, provide a better understanding of a research problem or issue than either research approach alone. Data triangulation can be an effective mechanism to increase the validity of claims made based off qualitative methods. Triangulation can occur by matching qualitative and quantitative results together, thereby backing up claims within the research. Page 13 of 45 The research phases While the findings of this study cannot be broadly generalised, they do provide a better understanding of motivational factors within casual workers employed in the business. The Hunted Gourmet is a small to medium business that employs permanent and casual staff. Semi-structured interviews with the business owner and event manager/front of house head were undertaken to identify the prevalent issues in motivating casual staff. Data Collection The qualitative data was collected via phases. Phase one was semi structured interviews with management. This was conducted with business owner and event manager. Phase two involved semi structured interviews with two current permanent casual staff Concurrent Triangualation Design Visual Model Qualatative Data Collection Semi structured interviews Observations Document and literature review Qualatative Data Analysis Thematic analysis Quantitative Data Collection Survey/Questionnaires for casual staff Quantitative Analysis Statistical analysis Page 14 of 45 members and two past casual employees of The Hunted Gourmet who had worked for more than two years with the business. These responses were analysed by theme analysis. Phase three involved observations within the workplace over the Stud Open days, a large catering event held at several horse studs over three days. The quantitative information utilised in this study came from data collected voluntarily via casual employees surveys. The questionnaire was designed by the researcher into four parts, these parts consist of A, B C & D: A. Basic demographical questions that assisted the researcher to analyse the data based on segments after the surveys were returned. B. Employees were asked to rank five incentives from 1-5, questioning how motivated they were for each incentive. The aim is for the rankings to reveal what employees value the highest and what is important to them. These rankings were also considered with their answers in other parts of the survey. C. Employees were asked to rank eight statements with levels of agreement, from strongly disagree to strongly agree. These statements were intended to deal with The Hunted Gourmet management styles within their workplace and included statements on various motivating factors such as financial rewards to recognition. D. The last section asks employees six multiple choice questions. This was reduced from the initial nine questions as the business and researcher thought the questionnaire was to lengthy for employees to complete. The multiple choice questions asked employees about their feelings towards the business on areas of communication, how important they are to the business and whether they are motivated in their current position. The quantitative research was carried out by issuing 30 employee questionnaires voluntarily to staff who work for The Hunted Gourmet in casual positions. The employees work in various positions, mainly service and front of house working positions. The surveys were distributed in the month of August 2015 at catering events Page 15 of 45 held off site. Surveys were handed out by various site supervisors and collected in sealed envelopes to maintain privacy of employees answers. The questionnaires were then handed to the researcher in the sealed envelopes. Methodology The qualitative research approach and design was commenced with interviews with the business owner, and the front of house supervisor. This was a semi structured interview based on their understanding of motivation within a hospitality business. Semi structured interviews are one of the best approaches to gather in-depth data as they allow the researcher insights into the business from the words spoken by the respondents. From these interviews, it was decided to conduct further semi structured interviews with two current and two past staff with motivation questions relating to communication, management, incentives, non financial incentives and income. The four respondents contacted were advised of their privacy in their participation and were willing to be interviewed. The two past employees had left the business to pursue their careers in other areas of hospitality. Interviews took place over early August 2015. It was also agreed that the researcher would carry out observation analysis within a real function. This was a participant observation and was carried out to reaffirm respondents theme analysis. Casual employees would be observed under real workings conditions on how they responded to their supervisor and their overall commitment to tasks. Employees were not told that they would be observed as the process of being told could have an effect & therefore change their behavior. The observation did not reveal any other attributes relation to motivation within staff. Page 16 of 45 Finally, due to the short time available to complete the analysis and the impossible logistics of gathering staff together at the same time, it was agreed that casual staff would complete a short qualitative survey. The qualitative type of survey does not aim at establishing frequencies, means or other parameters but at determining the diversity of some topic of interest within a given sample population. This type of survey does not count the number of people with the same characteristic (value of variable) but it establishes the meaningful variation (relevant dimensions and values) within that population. To assist the reader in how the survey responses will be analysed a short summary follows: x The first part of the survey was about collecting demographic data to determine the different responses from the responders demographics. While the demographics are known from the business HR records we still asked this question. While these surveys were distributed to similar employees, this information can give us insight into what is affecting their outlook on motivation compared to which demographic they belong to. x Part B of the survey was a ranking question and was simply analysed by a cumulative count and then put into a chart. x Part C of the questionnaire was a ranking section with eight statements from one through to six, ranking meaning 1 as strongly disagree and 6 as strongly agree. For each statement, the most common rankings chosen by the staff were calculated into a percentage for the 26 surveys. To do this, all of the rankings were compiled and then divided by 208 (the total number of points possible). Page 17 of 45 This was then multiplied by six to get the average ranking for each individual statement and then analysed. x Part D of the questionnaire was tabled for management and put into pie charts for each response and analysed. Thirty questionnaires were completed but only twenty six were deemed usable due to four incomplete surveys. Ethical considerations Within semi structured interviews, staff were advised that the business owner and manager would not be aware of who was interviewed and their identity would remain anonymous. Throughout observations within the workplace, staff were not informed that they would be monitored by myself. I would work alongside of them as I often do. This was done so that staff would not change their behavior if they were aware of the observation. This is often considered ethically grey , however no personal information was recorded, it is merely an observation of cognitive development between supervisors and staff on motivation techniques. Staff were formally advised that the surveys would remain totally voluntary and anonymous and had been approved by the business owner. Lastly the questionnaires were gathered from a sample of casual employees within The Hunted Gourmet and the results are based on the data collected from these casual workers. This survey does not necessarily represent the entire casual workforce of The Hunted Gourmet. Page 18 of 45 Questionnaire / Surveys Completed by casual staff - Anonymous Distribution will be at a large catering event. Confidential. Answers will be hand written – simplest option Interviews Individual semi structured Interview with business owner & supervisor . Individual semi structured Interview with two casual staff – 1 Gen X and 1 Gen Y Individual semi structured Interview with two past employees. Secondary Data Internal Data: personnel data from The Hunted Gourmet External Data: Academic journals, trade & industry publications, web. Page 19 of 45 Robyn Gaiter Researcher Business Owner Meryan McRobert Event Manager Fiona Scott Current & Past Permanent Casual Staff Casual Staff III. Timetable and Key Personnel List the key personnel who will be responsible for completion of the project, as well as other personnel involved in the project. Provided below is information on the expected timetable for the project. The project is divided into stages with a schedule for each stage. Description of Work Start and End Dates Stage One x Identify problem/s x Research background x Decide research methods and questions 29th June to 3rd August 2015 Stage Two x Conduct research and x Collect data x Analyse data 4th August to 5 September 2015 Stage Three x Report findings and x Identify strategies to implement within the business 5 September to 15th September 2015 Page 20 of 45 IV. Findings QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS The exploratory approach was used for this research and analysis followed Robert Yin's (2011) the five stage method for analysing qualitative data. To do this, firstly the data is compiled into a logical order, secondly the data is disassembled and the key themes are identified, thirdly, the data is reassembled around key themes to observe links, fourthly, reassembled data is interpreted to express coherent concepts as they appear in the data and lastly a conclusion of the summations from the analysed data. Phase one commenced with of the semi structured interviews with the business owner, Meryan McRobert and the general manager, Fiona Scott . These are successful women who have been managing the business profitably for over twenty years. From these interviews, comments were noted: Positive Response Negative Response What is motivation (General conversation) Energy Working hard to achieve a goal Positive Behaviour A persons behaviour Making money What motivates you? Achievement Recognition The work itself Responsibility Advancement Growth Making money Power Page 21 of 45 Management practices that effect motivation Respondent 1: I try to find good staff who have some kind of connection to the business or from good schools or the young people of previous employees. I try to offer flexibility to staff and work in with their families. Respondent 2: Having a good team is the key, they will motivate each other. If your motivation is positive it generally rubs off on the other staff - even when they come in grumpy! Communication is key, even when I feel I have said something ten times. Respondent 1: Sometimes staff just need a good bullocksing (rant). We ask a lot from staff at times. Long shifts working in the middle of a paddock in a marquee in terrible weather conditions. Staff get worn out. Respondent 2: Sometimes I think the staff have no idea how to be effective! Often they are not generally supportive and spend a lot of time whingeing or trying to get out of work. I often assume what motivates me, motivates them. Penalty rates should motivate anyone. A great manager is able to interpret an employee’s motivators Respondent 2: If I have a casual staff person who is negative I will compliment them. Eg, 'That's a beautiful scarf you are wearing, you obviously have style, I need staff with style to do ..." Usually a compliment will change their attitude. Respondent 1: Mostly I have little spare time to interpret staff motivators, on the job you are just too busy and I rely on others to do this. Sometimes when the pressure is on I just raise my voice. Several themes emerged from these semi structured interviews. Management believed that employees needed to be well presented and have the confidence to deal with Page 22 of 45 people in a manner appropriate to the business. They also needed a strong work ethic and to understand that there was a maturation process, 'you cannot be a supervisor after one shift'. Training and required job skills 'could be taught on the job'. The high labour turnover was seen as a problem especially in a tight field of casual staff. Management also believed that for most generation 'y' and 'millennial' saw the employment within the hospitality industry as a 'stepping stone to getting a real job'. These comments are interesting and show an overall lack of commitment towards casual staff as they are turned over fairly regularly. While Human Resource practices are generally targeted at permanent staff, this is not an option for The Hunted Gourmet. With the decline in permanent work, sometimes casual work is the only option available for workers. The second phase of the semi structured interviews proved to be more insightful. Lengthy discussions followed by thematic analysis uncovered the following issues. Staffing The analysis of the interview data found that casual staffing often relied on who was available at the time of the function. All of the respondents felt that little regard is given to the priority of employing good staff. 'It feels like we get a new bunch of employees at every large function' said one respondent, "this takes up valuable time explaining basic workplace duties like setting a table". Management confirmed that " we spend little money on advertising for function staff, people are employed via my connections, school and family friends". All respondents gave similar reasons for high employee turnover including the pressure of school or university studies, moving away to the city, changing careers to more reliable or daytime hours and some treating the casual work as a filler or until something better came along. Small hospitality businesses in rural areas have very few qualified staff, hospitality students will often work on larger functions but they are also in training mode. This puts a lot of pressure on the more senior casual staff. Page 23 of 45 Performance management The lack of recognition and feedback available to casual workers on a job well done was mentioned several times. This reflects a lack of focus on treating the worker as an individual and can often leave the worker with a sentiment that they are just a means to an end. Short term incentives and rewards In determining the satisfaction of incentives, it was agreed to concentrate on short term incentives as opposed to long term incentives due to the short time staff are employed within hospitality service. Most agreed that penalty rates for weekend work was a motivator and given the nature of hospitality, weekend work is customary. The current attitudes towards cutting penalty rates for casual workers sends out a clear message to employer groups who have recently advocated the removal of such rewards. Aside from ethical issues associated with fair wages and reward, abolishing penalty rates may see a greater level of turnover, lower levels of commitment and job satisfaction and a poorer level of customer service. Other incentives such as a Christmas party, meals and drinks were also mentioned. One respondent explained that "I have been working with The Hunted Gourmet for several years and have not once been to a Christmas party, sometimes it would be nice to be Page 24 of 45 thanked". While Christmas and hospitality are extremely busy times, management will be advised that often small tokens go a long way. Training There was a general agreement by management and staff regarding the apparent lack of training for casual workers. "Often staff are thrown in at the deep end and its sink or swim". Training can assist casual employees achieve work goals and in turn will be more motivated to return to the workplace. Wages Receiving wages was considered a very popular motivator. It was mentioned regularly across all phases. Management stated that "We pay very fairly at The Hunted Gourmet, often above the award rate". All respondents were in agreement that there pay was a fair wage but occasionally late in receiving the money. As per the literature review it was found that money is a real motivator for employees to work in the first place but a good working environment is a greater influence in keeping them longer. High-quality work atmosphere Another popular motivator among the respondents was having a good work atmosphere and having fun. This also included having autonomy and being given responsibility. One respondent thought that 'higher wages does not necessarily make you happy but feeling good at and about work does'. For management this could mean a shift in attitude as the views of casual employees in this research clearly indicates a need for some Human resource management of casuals Page 25 of 45 QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS Surveys/questionnaires This research was completed using the input of casual employees who are currently employed at The Hunted Gourmet. The qualitative data employed the use of frequency analysis and the responses were mapped into graphs by using Microsoft excel. Casual employees were surveyed for the purpose of allowing us to discover what it is that is most motivating to them working within The Hunted Gourmet. As qualitative research is limited in its ability to draw conclusions that are representative of a total or sample population, data triangulation can be an effective mechanism to increase the validity of claims made based off the qualitative methods obtained from the semi structured interviews. Triangulation can occur by matching qualitative and quantitative results together, thereby backing up claims. In order to best evaluate which factors are most and least critical to staff, the study has been split into different sectors. These sectors came from the semi structured interviews and from the literature review. They include: x Communication x Income x Non financial incentives x Long & Short term incentives Demographic Statistics Twenty six people completed the survey correctly. Of these, 10 or 8% were male, 15 or 59% were female and 1 or 4% were transgender. Within the age range 16 of the participants were under the age of 25 and 9 of these under 21. 80% of the age group under 25 were female. Twenty thee participants were either single or living in a Defacto relationship with the majority having completed high school only. It should be noted that due the young age of respondents it could also be expected that most had not yet completed their education. Nineteen or 73% of the respondents had worked for The Hunted Gourmet for less than two years. Page 26 of 45 For comparative purposes, the prototype casual worker for this study was; x female, x approximately aged under 21, x single x with a high school education. Sex status Age Range 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 Male Female TransgenderPage 27 of 45 Education Marital Status Length employed at The Hunted Gourmet 0 2 4 6 8 10 Under 21 21-25 26-35 36-50 51-69 0 5 10 15 High School Cert ii/iii Trade/dip Degree Other 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18Page 28 of 45 Part B of the survey asked respondents to rank certain attributes to what motivates them. While we expected that wages would be a popular motivator and give a low cumulative score, it actually scored 2nd of the 5 most important motivating incentives. The surprise here was that what motivated the 21 and under group most was having fun and meeting new people. Findings varied slightly among age groups with flexibility being somewhat important, ranking 3rd. The prestige of working for The Hunted Gourmet was noticeably unpopular which was originally thought by management to be ranked in a better place than this. Throughout the initial interviews with management and senior staff this was thought to be a major motivator. The following table displays the respondents rankings from 1 to 5. Ranking Motivator 1 Having fun within the job & meeting new people 2 Wages 3 Job Flexibility 4 Recognition of good work 5 The prestige of working with The Hunted Gourmet 0 5 10 15 20 < 1 year 1-2 yrs 2-4 yrs 4-6yrs > 6 yearsPage 29 of 45 Part C of the survey asked staff to rate several statements regarding The Hunted Gourmet. This revealed interesting information regarding incentives. Overall most answers were in agreement to the statements with the strongest agreement being the statement that The Hunted Gourmet is a good place to work. Participants were also strongly agreeable to the financial incentives of working. The statements of the possibility of promotion and gaining proficiency in the job were the least agreeable within this section of the survey. PART C Strongly Disagree ↔ Strongly Agree SD % D % SWD % SWA % A % SA % Genuine interest 4 15 1 4 0 5 19 11 42 5 19 Care about employees 3 12 2 8 0 2 8 14 54 5 19 Places great emphasis on creativity 3 12 0 2 8 0 10 38 11 42 Promotion influences my performance 5 19 4 15 1 4 4 15 7 27 5 19 Financial incentives 3 12 1 4 2 8 2 8 8 31 10 38 Achieving recognition and credit 3 12 2 8 3 12 3 12 9 35 6 23 Gaining proficiency at my job 4 15 4 15 2 8 4 15 9 35 3 12 Within this section numbers of 3-5 employees strongly disagreed to all statements and while it is expected that the statements of the possibility of promotion and gaining proficiency in the job were the least agreeable. Also of concern is the first statement on management showing a genuine concern in motivating employees. This can effect motivation if an employee feels neglected. PART D Part D answers and graphs are listed below, and this part was the most favorable section towards the business. Concern for management here is that there were staff members, although low numbers, who displayed strong issues towards the business. Some felt that there work is of low contribution to the business and two respondents felt that they were neither financially rewarded or thanked. This could be due to time poor supervisors or perhaps management and supervisors having issues with this Page 30 of 45 employee. While most employees felt motivated at work, nine respondents felt somewhat motivated. 'Somewhat motivated' could result in mediocre customer service and a standard not positive for The Hunted Gourmet. Given time this should be researched further. 1 Communication at The Hunted Gourmet is ______________________________ (A) Highly effective and makes me feel like an integral part of the team. (B) fairly strong and allows me to understand most of what is going on in the company on a daily basis (C) lacking in certain areas and could use some improvement (D) poor and leaves me feeling left out and in the dark in many circumstances 2 My boss or immediate supervisor__________________________ (A) talks to on a regular basis about work and shows a great interest in getting to know me personally (B) talks to me fairly regularly and is generally helpful and friendly (C) talks to me only when necessary or when problems arise (D) rarely talks to me and shows little interest in getting to know me personally A, 6 B, 16 C, 3 D , 1 Page 31 of 45 3 I feel that my work__________________________ (A) is very valuable to the business (B) is necessary but sometimes unrecognised (C) does not contribute as much to the business as I would like it to (D) is completely pointless 4 When I do a great job on a function within The Hunted Gourmet, I am _________________ (A) financially rewarded (B) praised and personally thanked for a job well done (C) Both A & B (D) Neither A nor B A, 12 B, 11 C, 1 D , 2 A, 13 B, 8 C, 3 D , 2 Page 32 of 45 5 At work, I feel ____________________________ (A) respected and highly valued (B) appreciated (C) often overlooked (D) under appreciated and ignored 6 I am ________________________ within my current job at The Hunted Gourmet (A) very motivated (B) somewhat motivated (C) unmotivated (D) very unmotivated A, 5 B, 12 C, 6 D , 3 A, 12 B, 10 C, 2 D , 2 Page 33 of 45 V. Conclusion and Recommendations The hospitality industry has faced many challenges throughout the years in terms of motivating, managing and retaining its worthwhile human capital and The Hunted Gourmet is no different. Motivation within staff is hard to measure due to factors that vary between individuals, however we do know that employee motivation is vital to the success of the business. We know this from various researchers and from experience within the hospitality industry. Motivation problems can lead to issues such as poor productivity, staff retention and morale which in turn leads to poor customer service. Recognition of the problem is the first step and the business is to be commended for acknowledging this and allowing the research to take place. Based on this research employers must acknowledge that employee groups change and have differing needs and with changes employers will need to recognise and evolve to succeed. While there are numerous studies on employee motivation, few exist for the small, rural enterprises in hospitality. This research was developed to better understand casual personnel's motivation and commitment to The Hunted Gourmet. The findings from this study are by no means conclusive as it is based only on a small sample. The research discovered that money is indeed a major motivator. Employees also believe that having fun, fair wages and job flexibility were all high motivators for casual staff. There were differences of opinion from some respondents on the recognition of a job well done and achieving tasks within the casual staff. This shows that the casual permanent staff have A, 15 B, 9 C, 1 D , 1 Page 34 of 45 different motivators than that of the casual staff. This is to be expected as autonomy was a recognised motivator within the research. One speculation is that wages and fun pale in significance to gratitude and proficiency if casual employees feel that their time at The Hunted Gourmet will be short lived. The other speculation is that age is pivotal in these results. Casual staff under 21 are the largest demographic within this business and this is due to two factors. One, is that they are the cheapest to employ and therefore profitable to the business and the secondly, is that they are keen to work the hours that that hospitality demands. Again if the employee sees their position as temporary employment, fun and money will be an important factors. It is proven within many studies that workplace fun is motivator and ultimately a boost to the hospitality business. With the employment of Generation Y and Generation Millennial, the industry will see changes in cultures as these generations bring new perspectives to the workforce. However, it cannot be left unsaid that most young casual employees will leave the business regardless of the motivators developed to keep them. Keeping this in mind the business needs to work on those attributes of motivation that will encourage good staff to want to work within their industry. Motivation to work can be essential for employees to endorse their work, thereby attracting others to work for The Hunted Gourmet. According to the analysis in this study, The Hunted Gourmet would do well to strategically market to employees under twenty one to attract them to work and the aim to retain workers over thirty years of age. This makes sense as it is common for priorities to shift in your mid to late twenties and this demographic regards job flexibility and recognition as more favorable motivation attributes. Spending more effort on training so that a positive impact is developed between server and customer. This will build the casual employees confidence within the service orientation and ensure job satisfaction. The business will achieve the high level of customer service from the job satisfied casual employee. Furthermore allowing the casual employee to have input into the process of staff training will show a greater Page 35 of 45 commitment to the employee and the result will be highly motivated employees. The issue of casual employee commitment is important to this business as committed employees are more reliable, tend to work harder and perform better. Motivational attributes within The Hunted Gourmet Under 21 (Attract) • Fun • Meet friends • Money Over 25 • Money • Flexibility • Promotion • Communication 30+ (Retain) • Recognition for work • Money • Empowerment Page 36 of 45 VI. 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Appendix Appendix 1 Semi structured interview questions and responses within The Hunted Gourmet Permanent casual staff Please note: the highlighted areas are the common themes within the discussion. ▪ What are the factors affecting motivation in this business? Money, penalty rates, job flexibility, recognition of good work, having fun at work, meeting new people, parents making me get a casual job, working with good people. ▪ Are you aware of different motivators for different age groups? Page 41 of 45 Yes. Very much so. Most Younger people need pushing. The older staff have more respect and work harder. Young staff are too casual. Young ones need more manipulation and often encouragement. ▪ Has the motivation of casual employees increased over the past few years or have you noticed a decline? Gotten better, smarter. Still needs some work. Depends on the staff that you are working with - some really good - some really bad. Young people can be difficult. ▪ What are the factors that you believe would enhance motivation within The Hunted Gourmet Better communication. Keep the good staff. We are asked who were the better performers by management but they never seem to get those good ones back. Acknowledgment of work well done. Sometimes we feel that we are just a means to an end. Longer shifts & shorter shifts - we either work very long shifts (10-16 hrs)or really short ones(2-3hrs) Incentives -providing meals, drinks, xmas party, higher pay for those who are better at their job. ƒ Does The Hunted Gourmets current culture positively / negatively affect motivation within the business? I believe we are mostly positive. Sometimes we get too busy and forget about others. Sometimes we are given to much to take on and treat staff poorly. Management is sometimes evasive. ƒ In your opinion, 'What actions can be taken to improve the motivation capacity within the business?' Communication - better explanations of what's happening. Respect among all staff Guidance Employing better staff Employee retention - it appears there is no attempt to keep the good staff Give employees a voice, often we have good ideas but no one wants to listen. Page 42 of 45 Appendix 2 Casual Employee Motivation Questionnaire Please DO NOT put your name anywhere on this paper PART A General Information Please circle the appropriate option What is your sex? Male Female What is your status? Single Defacto/In a Relationship Married Separated Divorced What is your age range? Under 21 21-35 26-35 36-50 51-69 Over 69 Education Level High school Certificate II/III Trade/Diploma Degree Other................................... How long have you been/were employed by The Hunted Gourmet? Less than 1 year 1-2 years 2-4 years 4-6 years Longer than 6 years PART B - What motivates you to work? Please rank the following incentives from Most motivating (1) to Least Motivating (5) ________________________Salary/hourly wage ________________________Job Flexibility ________________________Recognition of good work ________________________Having fun within the job & meeting new people ________________________The prestige of working with The Hunted Gourmet Page 43 of 45 PART C: Please rate (circle)the following statements about your work at The Hunted Gourmet based on your level of agreement from 1 (Strongly disagree) to 6 (Strongly Agree): 1 Management shows a genuine interest in motivating employees Strongly disagree 1 2 3 4 5 6 Strongly agree 2 Management seems to care about employees on both professional and personal levels Strongly disagree 1 2 3 4 5 6 Strongly agree 3 The Hunted Gourmet is a good place to work Strongly disagree 1 2 3 4 5 6 Strongly agree 4 The possibility of getting a promotion influences my performance Strongly disagree 1 2 3 4 5 6 Strongly agree 5 Financial incentives motivate me to do my best work Strongly disagree 1 2 3 4 5 6 Strongly agree 6 Achieving recognition and credit motivates me to do my best work Strongly disagree 1 2 3 4 5 6 Strongly agree 7 Gaining proficiency at my job and mastering my position motivates me to do my best work Strongly disagree 1 2 3 4 5 6 Strongly agree 8 Seeing the positive impact my work has on the business and with our clients motivates me to do my best work Strongly disagree 1 2 3 4 5 6 Strongly agree PART D: Please circle the multiple choice answer that best fits your feelings about various aspects of your current job at The Hunted Gourmet: 1 Communication at The Hunted Gourmet is ______________________________ (A) Highly effective and makes me feel like an integral part of the team. (B) fairly strong and allows me to understand most of what is going on Page 44 of 45 (C) lacking in certain areas and could use some improvement (D) poor and leaves me feeling left out and in the dark in many circumstances 2 My boss or immediate supervisor__________________________ (A) talks to me on a regular basis about work and shows a great interest in getting to know me (B) talks to me fairly regularly and is generally helpful and friendly (C) talks to me only when necessary or when problems arise (D) rarely talks to me and shows little interest in getting to know me 3 I feel that my work__________________________ (A) is very valuable to the business (B) is necessary but sometimes unrecognised (C) does not contribute as much to the business as I would like it to (D) is completely pointless 4 When I do a great job on a function within The Hunted Gourmet, I am _________________ (A) financially rewarded (B) praised and personally thanked for a job well done (C) Both A & B (D) Neither A nor B 5 At work, I feel ____________________________ (A) respected and highly valued (B) appreciated Page 45 of 45 (C) often overlooked (D) under appreciated and ignored 6 I am ________________________ within my current job at The Hunted Gourmet (A) very motivated (B) somewhat motivated (C) unmotivated (D) very motivated Thank you for completing this Employee Motivation questionnaire. Your participation is greatly appreciated. These questionnaires will remain anonymous. These questionnaires have been approved by Meryan McRobert (Merv).