The Importance of Supervisor Support for Effective Hotel Employees

Abstract

Supervisors' support of employees promotes job embeddedness, which in turn encourages such essential job outcomes as effective employee performance and reduced employee turnover. The empirical research model tested in this study found that job embeddedness mediates the relationship between supervisor support and such organizationally valued job outcomes as service recovery performance, job performance, and turnover intentions. Data were obtained from 212 full-time frontline hotel employees and their immediate supervisors in four upscale hotels in Cameroon. By taking two surveys a month apart, the study could begin to assess the effects of job embeddedness on voluntary turnover. The chief implication for the hotel industry is that supervisors need to be given the tools to encourage and assist their employees. In addition, the hotel can establish human resource policies that give employees a chance to work as teams and become even more embedded in the organization.

Does workplace guanxi matter to hotel career success?

“…Burdened by stressful working hours, unpleasant work-family conflicts and considerable customer interactions, frontline employees are under constant internal and external pressure, yet are underpaid, undertrained and without much social support (Karatepe, 2009). In this circumstance, work social support from both coworkers and supervisors is positively related to frontline employees' job satisfaction and embeddedness (Karatepe, 2009(Karatepe, , 2013(Karatepe, , 2014, alleviates emotional exhaustion (Karatepe, 2009), and reduces turnover intentions (Karatepe, 2012). In contrast, a relatively small percentage of general managers are involved in back office affairs (Garavan et al, 2006).…”

“…For instance, employees in managerial positions may need more autonomy and discretion to deal with non-routine tasks, while lower level employees tend to rely more on social rewards such as exchange with coworkers (Ronen and Sadan, 1984;Wall et al, 2002). Frontline employees, burdened by stressful working hours, unpleasant work-family conflicts and considerable customer interactions, depend on support from both coworkers and supervisors for service delivery and career enhancement (Karatepe, 2009(Karatepe, , 2013(Karatepe, , 2014. In contrast, sales and marketing personnel have less peer-to-peer interaction and mainly report to their supervisors (O'Fallon and Rutherford, 2011).…”

Is the Impact of a Support System on Job Satisfaction Different between Employees in Taiwan and Mainland China?

“…attendance, salary management, and job instruction) not only increase work involvement and sensitivity among employees, as indicated by the principles of reciprocity and mutual benefit (Benn, Teo, & Martin, 2015), but they also affect employees' job satisfaction and willingness to work (Alfes et al, 2013a). Supervisor support also plays a critical role in an organization's support system because the LMX relationship affects the OMX relationship, which can be attributed to supervisors (as organizational agents) offering timely information or feedback influencing the work attitude, behavior, and performance of employees and their perceptions toward the organization for which they work (Karatepe, 2014;Paillé, Grima, & Bernardeau, 2013). Supervisors therefore represent or act as spokespersons for their organizations.…”

“…In recent years, given that businesses have paid increasing attention to ensure a healthy work environment and atmosphere, several studies have examined the effects of perceived HRM practices on work engagement (Alfes, Shantz, Truss, & Soane, 2013a;Bal, Kooij, & De Jong, 2013). Organizational support and a congenial work atmosphere can encourage em-ployees to hold positive perceptions toward their jobs, for which supervisor support and encouragement play a critical role (Karatepe, 2014). Given that supervisors are organizational agents for employees (Eisenberger, Stinglhamber, Vandenberghe, Sucharski, & Rhoades, 2002), care and encouragement expressed officially or unofficially by supervisors are conducive to developing a happy and focused work attitude among employees (Durham, Knight, & Locke, 1997).…”

“…Although HRM practices and supervisor support contribute to employee work engagement, few previous studies have discussed or verified their association with job satisfaction. From the perspective of social exchange theory (SET), effective HRM practices can be utilized to create a sense of employee achievement and satisfaction by improving their confidence and morale, increasing their energy and passion, and developing a sense of devotion toward the organization and their peers (Alfes, Truss, Soane, Rees, & Gatenby, 2013b;Giallonardo, Wang, & Iwasie, 2010), similarly, expressing consistent support and care to employees' concerns while offering timely assistance and encouragement enhances work engagement and job satisfaction (Karatepe, 2014;Swanberg, Mckechnie, Ojha, & James, 2011). However, whether work engagement plays a mediating role in this relationship requires further investigation.…”