Research Proposal

Flexible Work Environments and Staff Productivity in Australia's Hospitality Sector

Context of the Research

According to a Bain & Company's 2021 research, the widespread effects of the pandemic on business operations make it imperative that all workers, irrespective of position, gender, or status, have the option to choose their own schedules.

The fact that 90% of managers reported an increase or no change in productivity throughout the outbreak demonstrates the scalability of flexible and remote work arrangements (Gross et al., 2021).

According to the research, work-life balance and flexible work hours are becoming more common issues that impact all employees, not just women.

The strategic and financial necessity for flexible employment in the Australian economy has been heightened by the change in workplace expectations and practices. Flexible work arrangements have a favourable effect on economic performance, workplace parity for women, worker well-being, and work-life balance.

According to a 2022 study by EHL Insights, flexible employment arrangements have many benefits for the hospitality sector (Kim, 2022).

Flexible scheduling, remote work, and part-time employment allowed hotel staff more personal and professional freedom to manage their professional and personal lives, leading to a better work-life balance, greater organisational resilience, and more innovation, according to the study.

Providing employees with more leeway to choose their own schedules has become a symbol of positive and supportive work environments, and not only for women (Chung et al., 2021). 

Significance of the Research 

This study stands out because it aims to examine the difficulties managers have when trying to implement flexible work schedules, and it does so from the viewpoint of the hospitality business. This study is significant for many reasons.

The findings of this study will help close a significant information gap about the impact of flexible work arrangements on hospitality workers' productivity, and they will add to the ongoing discussion about the importance of work-life balance, gender equality, and economic success in the face of evolving workplace norms. Insights obtained can guide organisational strategies to boost employee happiness and output. This study's results could be useful for hospitality industry policymakers and managers, particularly in Sydney.

This research will be of great help to the hospitality industry, as well as to the area of organisation management and workforce management. This is especially true in the post-pandemic era, when flexible employment arrangements are becoming more valuable.

Review of Literature

There are different perspectives and conclusions in the literature on flexible work arrangements in Australia's hospitality industry. Most relevant to the current study are the trends and results of the flexible work schedule in the hospitality industry (Lei et al., 2021).

Many studies have assessed the pros and cons of work flexibility, especially in terms of domestic chores (Garrido-Moreno et al., 2021). For firms to get the most from flexible work practices, they must have clear objectives (Yousaf et al., 2020). Knowing this is crucial to the selection of methods.

Research on the hospitality business looks at two or three of the aspects of flexible working, including the degree of functional, numerical and monetary flexibility, and ways of physical distancing (Davidescu et al., 2020). According to research by Garrido-Moreno et al. (2021), companies should decide on their objectives before choosing a strategy to implement flexible working arrangements.

Literature Gap and Proposed Research's Potential Contributions

Even with all its publications about the pros, cons, and existing models, no one seems to understand how flexible work arrangements actually affect employees ' performance, or how managers go about trying to implement them here in Australia. 

This study differs from current research and will explore managers’ and employees‘ attitudes to flexible work schedules in Sydney's hospitality sector. The study will examine the specific problems that the managers experience when trying to implement flexible work arrangements. Sydney, Australia offers a unique lens showing how flexible work hours affect employee performance.

Aims and Objectives

Research Aim

This research aims to investigate how flexible work opportunities may affect employee performance in hospitality management in Australia.

Research Objectives

To explore or identify the perception of flexible working hours in the hospitality industry.
To recognize the challenges that managers may face in providing flexible work opportunities.

Research Approach

This is an inductive, exploratory study of the impact that flexible working hours have had on Australia's hospitality industry. If one studies a complex or little-studied problem without any preconceptions, then one can understand it completely. For lack of data, an exploratory approach will more fully explore the true impact on productivity in the Australian hotel industry and management concerns (Makri & Neely, 2021). 

With this in mind the study will disclose a host of nuances-complicated discoveries, varied perspectives, and emergent themes--and future research will show greater restraint. It is a great way to collect first-person accounts or observations from managers and employees, that kind of qualitative material that's so useful for putting the topic in context.

Research Methodology

Understanding the depth and complexity of human experience is important to this study on flexible work opportunities in Australia's hospitality industry. One way to do that, therefore, is through a qualitative research method. The method involves collecting non-numerical data, mainly in the form of interviews, observations and textual analysis. 

This is especially suitable for studying those subtleties behind flexible working hours among hospitality employees and managers in Sydney. Qualitative research can reveal the complex subjective experience, attitudes and motivations underlying people's perceptions (Stenfors et al., 2020). 

In this way, the study is able to reconstruct rich and detailed stories that quantitative methods might overlook. So armed with this technique, it can then provide a comprehensive portrayal of its subject.

Data Collection

• The method which this study will use to collect data is face-to-face interviews, as they elicit full and detailed answers (Opara et al., 2023). It delves deeper into participants' attitudes toward and experiences of flexible work schedules in the hospitality industry. 

• The interviews will last 45 to 60 minutes. Thus, participants will have plenty of time to talk about anything they like. The interviews will be semi-structured, which means that there will be some time for guided questions and some time for more open-ended conversation.

Possible Questions

• Is it possible to balance your work and personal life, and does it affect how happy you are in your job? 

• Could you kindly elaborate on any challenges you have encountered when attempting to establish or adjust to more flexible work schedules?

• In your opinion, how have flex-time policies influenced team morale and productivity?

• As a manager, how have you successfully led a team through a variety of challenging and ever-changing work environments?

• What would you recommend to make the most of flexible work arrangements in the hospitality industry?

• These questions are designed to gather information about the varied personal experiences of supervisors and employees in the hospitality business, in accordance with the study's objectives.

Population and Sampling

Population

Given Sydney's significance to Australia's hospitality industry, it is imperative that hotel management and staff in the city be the primary focus of this study. The members of this group provide a range of opinions on the topic of flexible work arrangements in fast-paced urban hotels, including their pros and downsides.

Justification of Convenience Sampling

• Practicality: Considering the study's geographical emphasis, this method facilitates access to numerous Sydney hospitality venues.

• Empiricism: Industries with a high volume of participants are likely to adopt convenience sampling due to its ability to reach out many people at once.

• Depiction: While this methodology may not produce a statistically representative sample of all Sydney hotel managers and employees, it does offer valuable initial insights into the study inquiry (Bhardwaj, 2019).

Data Analysis

• A theme analysis will be a part of the data analysis process after the interview materials have been transcribed. For it to be conducted, it is necessary to carefully examine the transcripts in order to find any insights, themes, or trends about flexible work schedules in the hospitality business. 

• By categorising data segments according to these themes, a thorough comprehension of the participants' viewpoints will be achieved. The subjects will be improved regularly as new data is examined using an iterative theme analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2022). 

• By employing this approach, we can gather comprehensive information regarding the many perspectives and personal encounters with the advantages and disadvantages of flexible work arrangements among managers and employees in Sydney's hospitality sector.

Anticipated Results and Consequences

The goal of the study is to provide insight into the relationship between flexible work hours and employee effectiveness. It will also show how difficult it is for managers to put these agreements into action. 

The results of this study will greatly impact the methods used by the hospitality sector to oversee staff management. They have the potential to inspire managerial practices and policy changes that create workplaces that are better for everyone involved. 

If this takes place, it may lead to an improvement in job satisfaction, worker retention, and overall organisational performance in the hotel business.

 

Top Management Samples

References

Bhardwaj, P. (2019). Types of sampling in research. Journal of Primary Care Specialties, 5(3), 157-163. https://journals.lww.com/jopc/fulltext/2019/05030/Types_of_Sampling_in_Research.6.aspx 
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2022). Conceptual and design thinking for thematic analysis. Qualitative Psychology, 9(1), 3. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/qup0000196 
Chung, H., Birkett, H., Forbes, S., & Seo, H. (2021). Covid-19, flexible working, and implications for gender equality in the United Kingdom. Gender & Society, 35(2), 218-232. https://doi.org/10.1177/08912432211001304 
Davidescu, A. A., Apostu, S. A., Paul, A., & Casuneanu, I. (2020). Work flexibility, job satisfaction, and job performance among Romanian employees—Implications for sustainable human resource management. Sustainability, 12(15), 6086. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12156086 
Garrido-Moreno, A., Garcia-Morales, V. J., & Martin-Rojas, R. (2021). Going beyond the curve: Strategic measures to recover hotel activity in times of COVID-19. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 96, 102928. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2021.102928 
Gross, A., Morphet, S., & Lyons, L. (2021, May 5). Flex for Success: Five practices that build a flexible workforce. Bain. https://www.bain.com/insights/flex-for-success-five-practices-that-build-a-flexible-workforce/  
Kim, S. (2022, September 29). The benefits of flexible working practices in the hotel sector. Hospitality News & Business Insights by EHL. https://hospitalityinsights.ehl.edu/flexible-working-practices-in-the-hotel-sector#:~:text=Our%20study%20shows%20that%20labor,not%20benefit%20individuals%2C%20only%20hotels. 
Lei, C., Hossain, M. S., Mostafiz, M. I., & Khalifa, G. S. (2021). Factors determining employee career success in the Chinese hotel industry: A perspective of Job-Demand Resources theory. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management, 48, 301-311. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhtm.2021.07.001 
Makri, C., & Neely, A. (2021). Grounded theory: A guide for exploratory studies in management research. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 20, 16094069211013654. https://doi.org/10.1177/16094069211013654 
Opara, V., Spangsdorf, S., & Ryan, M. K. (2023). Reflecting on the use of Google Docs for online interviews: Innovation in qualitative data collection. Qualitative Research, 23(3), 561-578. https://doi.org/10.1177/14687941211045192 
Stenfors, T., Kajamaa, A., & Bennett, D. (2020). How to… assess the quality of qualitative research. The clinical teacher, 17(6), 596-599. https://doi.org/10.1111/tct.13242 
Yousaf, S., Rasheed, M. I., Hameed, Z., & Luqman, A. (2020). Occupational stress and its outcomes: the role of work-social support in the hospitality industry. Personnel Review, 49(3), 755-773. https://doi.org/10.1108/PR-11-2018-0478