People & Organizations

Introduction Employee engagement and wellbeing play an important role in ensuring that service quality is achieved in the hospitality industry. This industry requires its workers to constantly interact with customers and maintain high levels of emotional control. Given the current state of the Sri Lankan tourism industry, where the economy and health crises have disrupted operations and led to the need for recovery, there are increasing pressures placed upon employees who are expected to provide high-quality services amid difficult working conditions. There is therefore a great importance of gaining an understanding of the concept of emotional labor, which was developed by Hochschild (1983). This can have a significant effect on workers' wellbeing, performance, and motivation in the hospitality industry. Content The emotional labor among hospitality employees could be explained using the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) theory, which explains that high job demands such as customer pres...

Introduction  In the hospitality industry, quality of service is contingent upon its consistency as well as flexibility. Within the intensely competitive and recovering tourism industry in Sri Lanka, hospitality services have to conform to international standards to the varied and changing requirements of their clients. This implies that there is a conflict between consistency and flexibility in terms of service provision in the hospitality industry. The relationship between service quality and control in the hospitality industry is significant to job design, motivation of workers, performance appraisal, and organizational controls. Thus, it becomes vital for hospitality organizations to ascertain how much control is appropriate within the organization.  Standardization and Organizational Control in Hospitality Industry Standardization involves the use of well-structured policies, procedures, and service protocols in order to achieve uniformity. For instance, in Sri Lankan hot...

Introduction In the hospitality industry, organizational culture plays a pivotal role in shaping employee behavior and service delivery. In Sri Lanka, where tourism remains a vital contributor to economic growth, hotels actively promote a culture of “service excellence” to align with global standards. This raises a critical question: how does this cultural expectation influence employee behavior, and what are its implications for both individuals and organizations? Additionally, this culture often determines how employees manage emotional demands and interact with diverse customers in high-pressure environments. Therefore, understanding its impact is essential for improving both employee wellbeing and overall service quality in the hospitality sector. Content In Sri Lankan hotels, employees are expected to consistently display politeness, attentiveness, and professionalism. These behaviors are not incidental but are deeply embedded within organizational culture. According to Schein’s t...

  Introduction In the Sri Lankan hospitality industry, multi-skilling has become increasingly common, particularly after the Sri Lankan economic crisis (2020–present). Due to staff shortages and cost pressures, employees are often required to perform multiple roles across departments. While this approach can improve organizational flexibility, it also raises concerns about employee wellbeing and fairness. Multi-skilling highlights the tension between organizational efficiency and the effective management of people. This trend has reshaped traditional job boundaries, making roles more fluid and less clearly defined. As a result, employees must continuously adapt to varying responsibilities in fast-paced environments. This shift calls for a closer examination of how organizations balance productivity demands with fair and supportive working conditions. From a Human Resource Management perspective, Flexible Firm Theory explains this trend. According to John Atkinson (1984), org...

Introduction In the hospitality industry, the phrase “the customer is always right” has long shaped service delivery. In Sri Lanka, where tourism is a key driver of the economy, hotels prioritize customer satisfaction as a cornerstone of their competitive strategy. While this approach can enhance guest experiences and build brand loyalty, it also places significant demands on employees, who are often expected to meet customer expectations even in difficult or unfair situations. Understanding how these organizational practices impact staff is crucial not only for employee wellbeing but also for overall service quality, team dynamics, and long-term organizational success.  One of the most demanding aspects of frontline work is emotional labor  the requirement to manage one’s feelings to meet organizational expectations (Hochschild, 1983). In practice, hotel staff often engage in surface acting , where they mask frustration or stress and present a calm, welcoming demeanor to gues...

Introduction If you’ve stayed in a Sri Lankan hotel recently, you may have noticed longer wait times at the front desk, slower room service, or staff juggling multiple roles in some hotels. Behind the scenes, the country’s hospitality sector is grappling with a serious and ongoing challenge: a shortage of skilled workers. Since the economic crisis of 2022, many experienced employees have sought opportunities abroad, while fewer young professionals are entering the industry. This shortage is more than a temporary inconvenience, it poses a real threat to service quality and guest satisfaction, highlighting the urgent need for hotels to rethink workforce planning, organizational structure, and employee management practices in response to a rapidly changing environment. Why Hotels Are Struggling In many hotels today, staff members are taking on multiple roles at once. Front office employees, for example, are handling reservations, guest relations, and administrative tasks simultaneously. ...

Introduction Sri Lanka is a society with a high Power Distance Index (PDI), meaning people generally accept significant differences in authority between managers and subordinates. In the hospitality sector, where hierarchy flows from General Managers to supervisors and frontline staff like room attendants, this cultural trait strongly influences Human Resource Management (HRM) practices. High PDI affects how employees are recruited, trained, motivated, and evaluated workers are often hesitant to question authority or speak up about problems, which impacts communication and decision-making within organizations. Understanding Power Distance is therefore essential for HRM, as it shapes management principles, employee relations, performance appraisal, and overall organizational effectiveness in Sri Lanka’s hospitality industry. In HRM theory, Hofstede’s Power Distance concept highlights how workers accept unequal power (Hofstede, 2011). In high‑PDI cultures like Sri Lanka, employees expec...