Seeking Insights on Attrition Causes and Remedies for My Hotel Industry Project

Hello Summer Internship Hospitality Sector

Hello Seniors/Friends,

I'm Sonia Gurnani, currently in my 2nd year of MBA and undergoing my summer project in the Hospitality Sector. I'm working on it for the Hotel Industry at a 5-star hotel. My topic is Attrition Analysis.

I would be highly obliged if you could provide me with any sort of information that would be helpful to implement my project. My basic concern is related to the Causes and Remedies of Attrition and the levels in the hierarchy that are prone to attrition.

I'm reading a lot about my topic and also surfing the net. Any sort of help would be a guiding tool for me.

Thank you in anticipation.

Regards,
Sonia! 😊

Hello Sonia,

If you have read a lot, could you kindly write a 2-page synopsis of what you have read, the aim and objectives of your project, and any hypotheses you want to test. Please see my posts on Research Methodology and also MBA Project on MBO, which you could use as a guide.

Simhan
A retired academic in the UK

Hello!

Thank you so much for replying to my query.

I'm doing my project at Le Meredien.

This is a gist and the main facts of what I've read so far:

"The Hotel Industry, apart from being a lucrative and full of glamour, is one such industry where the compensation packages are too low, the work timings are difficult to manage, and create a problem for the employees to maintain a balance between their personal and work life.

Moreover, the cut-throat competition in this sector is an add-on to the problem of attrition.

Poaching (attracting skilled and experienced employees from other hotels towards their organizations) is one such practice that has been observed on a huge scale.

The problem of attrition is generally found in the level 3-4 comprising employees from the housekeeping, front office staff, etc., and not at the managerial level.

The recession, in a way, has proved to be a blessing for the hotel industry to prevent the problem of attrition."

The aim of my project is "To understand the problem of attrition in the hotel industry focusing on Le Meredien" (I'm still to finalize the wordings for the aim of the project).

The objectives:

1. To understand the scenario of attrition.
2. To understand the causes of attrition.
3. To analyze the causes and interpret the findings.
4. To suggest suitable recommendations.

I would be undertaking this study with the help of the exit interview forms and a personal interview technique with a sample of roughly 20. My research does not consist of any hypotheses. I hope that this matter has given you a rough idea about what I've understood so far.

Thank you once again!

Regards,

Sonia

Hello Sonia, as Nitin has pointed out, you need to narrow your scope: attrition of what type and grade of employees.

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Thank you!

Sir, it would basically be attrition of the employees working at the lower levels. This is because it is generally them who cause the organization to face the problem of attrition. I spoke to people working in this field and managed to collect some information. My research work would actually begin from July 1st.

My procedure would be something like this: I have to observe the filled-in Exit Interview Forms, then contact those employees on a personal level and through direct conversation, understand the actual reasons for their exit, and then provide my recommendations to the organization.

My question is, what types of different questions can I ask the employees so that I can understand the real reasons for their exit? Kindly guide me on this.

Thank you!

Hi,

Make the objectives as Primary objective and Secondary objective. If the population is small, the sample should be 75% of the total population. I think your sample size is very small; it may not be effective. I am also working on a project in the hospitality field.

Hello Sonia,

I am not an expert HR person. I suggest that you scan the web for exit interview questionnaires and select suitable questions. I am sure that when you conduct a "content analysis" of the exit interviews, you will get a feel for the reasons given by the respondents. Based on that analysis, you should devise questions for an in-depth survey.

May I please know what is the size of the population under consideration.

Best wishes,
Simhan

Hi Anand,

Thank you so much for your advice. I'll definitely keep that in mind and proceed. Which sector have you chosen in the Hospitality Industry, and what is your topic?

Regards,
Sonia

Hello Simhan Sir,

My sample size is not fixed but I'll surely let you know when I finalize it. Anyways, I'll definitely undergo the link given by you for the Exit Forms, and will keep you updated about my project. Sir, this is a request: if you find any useful link or any information relating to my topic, please do inform me.

Thanking You,

Regards, Sonia!

Dear Sonia,

I have read your need and can understand your situation. However, I cannot understand how you chose to pursue any study/research/internship/project without any guide or supervisor. You must be receiving guidance from your college as well as from your reporting manager in the hotel.

Please read some good and simple books on research methodology and then design your objectives, sample, methodology, tools, etc., to address your project wisely. Otherwise, you will be running like a misguided missile and end up with a poor quality project report.

I apologize if my words hurt you; nevertheless, you may still achieve good marks, but constructive learning may be lacking.

Best regards

Hello!

Thank you so much for your advice. I'll definitely read books before actually commencing my project. I do have an Internal Guide in my college, but since the number of students is very large, they seem not to be interested. So all of us students have to rely on other suitable sources. I'm new to CiteHr, but I've gained tremendous knowledge since I've been surfing this site. I'm here to interact with seniors, share information, and learn as much as I can. So please feel free to point out my mistakes. I'll only gain from it!!!

Regards,
Sonia