Penn State Hotel Managers Initiative
(updated February 22, 2005)
CWFR researchers from Penn State’s School of Hospitality
Management (SHM) and the departments of Psychology, Labor Studies and Industrial
Relations (LSIR),
and Human Development and Family Studies (HDFS) are working closely together
on a set of inter-related, interdisciplinary research investigations of the
work-family interface in the hotel industry. The American hotel industry,
an important player in a national economy increasingly dependent on tourism,
is
an ideal context for increasing knowledge about what it means to work in
settings that put a high premium on customer service and operate on a 24 hours/7
days
a week/ 365 days a year basis. Goals of this initiative are to build a knowledge
base that will help us identify ways in which the industry can increase the
flexibility of the hotel workplace for managers and hourly employees and
to disseminate this knowledge effectively to the hotel industry. The studies
that
are part of the Initiative are listed below:
Hotels and Home Lives: A Qualitative Study of the Work-Family Challenges
of Hotel Managers, March 2003- June 2004
A program officer’s grant from The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation (Dr. Kathleen
Christensen, Program Officer) provided funding for the “Hotels and Home
Lives Study,” a set of pilot activities. The effort was spearheaded by
Jeanette "Jan" Cleveland (Psychology) and John O'Neill (SHM) in
collaboration with Nan Crouter (HDFS) and Bob Drago (LSIR). Jody Buffington,
a graduate student
in Industrial/Organizational (I/O) Psychology, coordinated the project.
The overall goal was to learn about how work and family life are interrelated
in the hotel industry and to identify work-family issues that stood out as
emblematic for managers. The project consisted of three activities:
? A qualitative study of 30 hotel managers and their partners or spouses.
Semi-structured home interviews with managers in a variety of positions (e.g.,
Rooms; Food
and Beverage; Sales; General Manager) focused on aspects of working in the
hotel industry that enhanced or interfered with life off the job; what it
takes to be successful in this industry; and industry norms about issues
such as "face
time" and geographic mobility. Spouses or partners were asked about
what it was like to live with and raise a family with a hotel manager.
? A series of single-gender focus groups with Penn State seniors majoring
in Hotel Management. In these audio-taped sessions, students were asked how
they
envisioned careers in this industry, why they chose the hospitality field,
and how they imagined combining work and family responsibilities.
? Development of an Advisory Board of hotel industry leaders. We invited
six high-level industry leaders to help us: (1) interpret and understand
our data;
(2) think through the full range of possibilities for the next stage in a
program of research in this area; and, (3) negotiate access and entrée
to hotel companies in the next stage of this program of research.
Hotel Work and Well-Being: The Penn State Hotel Managers Initiative, January
2005- December 2007
Building on the foundation of knowledge established during our pilot activities,
the team was funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation to conduct a more ambitious,
three-year plan of work, led by Co-PIs Nan Crouter (HDFS & CWFR) and John
O’Neill (SHM) in collaboration with David Almeida (HDFS) and Jan Cleveland
(I/O Psychology). Graduate students on the project include Michelle Harrison
(I/O Psychology) and Qu Xiao (SHM). The team seeks a full-time project coordinator
with extensive industry experience to serve as a liaison between project faculty
and the hotel industry. Penn State’s Survey Research Center works closely
with the CWFR team and is collecting much of the data.
The project includes three inter-related investigations:
? A telephone-administered survey of 500 hotel managers employed in a diverse
array of full-service hotels across the country about the quality of work
life, work-family conflict, and physical and psychological well-being. The
managers
will reflect a variety of family situations. For those living in partnered
relationships, we will request permission to conduct a short partner survey
about the implications of the hotel manager’s work situation for the
partner and family (we estimate about 150 spouses will be surveyed).
? A daily diary study of 120 hotel managers and their partners, recruited
from the study described above. These individuals will participate in a series
of
10 consecutive evening telephone calls focused on their specific experiences
that day on and off the job, their mood, and physical health symptoms.
? A series of in-depth, qualitative interviews with leading executives in
the hotel industry about how they conceptualize work life issues and workplace
flexibility. In these free-ranging conversations, we will ascertain how hotel
executives frame these issues; identify which issues they see as particularly
important—and why; and ask for suggestions about practical policies and
practices that would enhance managers’ workplace flexibility and facilitate
hotel companies’ ability to attract and retain this important human
resource.
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