Abstract Book of the 6th International Conference on Tourism Management and Hospitality
Year: 2025
[PDF]
The Link Between Work Conditions and Quit Intentions in the South African Hospitality Industry: A Focus on Bloemfontein
Dalene Crowther, Dennis Yao Dzansi, Thulani Frans Masuku
ABSTRACT:
High employee turnover remains a persistent challenge in the South African hospitality industry, particularly in the food and beverage departments of graded hotels. This study examines the relationship between work conditions and employees’ intention to quit, using Bloemfontein as the focal context. This research aims to determine how various dimensions of the work environment contribute to staff resignation, providing insight into more effective retention strategies. This study employed a quantitative research method grounded in the positive paradigm and data were collected through structured questionnaires from 92 food and beverage employees in Bloemfontein. The study followed Saunders et al.’s research onion framework and the data was analysed using SPSS. The findings highlight that most work condition factors significantly influence employees’ intention to quit. Support was found for five of the seven hypotheses, indicating that working hours, workload, growth opportunities, wages, and supervisory support were key predictors of turnover intention. Notably, supervisory support and growth opportunities reduced resignation intention. However, contrary to expectations, job flexibility and existing retention strategies did not significantly impact employees’ decisions to quit. The study concludes that although most work condition elements are instrumental in shaping turnover intentions, current retention practices may be ineffective and require strategic re-evaluation. These findings provide practical implications for hospitality managers and policymakers striving to enhance workforce stability within the food and beverage sector.
Keywords: employee turnover, food and beverage employees, influence, retention strategies