Cultural diversity in hospitality work

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to address the growing importance of migrant workers to the hospitality industry of peripheral locations in the UK. The paper draws on data collected through in-depth surveys of and focus group discussions with migrant workers in hotels in three peripheral locations in the UK. Findings point to varied experiences for international workers in terms of recruitment and selection of international workers; their work-related and social integration within the workforce and the wider community; aspirations for training and development among international employees; insights into the futures that migrant workers see for themselves; and their overall experience of living and working in the UK. The study is located in three regions of the UK and each study is of relatively small scale. This is a potential limitation but compensation is afforded by the depth of information collected in each location. The study suggests that employers are unwilling to invest in the development of international staff who have high levels of general education and training that is not sector specific. Promotion opportunities are seen to be limited. The paper points to the need for hospitality management to make more effective use of this source of labour. This paper is the first to undertake a study of the migrant worker experience in peripheral areas of the UK and to focus on a diverse skills sector such as hospitality

Employment experiences of Polish migrant workers in the UK hospitality sector

“…Finally, it builds on previous work by Baum et al (2007) and Devine et al (2007aDevine et al ( , 2007b by illustrating the mixed, multidimensional experiences of culturally diverse migrant employees in the sector.…”

“…wanted to enter the labour market at the earliest opportunity and it supports the argument that Poles may not be well prepared in job searching abroad, or they may be students looking for summer employment. Although migrants have a high level of educational attainment (Anderson et al 2006;Devine et al 2007aDevine et al , 2007bBaum et al 2007), they are not willing or able due to financial imperatives to spend time searching for jobs. Instead, they enter the labour market on the first available occasion.…”

“…Although accurate figures are difficult to obtain, there are an estimated 610,000 Polish workers registered as employed in the UK (Home Office, 2009). It is widely recognised that these figures are underestimated, with variations reported by different agencies (Lyon & Sulcova, 2009) In tourism studies, Poles are recognised as the largest group of international workers in the UK (Baum, Dutton, Karimi, Kokkranikal, Devine & Hearns, 2007;Devine, Baum, Hearns, & Devine, 2007a, 2007bEvans, Wills, Datta, Herbert, McIlwaine & May, 2007). As with any influx of foreign employees, changes in the receiving countries workforces have been reported, with migrant workers having economic, social and cultural effects at the destination.…”

Hofstede’s Model: Cultural Differences in Hospitality Sector and Experiences of a Migrant

“…Studying diverse culture brought by employees from various backgrounds is vital in the work place for various reasons like establishing and maintaining proper work culture in order to promote elevated levels of output in an organisation. Justification which supports this argument is that studying cultural diversity helps in keeping migrant workers in high spirits and due to this increased level of morale they are able to fill the gap of required skills which a local may not [5]. Hence, by studying and resolving the cultural issues an organisation can keep its employees in a joyful mood and can increase revenue.…”

Migration and Innovation at the Bottom End: Understanding the Role of Migrant Managers in Small Hotels in the Global City

“…There is a long history of migrant employment in the hospitality industry in the UK, and more generally in Europe. Traditionally concentrated in urban areas, the migrant workforce is now more widespread in non urban and less culturally diverse places (Baum, 2007, Warhurst et al 2006. However, London remains dominant and Gordon et al (2007), based on the Annual Population Survey, suggest that over 60% of the jobs in hotels/restaurants and domestic services are filled by migrant workers.…”