Are your employees engaged? Drivers of hotel employees' work engagement, job satisfaction, and intention to quit

The purpose of the present study was to examine drivers of Jamaican hotel employees' engagement and how these drivers relate to organizational and demographic characteristics. The study also investigated a model depicting the relationship among employees' engagement, job satisfaction and intention to quit. Survey data were collected from non-supervisory employees in mid-upper scale hotels in three resort areas in Jamaica. Empirical analyses were conducted using descriptive statistics, t-tests, analysis of variance, and hierarchical regression. Findings indicated that many factors impact hotel employees' engagement. The top drivers include: organizational benefits, fairness and justice, good working conditions, developmental opportunities and job security. Employees' age and department were related to engagement. Similarly, demographic and organizational characteristics determined what drives engagement. Results showed that engaged employees were more satisfied with their job and had a less likely intention to quit. Findings indicated that job satisfaction partially mediated the relationship between employee engagement and intention to quit. The study demonstrated the relevance of employee engagement in impacting organizational outcome beyond job satisfaction. Implications, limitations and recommendations for future study are discussed.