Multigenerational Perspectives on Job Satisfaction among Hotel Employees

Author

Masita Misdi, Southern Illinois University CarbondaleFollow

Date of Award

12-1-2019

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Department

Workforce Education and Development

First Advisor

Sims, Cynthia

Abstract

Previous research has shown that job satisfaction contributed to better employee engagement and intention to stay in organizations. Hotel employees who are satisfied with their job pursue their job tasks in a quality manner which possibly will establish competitive advantage for hotel organizations. This study extended the prior work of intrinsic motivation from the job itself based on Job Characteristics Model by examining: (1) the differences in job satisfaction of chain hotel employees from three generations; Baby Boomers, Generation X, and Millennials, and (2) to compare and contrast the generational perspectives on job satisfaction. The job satisfaction was measured in terms of the core job characteristics, critical psychological states, aspects of the jobs, and feeling of other employees with similar jobs. The Job Diagnostic Survey (JDS) was used in this study with some demographic questions. A purposive sample of 108 chain hotel employees from five hotel chains in three counties in southern Illinois participated in this survey. One way ANOVA and Welch ANOVA were conducted to investigate the differences between groups. The Games-Howell post-hoc test was used to confirm group differences. Overall differences were found between Baby Boomers and Millennials and between Baby Boomers and Generation X. There were no overall differences found between Generation X and Millennials. The findings indicated that Baby Boomers have the most engagement in the workplace and have more intention to stay in hotel organizations.