The Mediating Role of Satisfaction on the Relationship between Professionalism and Employee Continuity in Hospitality Industry

ABSTRACT Continuity of employees in the organization is important as it saves costs, ensures quality, and enhances guest satisfaction. In the service industry, employee continuity is considered more important than the abilities possessed by the employee. Hospitality organizations are service organizations with high employee-guest interaction and need high levels of employee professionalism and professional satisfaction leading to guest satisfaction. This paper tests the relationships between employee professionalism, professional satisfaction, and employee continuity. Employee professionalism has been conceptualized as the importance given to the organization, its goals, and rules and procedures, while employee professional satisfaction is conceptualized to be achieved from job satisfaction and guest satisfaction. Data have been gathered on 200 employees from their superiors of various hospitality organizations in Goa, a major tourist destination in India, using a structured questionnaire. The analysis using structural equations modeling showed that employee professionalism significantly influenced employee continuity mediated by employee professional satisfaction. Multiple methods have corroborated the results. The findings are of theoretical importance and practical significance since it confirms the need for high professionalism among hospitality staff, which substantiates the need to train the staff in professionalism. Heads of the Departments can design various training activities to incite high professionalism among the staff.