Dealing with poor working conditions in tourism – from theory to practice

Dr Andreas Walmsleyandreas.walmsley@plymouth.ac.uk

Is there a problem? An early study (Tomoda, 1983) with

reference to Japan concluded that “the working conditions in the HRC (hotel, restaurant and catering) sector as a whole compared with other sectors can be summarised as unsatisfactory or even deplorable”.

Is there a problem? So, has anything changed?

• Baum (2007) recently reviewed the state of human resources in tourism and comes to the same conclusions as Tomoda in 1983, as does a report on policies and trends in tourism compiled by the OECD (2012).

• The WTTC recently commissioned a report into graduate perceptions of career opportunities in the sector for fear of missing out on talent (WTTC, 2013).

• “The predominance of on-call, casual, temporary, seasonal and part-time employment is related to insecurity, comparatively low pay…job instability, limited career opportunity, a high level of subcontracting and outsourcing, and a high turnover rate.” (ILO, 2010)

Is there a problem?• Tourism Concern’s

All Inclusive Report (launched only last week):

“Our findings reveal that the tourist sector in the countries studied is characterised by:

Precarious work

Low wages

Long working hours

Unequal opportunity”

“While we understand that these problems exist in a range of hotels, and are the result of inadequate labour law, minimal or no labour inspection, extensive subcontracting and low levels of union density, the impacts are greatest in all inclusive hotels.”

Is there a problem? Ok, so the picture is

anything from rosy…but

Questions about the nature of the business-society relationship are increasingly being asked

Exemplary employers do, of course, exist

It is certainly not all doom and gloom!

How to tackle the issue Awareness and behaviour change Short term: draw on existing theory

and practice outside tourism (e.g. Change Management)• Kotter’s 8 step change model

Increase sense of urgency Building the guiding team Creating the right vision

Creat

ing a

clim

ate

for c

hange

How to tackle the issue

Buy-in needs to come from the top• Not everyone’s views will change

immediately

When managers, including CEOs, justify their actions by pleading powerlessness in the face of external forces, it is to the

dehumanization of practice that they resort. When they claim that competition or capital markets are relentless in their demands, and that individual companies and managers have no scope for choices, it is on the strength of the false premise of determinism

that they free themselves from any sense of moral or ethical responsibility for their actions. (Ghoshal, 2005: 79)

How to tackle the issue Continued engagement between

stakeholders is called for• Social dialogue (employees, employers,

governments...and others?)• Everyone gains

In particular, we note that to generate the innovativeness and creativity required to develop a

sustainable business over the long term, an organization must progressively become a site for dialogue and collaboration. Therefore, CSR-related values must become deeply integrated into the management

philosophy and organizational culture (Maon et al. 2010:35)

How to tackle the issue Educating the next generation of

leaders• Invest in education in the areas of

responsibility/business ethics/sustainability• Education for Sustainable Development

Knowledge, Skills, Attitudes and Values necessary to shape a sustainable future (UNESCO)

• Holistic Pedagogy Aims: wisdom, compassion, wholeness (see for

example Jack Miller’s work in this area)

In sum: Continue to work with industry/work ‘in the

field’ (drawing on Ghoshal)• A commitment to field research, built on a profound

respect for practitioners• Engagement and ongoing dialogue with

practitioners• But: do maintain academic respectability by

combining rigour with relevance Continue to educate for responsible

tourism/responsible citizens• Admittedly not always easy in a climate where the

economic imperative prevails