Keyword

COVID-19, HR strategies, hoteliers, business sustainability, Ghana

Abstract

The main objective underlying the study is to assess human resource strategies adopted by hoteliers in Ghana during the COVID-19 pandemic period and their sustainability.   The target population of the study was 725 and this comprises of 471 and 254 hotels from Greater Accra and Ashanti regions, respectively.  Using Guilford and Fruchter (1973) formula, a total sample size of 371 representing both regions was used for the study.  The study shows that employees’ lay off is considered as the main Human Resource (HR) strategy hoteliers in Ghana adopted during the COVID-19 pandemic period to salvage their businesses in terms of meeting employees wage bill though there were other HR strategies that could have been adopted.  Among other HR strategies include operationalizing established pandemic fund, reducing employees working hours, temporary converting employees’ full-time jobs to part time and re-training employees to use alternative means of doing business.

The study revealed that, the lack of interest for majority of hoteliers to pursue other HR strategies other than laying off their employees, was due to the absence of policies developed by the central government to support the implementation of the other HR strategies as pertains in countries such as Japan, Australia, Ireland, Canada, United States of America and France.  

The originality of the study was based on the novel nature of the COVID-19 and the fact that, research has not been conducted on how hoteliers in Ghana are surviving through the use of HR strategies to salvage their businesses.  The main limitation of the study was based on restrictive selection of only hotels in Ghana for the study though, there are different segments such as food and beverage, travel and tourism and recreation that completes the hospitality industry in Ghana.


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