A Qualitative Study Investigating the Relationship Between the Implementing of HR Practices and the Turnover Rates in Dublin Cafés from the Perspectives of Front of House Employees Currently Employed in the Sector

Morrissey, Kate (2022) A Qualitative Study Investigating the Relationship Between the Implementing of HR Practices and the Turnover Rates in Dublin Cafés from the Perspectives of Front of House Employees Currently Employed in the Sector. Masters thesis, Dublin, National College of Ireland.

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Abstract

Background: As Ireland emerges from the Covid-19 restrictions, the hospitality sector is reporting a staff shortage of about 40,000 (McCullagh, 2022; O’Leary, 2022). The average rent in Dublin is now around €2,000 per month (Duffy, 2022) and yet the average wage for a FOH Dublin employee salary now stands at €11.47 (Indeed, 2022), making Dublin cafés a very precarious place to build a career. This research aims at filling a gap in the research surrounding HRM practices within the Irish hospitality industry, focusing on Dublin cafés and employee turnover. HRM and cafés has been described by scholars as an underdeveloped field (Knox, 2016; Lloyd & Payne, 2021). An abundance of quantitative research exists surrounding HRM and hospitality in a general sense, this research aimed to explore, through the perspectives of FOH café workers, whether the implementing of HR practices makes a difference to their turnover intent.

Methods: Semi-structured interviews were carried out, using convenience sampling. A total of 4 participants were interviewed based on their current employment in a Dublin café. A thematic analysis was used to analyse the data.

Findings: Dublin café FOH employees deem communication and T&D opportunities highly valuable and necessary. HR functions and café owners must engage with their workers on a continuous basis through check-ins, feedback sessions and make investments in their employees through T&D to increase their skills and knowledge. Speciality coffee is highly technical, and employers must nurture and support their FOH employees to avoid high turnover rates.

Conclusion: Simply having a HR presence is not enough, the HR function within a café must engage effectively with the workers if they want to retain their talent. The café industry in Dublin doesn’t just need talent, it deserves it. This may require employers investing in managerial training for upper management, investing time and resources into EE practices should be a priority going forward.

Item Type:	Thesis (Masters)
Subjects:	D History General and Old World > DA Great Britain > Ireland > Dublin H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor > Specific Industries > Hospitality Industry H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor > HD28 Management. Industrial Management > Human Resource Management H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor > Issues of Labour and Work > Staff Turnover
Divisions:	School of Business > Master of Arts in Human Resource Management
Depositing User:	Clara Chan
Date Deposited:	22 Jul 2022 12:52
Last Modified:	22 Jul 2022 12:52
URI:	https://norma.ncirl.ie/id/eprint/5691

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