Structural Change and Employee Satisfaction of Privately-Owned Hotels in Nigeria

Abstract

The hospitality industry in Nigeria is going through a process of transition due to the pandemic effect of the coronavirus (Covid-19). A new policy has been given by the government as a result of coronavirus, which required certain structural changes that demand employees to be more proactive and flexible to maintain efficiency in operations. Thus, hotel organizations in Nigeria must be flexible to quickly react and adapt to internal and external changes influencing their operation. Due to the close interaction between employees and customers, there can be direct effects of the change process on customers' patronage when certain structural changes occur. Therefore, this study examines structural change and its influence on employee satisfaction in selected privately owned hotels in Abuja, Nigeria. A closed-ended questionnaire was administered to a sample of 397 employees online. A 5-point Likert scale was designed to capture and measure employees’ perceptions on variables relating to structural change and employee satisfaction. Regression analysis was used to analyze the data and test the hypothesis. Findings indicated that structural change significantly and positively influences employee satisfaction. The study concludes that effective and efficient management of every change is very crucial for organizational success and for enhanced positive employee attitude and behavior that translate into improved operational efficiency.