Introduction

The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically affected the hospitality industry, leading to widespread closures, job losses, and working challenges that have significantly impacted employee behaviour, specifically, their decision to stay at their current jobs. According to Elshaer and Azazz (2021), during the pandemic, many employees in the hospitality industry also had to deal with the added stress of increased health and safety concerns, which could have further impacted employee retention. The sudden shift to remote work and the implementation of new safety protocols has created a unique set of challenges for employers and employees alike, making it increasingly difficult for employees to remain motivated and have high morale. Understanding and addressing these challenges and their impact on fundamental employee behaviour, such as employee retention, is crucial for the industry’s long-term success (Elshaer and Azazz, 2021). This new challenge has prompted this research article to study employee retention in the hospitality industry during the COVID-19 pandemic, examining the shifts experienced by both employers and employees and identifying strategies for improving retention in this challenging environment such as this. Critical assessment of the employee retention aspect of employee behaviour can be used as a foundation for dealing with such an unprecedented challenge in the future. This paper aims to analyse the high turnover rates and low retention among employees in the hospitality industry during the Covid-19 pandemic. This paper has a literature review comprising a scoping review that discusses the behavioural issue of employee retention. Further, the report discusses the summary of the literature review findings and recommendations on ensuring employee retention during the post-pandemic period.

Scope Review

Employee retention refers to ensuring that the human personnel of a company is motivated to continue working for extended periods (Gorde, 2019, p.331). It is a crucial concept for organisations as it directly impacts their ability to remain successful and competitive (Xuecheng, Iqbal, and Saina, 2022). For example, if an organisation is dealing with poor employee retention, they face issues with their usual operations as they keep disrupting the achievement of different roles. Das and Baruah (2013, p.8) argue that even the protracted well-being of businesses is tied to their ability to retain their human personnel constantly. This is because of their ability to effectively carry out different roles that contribute to quality products and services and consumer happiness and contentment (Martin, 2005). More precisely, in the hospitality and tourism industry, the ability to retain employees is critical as it is tied to the image, reputation, and quality of the products and services of businesses (Kusluvan et al., 2010, p.172). This research will evaluate employee retention issues during the Covid 19 pandemic for companies in the hospitality industry.

Literature Review

A review of research before the COVID-19 pandemic, employee retention in the hospitality industry was already a significant aspect of employee behaviour. A literature review of studies conducted before the pandemic highlights several causes of low retention in the industry and solutions companies have implemented to address these issues. One of the leading causes of low retention in the hospitality industry is a lack of job security and career advancement opportunities (Devasia, 2018). A study by the International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management found that many employees in the industry view their jobs as temporary or part-time, which can negatively impact retention ((Bauer and Erdogan, 2012, p.17). Additionally, a study by the Cornell Hospitality Quarterly found that many employees in the industry do not see clear career advancement opportunities, which can lead to high turnover rates.

Another cause of low retention and high turnover in the hospitality industry was poor working conditions, including long hours, low pay, and lack of benefits. A study by the Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Research found that many employees in the industry are dissatisfied with their working conditions, which can negatively impact retention (Abdou et al., 2020, p.4). However, to address these issues, hospitality companies implemented several solutions to increase satisfaction and motivation levels. Agarwal (2021, p.3) finds that offering competitive pay and benefits can improve retention in the industry. Additionally, many companies have implemented employee training and development programs to help employees advance their careers. Elshaer and Azazz (2021, p.12) argue that providing a supportive work environment can help improve industry retention. This includes implementing policies that promote work-l