1

A PROJECT REPORT
ON
EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT AS A RETENTION TOOL IN
HOSPITALITY SECTOR

SUBMITTED TO
ASIA PACIFIC INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT, NEW
DELHI

IN PARTIAL FULLFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS

FOR THE AWARD OF
POST GRADUATE DIPLOMA IN MANAGEMENT

UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF

PROF. SAURABH MITTAL

SUBMITTED BY
GURPREET KAUR
2k13A36
PGDM BATCH: 2013-2015

July 9, 2014
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CERTIFICATE
(FROM FACULTY GUIDE)

This is to certify that Mr./Ms Gurpreet Kaur, Roll number 2k13A36, a student of
PGDM in Asia Pacific Institute of Management, New Delhi, has carried out the
Summer Internship Project work presented in this report titled “EMPLOYEE
ENGAGEMENT AS A RETENTION TOOL IN HOSPITALITY SECTOR’ for the award of
Post Graduate Diploma in Management for the Academic Batch 2013-15, under my
guidance.

(Signature)
Name of the Project Guide
Date:
 3

DECLARATION
(FROM STUDENT)

I, Gurpreet Kaur, hereby declare that the project work entitled “EMPLOYEE
ENGAGEMENT AS A RETENTION TOOL IN HOSPITALITY SECTOR” submitted towards
partial fulfillment of requirements for the award of Post Graduate Diploma in
Management is my original work and the dissertation has not formed the basis for
award of any degree, associate ship, fellowship or any similar title to the best of my
knowledge.

Place: (Signature of Student)

Date: GURPRET KAUR
Roll No. 2k13A36
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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chapter 1:Introduction

Context of study

Significance of study

Purpose of study

Theoretical framework

Definition

Company profile

Vision

Mission

Chapter II :Review of Literature

Chapter III :Research Methodology

Primary source

Secondary source

Research design

Research question

Data collection

Sampling

Limitations

Chapter IV :Data analysis and interpretation

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Chapter V : Findings & Conclusion

Findings

Conclusion

Recommendation

Bibliography

Appendix
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LIST OF GRAPHS

Graph 4.1……………………………………………………………....9
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Graph 4.5………………………………………………………………13
Graph 4.6………………………………………………………………14
Graph 4.7………………………………………………………………15
Graph 4.8………………………………………………………………16
Graph 4.9………………………………………………………………17
Graph 4.10……………………………………………………………..18
Graph 4.11……………………………………………………………..19
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ABSTRACT

Employee engagement is the level of commitment and involvement an employee has

towards their organization and its values. An Engaged employee is aware of business

context, and works with colleagues to improve performance within the job for the

benefit of the organization. It is a positive attitude held by the employees towards

the organization and its values. The project clears that generally employee start to

shift from one organization to another quite soon which leads to issues like high

attrition , low turnovers, low productivity in any organization.The objectives of the

project are to identify the problems of employee attrition as well as employee

turnover and to find its solution too by identifying some employee engagement

practices as a measure to hold and retain their employees back. Also the main focus

of this project is on Employee Engagement , as it is all about building a great

relationship with the workforce and in ensuring that the bond lasts. Employee

Engagement is a main factor that determines the association of a person with the

Organization.

Research Methodology used in the project is both secondary and primary sources. In

secondary sources, data have been collected from research paper and text book. In

primary sources, data are collected through a questionnaire. It is an exploratory

research design of a sample of 50 targeted sales employees in Crown Plaza to find

the engagement of employees and their retention reasons. Desirable outcome is that

employee engagement leads to effectiveness and efficiency to a large extent in the

organization. The recommendation is that organization should use different tools to

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retain their employees. Proper communication should be done properly in any

organization for good results. In Crown Plaza, an employee engagement survey is

done half-yearly to analyze the responses of the employees and they roll out Gallup’s

12 questions in the “SAMWAD”.

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CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION
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CHAPTER 1 : Introduction

1.1 Context of the Study

As it is said that employee engagement shows the commitment and the energy that

employees bring to their work and it's also a key indicator of their involvement and

dedication towards their organization. The main context of the study is that

employees who are engaged and more productive and also loyal to an organization,

that shows, whenever HR practices is placed they are more likely to discover that the

employees are satisfied, safe and work to their full potential, i.e. they are ready to

stay in an organization.
Which shows the positive sign of an employee in an organization. As effectiveness

and efficiency are related to the work of an employee towards its organization. Also

to understand the turnover and attrition in an organization study of employee

engagement becomes important.

1.2 Significance of the Study

Employee engagement is an idea that helps develop strong positive attitudes among

people towards their work and their organization, and this plays a major role in

ensuring that they give their best even when times are tough. The concept itself is

not new, the mix of factors that make up employee engagement have been around

for a long time. These include organizational commitment, job satisfaction, and

organizational improvement.

1.3 Purpose of the study:

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This project entitled “employee engagement as a retention tool” is carried out with a

view to identify the effective ways to keep employee engaged in an organization

which would improve the organizational effectiveness and help to meet the goals.
The main focus of this project has been on the engagement of employees to retain

them in the organization and to identify the reasons for unstability of the employees

so that it becomes much easier for the organization to take steps to that particular

area which would help in retaining the employees and also achieving the goals and

objectives set by the organization.

1.4 Theoretical Framework

Definitions of engagement include cognitive, emotional, and behavioral components.

The cognitive aspect of engagement includes employees’ beliefs about the

organization, management and working conditions. The emotional components or

beliefs define employees positive attitude, how they "feel" about their employer,

company’s values, leaders and working conditions. The behavioral components

measure the willingness to act in certain ways, skills which employers offer and

willingness to go the extra mile.

After the process of synthesizing definitions and conceptual frameworks of employee

engagement, Shuck and Wollard suggested an emerging definition of the concept

(Shuck and Wollard, 2010). They propose to define employee engagement as “an

individual employee’s cognitive, emotional, and behavioral state directed toward

desired organizational outcomes” (Shuck and Wollard, 2010).

1.5 Definitions
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Employee engagement is the emotional commitment the employee has to the

organization and its goals. This emotional commitment means engaged employees

actually care about their work and their company. They don’t work just for a

paycheck, or just for the next promotion, but work on behalf of the organization’s

goals. (Krise Kevin,2012)

Employee engagement is a workplace approach designed to ensure that employees

are committed to their organization’s goals and values, motivated to contribute to

organizational success, and are able at the same time to enhance their own sense of

well-being.

“This is about how we create the conditions in which employees offer more of their

capability and potential.” (Macleod David,2012)

INDUSTRY PROFILE
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INDUSTRY PROFILE-

Hospitality is all about offering warmth to someone who looks for help at
a strange or unfriendly place. It refers to the process of receiving and
entertaining a guest with goodwill. Hospitality in the commercial context
refers to the activity of hotels, restaurants, catering, resorts or clubs who
make a vocation of treating tourists.
Indian hospitality industry has gained a level of acceptance world over. It
has yet to go miles for recognition as a world leader of hospitality.
With unlimited tourism and untapped business prospects, in the coming
years Indian hospitality is seeing green pastures of growth. Availability of
qualified human resources and untapped geographical resources give
great prospects to the hospitality industry. The no. of tourists coming to
India is growing year after year. Likewise, internal tourism is another area
with great potentials.

SWOT ANALYSIS-

STRENGTHS -
1. Natural and cultural diversity : India has a rich cultural heritage. The
"unity in diversity" tag attracts most tourists. The coastlines, sunny
beaches, backwaters of Kerala, snow capped Himalayas and the
quiescent lakes are incredible.

2. Demand-supply gap : Indian hotel industry is facing a mismatch

between the demand and supply of rooms leading to higher room rates
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and occupancy levels. With the privilege of hosting Commonwealth

Games 2010 there is more demand of rooms in five star hotels. This has
led to the rapid expansion of the sector.

3. Government support: The government has realized the importance of

tourism and has proposed a budget of Rs. 540 crore for the development
of the industry. The priority is being given to the development of the
infrastructure and of new tourist destinations and circuits. The
Department of Tourism (DOT) has already started the "Incredible India"
campaign for the promotion of tourism in India.
4. Increase in the market share: India's share in international tourism and
hospitality market is expected to increase over the long-term. New
budget and star hotels are being established. Moreover, foreign
hospitality players are heading towards Indian markets.

WEAKNESSES
1. Poor support infrastructure: Though the government is taking
necessary steps, many more things need to be done to improve the
infrastructure. In 2003, the total expenditure made in this regard was US
$150 billion in China compared to US$ 21 billion in India.

2. Slow implementation: The lack of adequate recognition for the

tourism industry has been hampering its growth prospects. Whatever
steps are being taken by the government are implemented at a slower
pace.
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3. Susceptible to political events: The internal security scenario and

social unrest also hamper the foreign tourist arrival rates.

OPPORTUNITIES
1.Rising income: Owing to the rise in income levels, Indians have more
spare money to spend, which is expected to enhance leisure tourism.

2.Open sky benefits: With the open sky policy, the travel and tourism
industry has seen an increase in business. Increased airline activity has
stimulated demand and has helped improve the infrastructure. It has
benefited both international and domestic travels.

THREATS
1. Fluctuations in international tourist arrivals: The total dependency on
foreign tourists can be risky, as there are wide fluctuations in
international tourism. Domestic tourism needs to be given equal
importance and measures should be taken to promote it.

2.Increasing competition: Several international majors like the Four

Seasons, Shangri-La and Aman Resorts are entering the Indian markets.
Two other groups - the Carlson Group and the Marriott chain - are also
looking forward to join this race. This will increase the competition for
the existing Indian hotel majors.
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COMPANY PROFILE- IHG

Immediately following WWII, Pan American World Airways had a vision

of mass civilian international business and leisure air travel and so began
trailblazing its way across the skies of the Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia
and the Middle East. Thus came the birth of the world's first
international hotel brand - InterContinental Hotels & Resorts.
The goal was to assist local developers in the design, construction and
management/operations of individual hotels in important international
gateway destinations and traffic centres. The first truly international
hotel brand in the world, each hotel was designed to provide an
experience uniquely and distinctly its own. The InterContinental brand
became the symbol of glamour, sophistication and success that years
later, continue to define international travel and commerce.
From our early days, we've been the hotel brand of choice for foreign
dignitaries, heads-of-state, royalty, rock-stars, celebrities and those
seeking a unique experience. We count many names among our past and
current guest list, including George V and Queen Mary, Prince Rainier
and Princess Grace, Ava Gardner, Josephine Baker, Nat King Cole, Imelda
Marcos, Margaret Thatcher, Louis Armstrong, President and Mrs. Reagan,
President Chirac and Prince William... to name just a few.
Our guests, both then and now, have always had a passion for travel. And
our hotels have always embraced and celebrated their local cultures.
These common values have shaped the spirit of InterContinental over
the years. And today our brand and our staff around the world embody
this heritage.
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With a worldwide portfolio of over 150 hotels in 65 countries,

InterContinental Hotels & Resorts has been welcoming frequent
international travelers for more than half a century. A pioneer in the
development of the hotel industry, InterContinental properties
successfully blend consistent global standards with the distinctive
cultures of their locations to deliver a truly authentic and local
experience.

KEY DATES
1940s
InterContinental Hotels & Resorts is born as the International Hotels
Corporation on 4 ApCrown Plaza , 1946. International changes its name
to InterContinental Hotels Corporation in 1947 to reflect its intention to
develop around the world. In 1949, the first InterContinental hotel
begins operating in Belém, Brazil.

1950s
Early expansion of the hotel brand develops along owner Pan American
World Airway's routes in Latin America. InterContinental's first Caribbean
properties are also inaugurated in the 1950s.

1960s
InterContinental opens its first hotels outside Latin America and
becomes the first international hotel brand to establish a presence in the
Middle East, Asia/Pacific and Africa. The group opens its first four hotels
in Europe within a two-week period in 1963. The Six Continents Club, the
industry's first global guest-recognition program debuts.
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1970s
InterContinental breaks into the U.S. market, assuming operations for
the Hotel Mark Hopkins in San Francisco (now InterContinental Mark
Hopkins San Francisco). InterContinental New York (now InterContinental
The Barclay New York) was also added to the brand's U.S. portfolio late in
the decade.

1980s
Pan American Airlines sells its interest in InterContinental. The new
owners partner with Pan American Life insurance to build and open the
500-room InterContinental New Orleans. The InterContinental Miami
and InterContinental The Willard Washington, D.C. are added to the
collection.

1990s
InterContinental re-enters the Mexican market by signing a joint venture
with Presidente Hotels, adding properties in Cancun, Cozumel, Mexico
City, Los Cabos, Puerto Vallarta, and Ixtapa.

2000s
InterContinental continues plans to drive growth around the world with
key focus on resorts and development in the United States.

2006
InterContinental launches Concierge Programme and Aston Martin
Racing sponsorship.
 19

InterContinental London Park Lane reopens after £76m refurbishment.

InterContinental opens first-ever hotel in Boston, Massachusetts, United
States.

2007
InterContinental partners with National Geographic.
For the first time since 1959, Aston Martin has triumphed at the
legendary 24-Heures du Mans in France, the world's most prestigious
motor sport event. InterContinental announces 'Insider Experiences.'

4,400 Hotels, 7 Brands, 1 Mission—

To Create Great Hotels Guests Love
With more than 4,400 properties located in over 100 countries, IHG has
some of the best-known hotel brands in the world. From their iconic
family hotel, Holiday Inn, to Crowne Plaza, The Place to Meet for
business, IHG brands are some of the most respected hotels in the
industry. How did they earn that respect? By ensuring that everything
about their hotels makes them the first choice for guests, from the
softness of their pillows to their leading rewards program. It’s all part of
their mission to create Great Hotels Guests Love.

Brands -
IHG’s seven brands include some of the most popular hotels in the
world:
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Holiday Inn® Hotels & Resorts

Holiday Inn Express® Hotels

InterContinental® Hotels & Resorts
Crowne Plaza® Hotels & Resorts

389 hotels
105,503 rooms
108 hotels in the pipeline

Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts is a dynamic hotel brand currently located
in nearly 60 countries around the world. Truly international, Crowne
Plaza offers premium accommodation, designed for the discerning
business and leisure traveller who appreciates simplified elegance
combined with the practicality of the latest features, as well as value for
money. At Crowne Plaza, guests can enjoy a 24-hour business service,
wireless high speed internet access in the lobby plus fitness and leisure
facilities.

History

1983
The first Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza opens in Rockville, Maryland, US.
1994
Crowne Plaza Hotels and Resorts is established as a separate brand in the
Americas.
1995
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Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts launches new Internet site featuring
virtual reality technology.
1999
Crowne Plaza opens first European resort in Madeira, Portugal.
2002
“The Place to Meet” campaign is launched, establishing the brand as the
ideal hotel choice for small to mid-sized business meetings.
2004
Introduction of the “Sleep Advantage” program to all hotels in North
America – an industry leading approach to ensure that guests experience
a good nights sleep.
2005
Introduction of the “Body and Soul” health-focused in-room dining
concept across all hotels in Australia and New Zealand.
2007
Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts opens the Crowne Plaza The Place to
Meet Island in Second Life to meet the need for private, independent
meeting spaces in the virtual world.
2008
Nine co-branded ANA Crowne Plaza hotels in Japan by the end of 2008.
Crowne Plaza Beijing Zhongguancun opens as IHG's 100th hotel in China.
2009
First Crowne Plaza signed in Taiwan – Crowne Plaza signed in Taiwan –
Crowne Plaza Zaohsiung E-Da World.
Crowne Plaza expands to Portugal and France
Crowne Plaza Today Gurgaon wins Best Hotel of the Year award at the
fifth Hotel Investment Conference for South East Asia (HICSA)
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2010
Crowne Plaza becomes the 'Official Partner of BMW Motorsport',
expanding the original UK sponsorship to a global partnership
Crowne Plaza extends its title sponsorship of the PGA TOUR's Crowne
Plaza Invitational at Colonial to 2015. IHG also becomes the official hotel
and resort partner of the PGA TOUR, Champions Tour and Nationwide
Tour
The first Crowne Plaza hotels open in Copenhagen and Bangkok
2011
IHG signs nine Crowne Plaza properties in Europe

Hotel Indigo® Hotels

Staybridge Suites® Hotels
Candlewood Suites® Hotels

With these hotels, they've built up a hospitality offering that covers

everything from luxurious upscale hotels to comfortable family hotels
that offer great service and value. No wonder so many travelers choose
IHG for all of their hotel accommodation needs.

People
What’s IHG’s greatest strength? In a word, their “people.” For it is their
people who make the real difference to their business, ensuring their
customers receive great service and memorable experiences. Whether it
is their hotel staff, who give guests a friendly welcome when they arrive,
or their senior leaders, who make sure their hotels provide value to their
 23

guests and their hotel owners, the talented IHG team is always looking
for a better way to do things and help make their hotels best in class.

Values
IHG’s values guide their behavior every day to help them to become one
of the very best companies in the world. Central to their believes is the
conviction that they should always do what they believe is right and have
the courage to put it into practice. To achieve this, they strive to be the
company that understands people’s needs better than anyone else in
their industry. This means being sensitive to others, noticing the things
that matter and taking responsibility for getting things right.

How they Partner

IHG teams up with businesses in a variety of ways. Their most important
partnership is the work they do with thousands of hotel
owners throughout the world who own an IHG hotel franchise. For
businesses who do not operate hotels, there are other ways to work with
IHG. For example, with their affiliate program, you can link your website
directly to IHG web pages and earn a percentage of consumed bookings
generated from your website.
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HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT IN CROWN PLAZA

The HUMAN RESOURCE department Crown Plaza has many tentacles. I

will give brief about each though I would like to make it clear t HR, and
Personal Department. Each department has a different set of functions.
I would like to give a bird’s eye view on Human Resource department
first: t has recruitment section, joining formality support team,
Performance Management system team, and ERP and Management
Information team.
Training and Industrial Relation are autonomous department as far as
Crown Plaza is concerned due to the large human capital working in the
organization.

HR IN CROWN PLAZA

HUMAN INDUSTRIA TRAINING TIME

RESOURC L & OFFICE
E RELATION DEVELOPM
ENT

SUPPORTING FUNCTIONS OF HR
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JOINING FORMALITIES:After the candidate is selected in the process of

recruitment, there is joining formalities which takes place in order to
have all the details regarding the candidate/employee so he is verified as
well as the process aware about whatever things are requisite from the
organization point of view, so he gets a ID card for punching for his/her
attendance, Medi-claim insurance or ESI card as per the employee salary
thing is made ,then various forms need to be filled for gratuity for
shareholdings etc and then a MIS is also maintained for this is
maintained in Microsoft Excel as well as the ERP software.

HR HELPDESK :If employees have any issues, queries and concerns are
properly captured, evaluated and promptly addressed/resolved and
feedback is provided on not covered under the prevalent
guidelines/policies, CROWN PLAZA launched HR & ADMN HELP DESK.
Each and every query can be raised through intranet and the process
owners resolve the raised query communicate to the concerned
employee with marked to the Helpdesk dedicated resource within
predefined timeframe.
And the help-desk-dedicated resource shall present MIS & percentage
compliance to define service level agreement in the plant monthly HR
review meeting.

REWARD &RECOGNITION :It is done to create an environment where

people strive from within to excel in meeting their stake holder
expectation.
R & R SCHEMES:
1. Employee of the Month
2. Employee of the year
3. Identifying key resources
4. Outstanding manager of the year
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5. Six sigma certification

6. Quest for excellence
7. Service award
8. Appreciation award
9. On the spot award.

DEPARTMENT WISE SUB-DIVISION

HUMAN RESOURCE IN CROWN PLAZA

Any organization that would like to be dynamic and growth oriented has
to pay attention to the development of its HUMAN RESOURCE. People
working in the organization must be helped to acquire capabilities for
effective performance of new roles/functions/tasks/that may arise in the
process of company’s growth and change in he environment CROWN
PLAZA endeavor’s to nurture environment, training, job progression,
recreation etc, to ensure that they have a fruitful and mutually
beneficial association with the company.

HR Vision:
To provide pride of association to our associates by having meaningful
professional life and joy of association through work life balance.
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HR Goals
Improve employee engagement across the organization.
Maintaining industrial harmony
To ensure that compensation career growth and future path are
performance driver.
To see to it that employee suggestion are firth coming and frank with the
organization giving it a clear ear and acting on wherever necessary.

INDUSTRIAL RELATION
This department is very important as it is concerned with the
relationship between management and the workers and the role of
regulatory mechanism in resolving any industrial dispute.

It involves the following areas:

 Role f management, government
 Machinery of resolution for industrial dispute.
 Individual grievance and disciplinary policy and practice.
 Labor Legislation
 Industrial relation training like know you policy programs.

This department has also welfare programs like in-house

sport activities, various behavioral programs as well as Open
House, which are conducted by HR & IR together.
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INDUSTRIAL RELATION

PREVENTIVE CORRECTIVE

OPEN HOUSE DISCIPLINAR

Y

WELFARE COUNSELLIN
G

COMMITTEE
Fig: sub-division of IR

Training and Development

Learning and development Training
We are a company that has a number of pioneering credits to its name-
HD DVDs and Blue laser disc standards being the more recent successes
that we have had a global scale.we now intend to create history in the
fast emerging field of solar energy and photovoltaic. Being at the cutting
edge and having created international standards, we would know these
technologies inside out. Thus, we believe comprehensive and high
quality training is critical to maintaining our leadership status.
On the continuous basis, our people are under go a series of training
programs that encompass technical and functional training, behavior
skills and other Management Development programs. This department
looks after different type of training happening in CROWN PLAZA .
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Training is the most important function that directly contributes to the

development of Human Resources. Training is essential because
technology is developing continuously and at a fast rate. Organization
should create conditions in which people acquire new knowledge and
skills & develop healthy patterns of behavior and style.
The different types of training involves:-
 Mandatory Training
 Behavioral Training
 Process improvement Training
 Functional Training

There are more than 200 types of training programs that happen in this
organization.
These are some part of training.
MANDATORY TRAINING:-It includes induction of roll employees as well
as USTs, Integrated Management System, vision, mission and values.
BEHAVIORAL TRAINING:-It includes staying ahead, motivational training,
behavior, communication, team work, etc.
PROCESS IMPROVEMENT:-It includes Kaizen, six sigma,5s, TQM
FUNCTIONAL TRAINING:-It includes Microsoft excel, CDR, etc

TRAINING AND
DEVELOPEMENT

TRAINING NEED
TRAINING IDENTIFICATION
TRAINING MODULE
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INDUCTION TRAINING

DISTANCE/EXTERNAL
TRAINING

ON THE JOB/FUNCTIONAL

BEHAVIORAL TRAINING

APPRENTICE TRAINING

Fig: subdivisions of training & Development

TIME OFFICE

This department team looks after the attendance of the employees

working in the plant. Secondly it involves all the issues related to the
same and also takes care of all the grievances regarding the leaves
applicable to the employee whether it is sick leave or casual leave or
earned leave.
It also looks after and maintains the compensation record of the
employees, their provident fund, pension schemes, employee state
insurance-sickness, maternity and employee injury benefits.

TIME OFFICE

ATTENDANCE COMPENSATION
AND
LEAVE
RECORD
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Fig: Departmentwise sub-division of time office.

HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

`HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT (HRM) is the strategic and coherent

approach of the management an organizations most valued assets-the
people working there who individually and collectively contribute to the
achievement of the objectives of the business The term human resource
management and human resource have largely replaced the term
Personal management as adscription of the processes involved in
managing people in organizations.

The Human Resource Management (HRM) function includes a variety of

activities and key among them is deciding what staffing needs you have
and whether to use independent contactors or hire employees to fill
these needs, recruiting and training the best employees, ensuring they
are high performers, dealing with performance issues, and ensuring your
personal and management practices conform to various regulations.
Activities also include managing your approach to employee benefits and
compensation, employee records and personnel policies.

HRM is seen by practitioners in the field as a more innovative view of

workplace management than the traditional approach. HRM techniques,
when properly practiced and expressive of the goals and operating
practices of the enterprise overall.HRM is also seen by many to have a
key role in risk reduction within organizations.

There is long standing argument about where HR related functions

should be organized into large organizations, [should Hr be in the
organization Development department or the other way around?]
 32

The HRM function and HRD professional have undergone tremendous

change over the past 20-30 years. Many years ago, large organization
looked to the “Personnel Department “mostly to manage the paperwork
around hiring and paying people. More recently, organizations consider
the [HR DEPARTMENT] as playing a major role in staffing, training, and
helping to manage people so that people and the organization are
performing at maximum capability in a highly fulfilling manner.
 33

CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
 34

CHAPTER II: Review Of Literature

(Lowe Graham.2012) The research paper emphasizes that now a day manager
increasingly understand that employee engagement is very important for high
performance. This article helps to know how job, work, environment,
management as well as organizational factors influences levels of engagement in
any organization. The article gives the clear definition and measures of
engagement in an organization. Through this article the main drivers of
engagement are to show the level of employee engagement is related to
retention, organizational culture as well as employees positive attitude towards
the organization.

(Vazirani Nitin,2007) The paper focuses on how employee engagement helps an

employee to stay in an organization and what should companies do to make
employees engaged. The level of commitment and involvement of an employee
has towards its organization is employee engagement. Different factors like
employee satisfaction, working environment, facilities etc. helps an employee to
have a positive attitude towards an organization and its values. As all employees
are aware of business context now a days which helps an organization to
understand their demands and requirements such as flexible timings, interaction
among employees, subordinates etc. leads to an engaged organization.
 35

(Bakker & Schaufeli, 2008, Michael Bradley Shuck,2010) The article basically
examined the relation between various factors which are important to keep an
employee engaged such as job fit, affective commitment, working environment,
intention to turn over. Many organizations believe that employee engagement is a
dominant source of competitive advantage and thus, help to solve the
organizational challenges such as decreasing turnover rates and increasing
productivity. The organizations with high levels of employee engagement report
positive organizational outcomes.
This research says that organizations recognize the need for employees who works
well with others as a team and work toward the success of their organization.
Organization needs engaged employees and they are looking for ways to develop
such a workforce.

(Vance Robert.J , Ph.D. , 2002. ) This article summarizes the links to employee
engagement with business outcomes, including employee turnover, attrition,
safety, productivity, loyalty, employee satisfaction and the profitability to an
organization. Engagement can be weighted by the different aspects of work
environments over which supervisors and managers have direct influence. Meta-
analysis (a technique for analyzing results across individual studies) summarized
engagement-outcome relationships across business units and companies. The
result reveals that employee engagement relates to business outcomes when
there is a solution for employee turnover, employee satisfaction, proper working
culture as well.productivity and profitability is more related to engagement
because they are affected by many factors related to employee engagement
which also involves employee performance.

(Goman Kinsey, President of Kinsey Consulting Services quoted in Bates, 2004)

This article basically explores that the new generation nowadays did not sign up
for the old deal.
 36

Over recent years there has been seen a significant shift in the employee
employer relationship. With increasingly competitive markets, rapidly increasing
economic climate, organizations facing significant challenges in their areas. The
psychological test to know about employees is no different to what it was for
many there is no longer a job for life in reality. There is also evidence that
expectations of employers and employee differ from those of the past. In this fast
growing arena engagement may therefore work as the most powerful tool to use
to achieve what a company wants.
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CHAPTER III
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
 38

CHAPTER III : Research Methodology

The methodology adopted in order to accomplish the objectives of this project

report was through the collection of data from different sources.

3.1 Primary Sources

 Questionnaire
 Direct interaction with employees

3.2 Secondary Sources

 Research papers related to Employee Engagement

 Data of Crown Plaza

3.3 Research design

The research design is exploratory in nature and also termed as formulate research
studies. It seeks to answer the way of employee engagement in Crown Plaza and
needs to be increased in the organization and the steps which should be
implemented for retention of the employees. The design was kept flexible as possible
where the research problem is defining very broadly initially and is transformed to a
precise meaning.
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3.4 Research question

The questionnaire in this report is open ended as the respondents are free to select
from five options.

3.5 Data collection

Data collection is the way which researcher collects the data using different tools. For
this report, questionnaire is used to collect the data.

3.6 Sampling method

Sampling method used in the study was simple random sampling. In Simple random
sampling, each individual is chosen randomly and entirely by chance. Thus the
individual has the same probability of being chosen at any stage during the sampling
process.
 Sample size is 50. The data are collected from the employees of Crown Plaza

3.7 Limitation

 The sample size of the study is limited to only 50 respondents.

 The opinion and views of the respondents are reflected in the outcome of
the study and not in the depth analysis of each and every participative
forum.
 The responses from the respondents may be biased.
 Due to time constraint the survey has done on the basis of convenience.
 The sample size is not sufficient to represent the whole population.
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CHAPTER IV
DATA ANALYSIS &
INTERPRETATION
 41

CHAPTER IV: Data Analysis & Interpretation

Q 1. Work is fun.

Table 4.1

Graph 1 Responses
Strongly agree 25
Agree 16
Neutral 7
Disagree 1
Strongly disagree 1

Graph 4.1

Interpretation:- The above graph shows that, 50% of the respondents said that

working at Crown Plaza is fun. This shows that they have a great work culture for the

employees.
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Q. 2. Regular feedback enhances my performance.

Table 4.2

Graph 2 Responses
Strongly agree 26
Agree 24
Neutral 0
Disagree 0
Strongly disagree 0

Graph 4.2

Interpretation :- According to the above graph, out of 50 respondents, 26 employees

strongly agreed that feedback at regular interval enhances their performance while

24 agreed to the same.

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Q. 3. I am satisfied with the physical environment in which I work.

Table 4.3

Graph 3 Responses
Strongly agree 11
Agree 28
Neutral 11
Disagree 0
Strongly disagree 0

Graph 4.3

Interpretation :- Here 28 employees agreed to the fact that they are satisfied with

the physical environment in which they work. It shows that physical

environment provided by CrownPlaza is good.

Q. 4. I am getting optimum opportunity to improve my skills.

Table 4.4
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Graph 4 Responses
Strongly agree 8
Agree 24
Neutral 10
Disagree 8
Strongly disagree 0

Graph 4.4

Interpretation :- Out of 50 employees, only 8 strongly agreed that they are getting

optimum opportunity to improve their skills. While 24 agreed to the fact that

they are getting optimum opportunity to improve their skills. It clearly shows

that more trainings should be given to the employees in order to improve

their skills.
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Q. 5. We are good at sharing ideas at workforce.

Table 4.5

Graph 5 Responses
Strongly agree 17
Agree 29
Neutral 4
Disagree 0
Strongly disagree 0

Graph 4.5

Interpretation :- 17 employees agreed to the point that they are very good at sharing

ideas at the workplace while 29 agreed to the point that they are good at

sharing ideas. More interaction among the team members at regular interval

will allow them to share their ideas more efficiently.

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Q. 6. I get regular appreciation from my colleagues/ boss.

Table 4.6

Graph 6 Responses
Strongly agree 17
Agree 24
Neutral 6
Disagree 2
Strongly disagree 1

Graph 4.6

Interpretation : - 24 out of 50 employees feel that they get regular appreciation from

their colleagues and bosses. This shows that appreciation really works as motivator.

Q. 7. I look forward to celebrations( Birthday, Diwali, etc.) at my workplace.

 47

Table 4.7

Graph 7 Responses
Strongly agree 15
Agree 22
Neutral 12
Disagree 1
Strongly disagree 0

Graph 4.7

Interpretation: - 44 % respondents they look forward to various celebrations at the

workplace. This shows that various functions like Birthday Bash celebrations

should be promoted for a better bonding with the employees and the

organization.
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Q. 8. I have the right opportunity to work and grow.

Table 4.8

Graph 8 Responses
Strongly agree 9
Agree 33
Neutral 6
Disagree 2
Strongly disagree 0

Graph 4.8

Interpretation:- 66% of the total employees surveyed said that they are getting right

opportunity to learn and grow with the organization. This projects a positive picture

about the work that the employees are doing.

 49

Q. 9. I feel free to communicate with my boss.

Table 4.9

Graph 9 Responses
Strongly agree 26
Agree 20
Neutral 3
Disagree 0
Strongly disagree 1

Graph 4.9

Interpretation:- 52 % of the employee said that they can freely communicate with

their bosses. This shows that a very strong communication system prevails in

the organization.
 50

Q. 10. The balance between my work and personal commitments is right for me.

Table 4.10

Graph 10 Responses
Strongly agree 8
Agree 30
Neutral 9
Disagree 3
Strongly disagree 0

Graph 4.10

Interpretation : - 60% of the employees agreed that their work-life balance is right

for them. This also projects the right picture of the organization where employees

are able to maintain their work-life balance.

 51

Q. 11. Hobbies group I am interested is/ are:

Table 4.11

Hobbies Responses
Music 40
Dance 10
Movies 37
Writing 20
Sports 42
Cooking 21
Photography 31
Reading 11
Other 15

Graph 4.11

Interpretation :- This question provided me with the idea for the recommendation.

Most of the employees were interested in sports, music and movies, so accordingly

hobby groups can be formed in the future. Hobby groups will provide employees a

common platform to perform apart from their work.

 52

CHAPTER V
FINDINGS & CONCLUSIONS
 53

CHAPTER V: FINDINGS & CONCLUSIONS

FINDINGS
 Crown Plaza employees enjoy their work as top management take care of it.
 The process of working is a well-planned and maintained systematically.
 To keep employee engaged various strategies are adopted.
 Employees are allowed to provide feedback about the work life as well as
discuss their ideas and feelings.
 Communication is given more importance in this organization.
 People feel the need of the training program from time to time.
 People want more transparency in the performance appraisal system.

Employees speak:
Employee should be paid referral bonus. - Manoj
Personal Skill development Training programs to be implemented.-
Hridayanand
A very good and supportive organisation to work with. – Amit
Market feedback should reach higher authorities. – Subhashish
There should be transparency in annual appraisal system. – Prem
I look forward to good Training Programmes relevant to my domain of work in
the Company, organised by the Organisation itself. - Anirban
 54

CONCLUSION

Employee Engagement term is as important as communication in an organization. It

is a positive attitude held by the employees towards the organization and its values.
It is important in the workplace and impacts organizations in many ways. Employee
engagement emphasizes the importance of employee communication on the success
of a business. An organization should thus recognize employees, more than any other
variable, as powerful contributors to a company. Therefore employee engagement
should be a continuous process of learning, improvement, measurement and action.

Hence, the raising and maintaining employee engagement lies in the hands of an
organization and requires a perfect blend of time, effort, commitment and
investment to craft a successful organization.

According to the Gallup the Consulting organization there are three different types of
people:-

Engaged--"Engaged" employees are builders. They want to know the desired

expectations for their role so they can meet and exceed them. They're naturally
curious about their company and their place in it. They perform at consistently high
levels. They want to use their talents and strengths at work every day. They work
with passion and they drive innovation and move their organization forward

Not Engaged---Not-engaged employees tend to concentrate on tasks rather than the

goals and outcomes they are expected to accomplish. They want to be told what to
do just so they can do it and say they have finished. They focus on accomplishing
tasks vs. achieving an outcome. Employees who are not-engaged tend to feel their
contributions are being overlooked, and their potential is not being tapped. They
often feel this way because they don't have productive relationships with their
managers or with their coworkers.
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Actively Disengaged--The "actively disengaged" employees are the "cave dwellers."

They're "Consistentlyagainst Virtually Everything." They're not just not happy at
work; they're busy acting out their unhappiness.They sow seeds of negativity at every
opportunity. Every day, actively disengaged worker undermine what their engaged
coworkers accomplish. As workers increasingly rely on each other to generate
products and services, the problems and tensions that are fostered by actively
disengaged workers can cause great damage to an organization's functioning

Employees at Crown Plaza are happy with their work-life balance. They can freely
communicate with their bosses and they maintain a goog rapport with each other.
They inspire creativity and also appreciate their colleagues.
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RECOMMENDATIONS
 57

Recommendations

Engagement is a fundamentally an individualized equation as it reflects the unique

relationship with work. Three factors must be taken care in an organization they are,
individuals, managers and executives.

 Individuals must, take action as they should involve themselves in work by

their own choice and involve in exciting new projects. They should be clear
about their values and goals. Most importantly they should own their
engagement with unique motivators, interest, and talents. After all, they are
responsible for their personal and professional success.

 Managers matters because they take care of employees work as well as keep
them self engaged, they also facilitate team members through unique
engagement equations and coaching. Building relationships with employees
helps to retain employee easily. Motivating employees by appreciating them
in a team or individual give a positive impact on an organization and
individual.

 Executives behavior sometimes matters the most i.e more than the manager
actions because they set the tone of the organization, they help to prevent
the organization from external force but need to maintain the relation inside
the organization by setting the clear direction, building a culture that helps in
engagement, pay attention to the work report given to employees,
reasonable commitment and show trust, inspire the individuals, most
important talk about engagement with passion to motivate them and to
retain them.

 Crown Plaza should have various hobby groups like movies, music and sports.

 They should also provide frequent training programs to the employees after
accessing their needs.
 58

 More celebrations like Holi, Diwali, etc. will create a strong bond between the
employees and the organization.

 Employee Newsletter should be circulated weekly.

 Few health sessions like free Yoga classes should be given to them.

 Redesign work place as it will give a sense of novelty among the employees.

 Education at work: Employees should be encouraged to take any part time

courses as to gain knowledge.
 59

BIBLIOGRAPHY

BIBLIOGRAPHY
 60

Vance Robert.J. Ph.D ,(2002).Employee Engagement and Commitment: A guide to

understanding measuring and increasing engagement in your organization.

Lowe Graham.(2012). How Employee Engagement Matters for Hospital

Performance.Health Human Resources.

Shuck, Michael B., "Employee Engagement: An Examination of Antecedent and

Outcome Variables" (2010). FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 235.
Vazirani Nitin. (2007). Employee Engagement. SIES College of Management Studies

Working Paper Series.

Vale Ian.(October.2010). Addressing Staff Retention & Improving staff engagement.
 61

APPENDIX A

QUESTIONNAIRE

A number of statements are given below which describe the quality and level of
employee engagement of an organization. Please give your assessment of the
“Employee Engagement as a Retention Tool in Crown Plaza” in your organization by
rating your organization on each statement on a five point scale.
A rating of 4 – Strongly agree
3 – Agree
2 – Neutral
1 – Disagree
0 – Strongly disagree

Rate the following questions on a scale of 0-4.

1. Work is fun.
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2. Regular feedback enhances my performance.

3. I am satisfied with the physical environment in which I work.

4. I am getting optimum opportunity to improve my skills.

5. We are good at sharing ideas at work place.

6. I get regular appreciation from my colleagues/boss.

7. I look forward to various celebrations( Birthday, Diwali, etc.) at my work place.

8. I have the right opportunity to learn and grow at work.

9. I feel free to communicate with my boss.

10. The balance between my work and personal commitments is right for me.

11. Hobby group/s I’m interested is/are. –

1. Music
2. Dance
3. Movies
4. Writing
5. Sports
6. Cooking
7. Photography
8. Reading
9. Other
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12. Any other suggestions, please specify.

Thank you for your participation!