The research findings indicate that skill enhancement strategies are more valued by older (senior) employees, while younger (junior) workers prefer opportunities to apply their competencies and demonstrate their motivation.
The tourism sector, often characterized by conditions such as excessive workloads, low wages, and difficulties in work-life balance, experiences high staff turnover and challenges in talent retention. Against this backdrop, the ULPGC has delved into which HR practices best align with employee interests.
A study surveying 417 tourism sector employees in Gran Canaria (65% senior, 33% junior) aimed to determine the most suitable HR practices. For veteran workers, training and promotion initiatives act as stabilizing elements. Conversely, younger employees positively value practices that allow them to showcase their skills and participate in decision-making, aspects that older employees might perceive as additional stress factors.
The conclusions of the study, published in the journal Employee Relations: The International Journal, suggest that age should be a key factor in designing HR policies for tourism companies to create more inclusive, sustainable, and effective strategies.
The work is authored by professors from the ULPGC's Department of Economics and Business Management, Laura Romero Domínguez, Deybbi Cuéllar Molina, and Daniel Dorta Afonso.
