Generation Y as Hospitality Employees: Framing a Research Agenda

Abstract

This article considers the impact of the new generation of employees entering the hospitality workforce and the changes in management paradigms that will be required to successfully recruit, select, train and motivate Generation Y (Gen Y) to achieve the goals of the organisation, given the strategic importance of human resource management in creating competitive and sustainable service organizations. This article also analyses the current state of thinking on Gen Y's work-related values, attitudes and behaviours and reviews the research that has been conducted to date on Gen Y in the workplace. A discussion is provided on how these values and attitudes will potentially interact with prevailing hospitality management paradigms, before presenting a research framework that depicts the potential relationships between the key variables and identified themes. Following this, six propositions are presented regarding Gen Y's work-related values and attitudes in relation to hospitality employment. The article concludes with an outline of the intended direction for future research.