Half Job—Half Training? Management Perceptions of Part-time Employee Training in the Hospitality Industry

Abstract

The author used a qualitative research approach in this study to investigate why hospitality managers provide fewer training opportunities to part-time employees in comparison to their full-time colleagues. Data was collected through in-depth, one-on-one interviews with 22 hotel and restaurant owners/managers in South Wales, United Kingdom. The results showed seven main obstacles for training part-time employees: cost of training and return on investment; time of training; the working of irregular shifts; working background; low enthusiasm of part-time employees; high turnover of part-time employees; lack of resources, knowledge, and suitable training provision. These obstacles are all interlinked and they are all associated with managers’ perception of part-time employees and their assumptions that part-time employees are not interested in training and development.