Can employee wellbeing be enhanced in hospitality?
Technology is dynamically evolving and is increasingly integrated into everyday life. Artificial intelligence is emerging as a powerful tool that can be applied in almost all aspects of human activity.
As a term, AI refers to the theory and development of computer systems capable of performing human intelligence tasks – systems which can self “evolve” and improve their capabilities over time. As a result, they assist individuals in performing assignments, making decisions, streamlining processes and identifying patterns.
In the Business environment AI can support all industries, including Tourism and Hospitality and has vastly impacted our ways of operation in various work environments. This is very important as it concerns the most valuable and sensitive aspects of the Hospitality Industry, an industry where success primarily depends on customer experience, which in turn is undoubtedly correlated to the ‘people’ aspect i.e. the use of trained staff.
In Greece specifically, one of the biggest challenges that the tourism industry faces, is personnel recruitment, satisfaction and retention. It has proven increasingly difficult and costly to find the people needed to fill up positions and consequently businesses face high employee turnover. It is common practice for employees to leave mid-season from positions that were too difficult to fill to begin with. This results to complications that are very hard to handle, especially when work load pressure is at its peak. Could this rapid change in technology help build systems which would accommodate employee motivation and satisfaction? How can it actually be used and applied? How can AI help?
An a-list important factor is the consistency in reporting burnouts. AI has aided the preventative process of predicting absenteeism, increased responses to e-mails during non-working hours as well as fatigue, hence accommodating managers to identify the patterns before morale actually drops. Similarly, chatbots and AI-driven tools boost employee satisfaction by providing instant support for queries. AI analyzes employee feedback to identify areas for improvement, fostering engagement and productivity.
These advancements create a responsive HR environment, enhancing the overall workplace experience. In addition, managers are allowed to show appreciation and acknowledgement for a job well done, in real time. With AI tools, a manager can remain aware of milestones and reward financially or non-financially. Consequently, according to Adam’s equity theory, hospitality employees may feel satisfaction as well as fairness when considering their input (effort, time and knowledge) versus their output (reward and acknowledgement). AI evaluation, appraisal and performance help reduce unconscious human bias, increasing the feeling of fairness at work and amongst colleagues.
When employees perceive these processes as objective and evidence-based, their trust and satisfaction increase. These insights guide talent management and retention strategies, aligning workforce optimization with business goals. These data-driven decisions empower organizations to stay agile and competitive in the hospitality market, a market that relies heavily on labor-intensive processes. AI introduces tools for continuous performance tracking and predictive analytics. Real-time data collection enhances appraisal mechanisms and aids managers to assess collectively and formatively. Important to note, is that personalized development plans, empower employees and drive growth.
There is however a negative side. AI raises ethical concerns. In particular, biases in data and algorithms could occur. Historical biases can influence AI decisions, making constant monitoring and evaluation a necessity. Therefore, management teams must ensure fairness, accountability and transparency, creating systems that uphold ethical practices. Furthermore, “intelligent skill mapping” aids in internal job opportunities, which hence establish the promotional aspect as more evident and secure, by satisfying the need and growth options to reach self-actualization (full potential needs). This makes career progression more transparent and gives employees a sense of a long-term future within the company.
We could conclude that, if implemented correctly, AI has the ability to transform performance management and employee wellbeing in the Greek Tourism Industry by automating data collection and analysis.
This means that businesses can save time by assigning to AI tasks that used to be extremely time consuming. As a result more time would become available for more important and far more crucial decisions that could eventually lead to new and improved ways of promoting a more stable and satisfying work-life balance and experience, thus dealing effectively with this crucial problem. AI can become a powerful tool in our hands as long as it is acknowledged as a means and not an end.
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