Effects of a healthy lifestyle on staff productivity in the hotel industry of East London, Eastern Cape.

Abstract

The study sought to investigate the effects of a healthy lifestyle on staff productivity in a sample of businesses in the hotel industry in the city of East London, South Africa. A healthy workforce enables productivity in an organisation, and in the hotel industry this is also no exception. The hotel industry is pressurised in its nature, and healthy employees can contribute to enhancing good services thus good nutrition is needed. Both qualitative and quantitative approaches were utilised in the study in order to gain a more conclusive result. A questionnaire comprising of both open and closed ended questions were utilised to collect the data. The questionnaires were distributed at selected hotels in East London. A total of 45 questionnaires were included in the statistical analysis using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). The data analysis focused on the experiences of respondents with a lifestyle on staff productivity in the hotel industry in East London. The study elucidated that 46% of staff in the hotel industry of East London did not fully comprehend the concept of healthy living. The findings of the study will provide a basis for the managers of the hotels to address the challenges and improve healthy living. The study concludes with recommendations on how to promote living a healthy lifestyle, thereby also hopefully promoting efficiency within the hospitality industry since undernourished employees do not perform at optimum levels. Hotel managers are also encouraged to develop appropriate training on nutrition and empowerment programmes that promote a healthy lifestyle for their employees.

Keywords

• Health
• lifestyle
• staff productivity
• hotel industry
• South Africa