Perceived benefits of workforce diversity policies and practices:A case study of Hilton Hotel, Nairobi

Abstract

The Hospitality Industry business is prone to a number of events. For example, a simple advisory note issued by one of the countries can have a devastating impact on profit in this industry. Very few studies have been done in developing countries to determine the benefits workforce diversity brings to the organisation. Therefore, it was important to conduct a study to find out what benefits accrue to organisations in particular Hilton that implement a workplace Diversity policy. The objective of the study was to establish the perceived benefits by the Hilton Hotel expects from implementing Diversity Policies. The population of interest consisted of forty employees in senior and middle level management at Hilton Hotel, Nairobi. The data was collected using both structured and unstructured questionnaires. The response rate was 65%. The data was analysed using descriptive statistics. The findings of this study established that implementation of diversity strategies at Hilton Hotel Nairobi has led to: improved revenues; increased productivity; improved job satisfaction; reduced lawsuits; increased market opportunities and respect for individual differences. The results showed that at least 80% of the senior management embrace diversity as individuals can attest to the benefits of diversity and are actually involved in the policy implementation process. They view diversity as an essential business concern. The results of the study indicate that, diverse work teams have brought high value to Hilton Hotel and respect to individual differences. 83.3% of the respondents agreed that diversity has resulted in respect for individual differences and cultural identity for the organization. The findings further established that having a diverse workforce and managing it properly is perceived as a competitive strategy that can not only help attract diverse customers but also employees who have different perspectives that can contribute to the creativity of the organization. The findings have shown that an important reason for Hilton Hotel management implementing diversity initiatives is to improve its corporate productivity and profitability. According to the researcher it can be noted that no single initiative is comprehensive enough to solve all diversity issues or to successfully manage diversity in organizations; however, diversity training is one of the primary and most widely used initiatives to address diversity issues. The information collected also revealed that diversity issues will continue because the population will become even more diverse and more companies will become global. As diversity is becoming more and more complex, diversity training will continue to be an essential element of the overall diversity strategy. The researcher finally recommends that, the future scholars need to consider carrying out studies on other sectors and incorporate additional endogenous variables as motivation, conflict-management, performance of employees and career advancement since this research concentrated only on Hilton Hotel on perceived benefits of workforce diversity policies and practices.