Investigation of Frontline employees’ Job Satisfaction in Budget Hotels in Saudi Arabia: From women Perspective

Abstract

Saudi Arabia (SA) is among the most popular tourist destinations, as it is rich in culture and history and offers the opportunity to experience scenic infrastructure and desert safaris. Tourism is vital in bringing in foreign currency, which ultimately contributes to SA’s economy. The hotel industry’s main objectives are to meet the needs of and arrange the best possible experiences for customers. The Saudi government is seeking to establish a more balanced economy by reducing its reliance on the oil industry and supporting the hospitality industry. In SA, the hotel industry has begun to expand in accordance with Vision 2030, which aims to make the country a desirable tourist destination. The hotel sector is critical to a country's economy, particularly SA’s, because it generates significant revenues while providing countless jobs for its residents. Budget hotels, which serve a large number of travellers each year, contribute substantially to the tourism industry. Given the significance of this industry, satisfaction among employees in the hotel sector is critical to sustaining service quality and ensuring the sector's continued success. The government needs women employees to achieve this goal because of the economy's labour requirements and the rights guaranteed by Islam. Despite the fact that Islam and Saudi legislation require gender equality in the workplace, women in SA have been insufficiently represented. Such challenges have impacted their job satisfaction. Additionally, cultural and religious beliefs have perpetuated men’s dominance in the workforce, limiting career prospects for women. Furthermore, Saudi women are seen as responsible for looking after their family members and homes from an early age; this accepted custom and norm may hinder their professional growth. Gender equality in the workplace has been subject to extensive investigation in Western countries but remains an underexplored area in SA, particularly in the hotel sector. Thus, this dissertation investigates Saudi women hotel employees’ job satisfaction, with a special focus on factors influencing their job satisfaction to reveal how budget hotel companies might improve gender equality and job satisfaction. The research findings can assist decision makers in the hotel industry and hotel managers in gaining a clearer understanding of women employees’ job satisfaction to develop work regulations that ensure gender equality. A qualitative study was carried out to investigate the job satisfaction of 15 women front-line employees working in budget hotels in SA. Semi-structured interviews, the primary method of data collection, were carried out to obtain in-depth information about their job satisfaction. The data were analysed thematically to find recurring patterns and themes in the participants' narratives. Furthermore, issues of ethics, reliability and validity were addressed. These interviews yielded detailed insights into these women's personal experiences and perspectives and revealed the factors that influence their job satisfaction. Specifically, the findings revealed that women employees of Saudi budget hotels are dissatisfied due to a number of interconnected variables that have a negative impact on their work experience. One of the most obvious reasons is low salaries, which not only impact their financial security but also lead to a sense of undervaluation by their employers. Furthermore, a lack of opportunities for promotion and career advancement exacerbate their dissatisfaction. Long working hours also impact these employees' work–life balance; they are frequently unable to manage personal commitments due to their strict schedules, resulting in increased stress and job dissatisfaction. Exacerbating these challenges is insufficient supervision, resulting in a lack of guidance, support and appreciation of their work. This not only reduces motivation but also perpetuates a work atmosphere in which their contributions are undervalued and neglected. These factors produce an environment that fails to meet women employees’ needs and expectations, resulting in widespread discontent. Furthermore, the study found that gender discrimination is a prevalent problem, with all women employees believing they are treated unjustly compared to their male colleagues. This finding emphasises the need to implement strategies to enhance women job satisfaction, such as flexible working hours and policies that ensure workplace equality. These findings are surprising given the significant emphasis on women equality in Islamic teachings, which are central to Saudi society. An important finding is the similarity in the work experiences of Saudi women and women residing in Western nations, despite cultural and religious differences. This unexpected similarity implies that the obstacles women encounter in the workplace are not limited to Western cultures but can also occur in countries where gender equality is a religious and cultural requirement. This finding is significant because it undermines the premise that Islamic teachings inherently preclude gender-based discrimination in the workplace. Based on these findings, hotel management and politicians should work together to design comprehensive measures that promote gender equality in the workplace. This involves updating current regulations to make them more inclusive, offering training programmes to improve awareness of gender prejudice and establishing ways for employees to express their concerns without fear of punishment. Furthermore, there should be a concerted effort to match workplace practices with Islamic concepts of justice and equality, ensuring that all employees, regardless of gender, are treated fairly and respectfully. This research has far-reaching ramifications, especially for hotel managers, legislators and tourism experts in SA. The study emphasises the importance of focused interventions to address the unique issues that women hotel employees face. Policies that support equitable promotion methods, ensure fair compensation and enable flexible working arrangements that allow members of the labour force to fulfil work and family responsibilities must be established to improve job satisfaction and prevent turnover. Furthermore, the study emphasises the need to cultivate a supportive supervisory environment and provide gender sensitivity training to reduce unconscious prejudices and build a more inclusive workplace. For policymakers, the findings highlight the need for stricter anti-discrimination laws and the development of oversight agencies to promote workplace gender equality norms. Public awareness initiatives and educational reforms should also be implemented to change cultural beliefs and diminish the social acceptance of gender inequality. These indicators are critical for aligning workplace practices with the Islamic ideals of justice and equality, which advocate for the equal treatment of all people, regardless of gender.