Microsoft Word 2007 ichrie conference Proceedings Final-Final 06-06-07. doc

 
2007 Annual International CHRIE Conference & Exposition 
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low mean levels of voice reported for part-time and full-time restaurant workers, indicating that hourly employees, 
regardless of work status, are not willing to make many suggestions for change within the restaurant industry as 
found within the present study within hotels. However, it should be noted that their study has a relative large sample 
size (257).
Another key finding is that involuntary part-time workers (those who worked part-time but would prefer 
full-time) showed greater perceived ‘organizational support’ and ‘supervisor support’ than voluntary part-time 
workers (those who worked part-time and preferred to work part-time) and full-time employees. However, the 
involuntary part-time workers did not show significantly stronger commitment or more OCBs. These results are in 
contrast with the findings in Van Dyne and Ang’s study (1998). In the study, they uncovered that part-time 
employees who desire to work in a full time capacity may eventually show stronger levels of desired behaviors 
because they aspire to upgrade their work status and prove to management their value and worth.
This research has important managerial implications. Managers need to understand that when employees 
perceive their employers’ commitment to them exceeding their expectations, the employees will be more likely to 
demonstrate stronger commitment to their organizations, and when employees are committed to their organizations, 
they will engage more strongly in behaviors of helping co-workers, voicing opinions and suggestions to improve 
work, paying extra attention on work, and showing loyalty toward their employers.
In conclusion, research on part-time employee behavior, though scarce in hospitality literature, is critical to 
human resource management and bottom-line success within the industry. Such research has been suggested to be 
of critical value not only because of the proportion of part-time employees in front line service positions, but also 
because of managers’ perceptions that the performance and commitment of part-time employees are worse than 
those of full-time employees. The present research study provides hotel managers with a better understanding of the 
differences between the behaviors of part-time and full-time employees and provides an evaluation for enhancing 
the attitudes of part-time workers within hotels.