The Impact of Leadership on the Motivation of Hotel Employee During the Pandemic Era: Evidence from Greece

Human Resources Management (HRM) plays a catalytic role in the positive performance of a hotel. The Covid-19 pandemic struck the tourism sector to an unprecedented degree at a time when the industry was unprepared for such a severe health crisis. Maintaining the smooth operation of hotels during the crisis presupposes new financial planning, new services according to the health protocols, or modification of those already provided. Under this situation, staff training is necessary. The purpose of the present paper is to examine the impact of leadership on the motivation of hotel employees during the COVID19 pandemic. The value of leadership in the formulation and acceptance of a common vision is also explored. Furthermore, the paper examines how the leader directly or indirectly guides employees towards serving the vision while pointing out those human characteristics that are valuable for such a process. At a second level, the research aims to highlight the leader's individual practices to motivate employees to increase productivity and, therefore, to improve the services provided. The research took place in the Greek islands of Rhodes and Kos during February and March 2021. Primary data were collected using a questionnaire sent to the leaders of all four- and five-star hotels of those two islands. A total of 150 usable questionnaires were gathered and analyzed. The results showed the new conditions faced by leaders and managers are related to the individual fears of employees and the barriers they are facing in their personal lives according to their safety. These factors cause reluctance or work stress to hotel employees, whether they are purely work-related or derived from family or other backgrounds, affecting their efficiency. Therefore, increased empathy is required for leaders to see the insecurities and needs of employees. Conversely, managers should activate employee empathy to understand the needs of their colleagues and customers and serve the common vision of the hotels. At this point, leaders must stand as guarantors of security and be a source of inspiration.