Abstract:
In the competitive hospitality industry, employee satisfaction is vital for sustaining
service quality, reducing turnover, and ensuring organisational sustainability. This
study investigates the impact of Human Resource (HR) practices on the job
satisfaction of operational-level employees in 3–5-star hotels in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
The population of the study consisted of operational-level employees working in
hotels registered under the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority. Employing a
stratified random sampling technique, a final sample size of 384 participants was
determined using the Krejci and Morgan table, appropriate for a known population.
Four HR practices were examined in this study, namely training and development,
performance appraisal, rewards and recognition, and employee empowerment. A
quantitative design was employed, and data were collected using a structured
questionnaire. The collected data were analysed using descriptive statistics and
inferential statistics. The results indicated that all four practices have a significant
positive effect on job satisfaction, with employee empowerment and rewards, and
recognition emerging as the strongest predictors. These findings highlight the
importance of HR practices on the motivation and commitment of operational-level
employees, who play a central role in guest satisfaction and service delivery, and
emphasise the need for employee-centred HR strategies that are not merely policy driven but are effectively integrated into hotel operations. The findings also align with
Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory and the Ability, Motivation, and Opportunity (AMO)
Framework, which highlights the role of intrinsic motivators, ability, and opportunity
in shaping satisfaction. This study contributes to HRM knowledge by providing
empirical evidence from the Sri Lankan hotel sector, a context that has been
underexplored in prior research. It also offers practical implications for hotel
managers and policymakers, stressing the need for inclusive HR strategies that
enhance employee satisfaction, engagement, and retention while supporting the
competitiveness of the hotel industry in Colombo.
