Quality of Work Life in Tourism – Implications for Competitive Advantage of the Tourism Industry

Abstract

Tourism is an extremely labour intensive and high-contact industry. Competing effectively with rival organizations requires not only a sufficient number of employees but first of all employees equipped with appropriate competencies. Nowadays human capital is of vital importance as it is the critical asset that creates sustainable competitive advantage. The ability to acquire and retain skilled, motivated and engaged personnel depends on the attractiveness of the career offered by employers. The aim of the paper is to identify job characteristics affecting work quality in tourism in the context of gaining competitive advantage of the tourism industry. The paper analyses the results of the fifth wave of the European Working Condition Survey run by Eurofound in 2010. Special attention is paid to facets that may affect significantly job satisfaction and, consequently, constitute key drivers of competitive advantage and tourism industry development; these include: financial conditions of employment, opportunities for vocational development, social relations, and work-life balance.