Strengths and shortfalls: exploring managerial perceptions of 50+ hotel employees through a mixed methods lens

Purpose This paper examines how hotel managers perceive key employee characteristics that influence overall job performance, encompassing both task and contextual performance. The aim is to identify these critical attributes and assess older employees (50+) in relation to them to gain insight into their potential contribution to an industry dominated by a younger, mobile workforce. Design/methodology/approach An embedded mixed-methods design was used. For the thematic analysis, group interviews were conducted with 8 hotel managers, in which 25 employee characteristics were defined that are important for overall job performance. In the further course of the study, an online questionnaire was used with a sample of 47 hotel managers. Importance-performance and gap analysis were used to analyse managers' attitudes towards the importance of individual characteristics for overall job performance and their attitudes towards the performance of employees 50+ in relation to these characteristics. Findings In the development and evaluation of 25 employee characteristics, a reorientation towards personal and interpersonal (soft) skills can be seen, which illustrates a shift towards a greater appreciation of interpersonal dynamics in organisations and at the same time reflects the shortage of qualified employees on the labour market. Originality/value The paper contributes to the literature by analysing the specific position of older employees in the hotel industry, which is rapidly facing the challenges of labour shortages. The particular significance and originality of the paper lie in the fact that it analyses the managers' perspective using the embedded mixed methods approach.