Author: 

Afuye, Oluseeke Folake

¹ Department of Hospitality Management, The Federal Polytechnic Ilaro, Ogun State, Nigeria

Abstract

The erroneous conception of customers that all hotel staff are sexual lovers and sex machines has become a motivator of wrong impression on nearly all hotel employees. This impression has become an instrument of sexual harassment on hotel workers. This act has been generally referred to as any unwanted sexual conduct or other conducts based on sex behaviour that is not compromising with the dignity of women and men at work. This unlawful act reduces a person’s productivity in all areas of life especially in a hospitality atmosphere as a negative effect. Based on this, this research was carried out to evaluate the effect of sexual harassment by customers on hotel employees and their concepts of productivity. In the process of this research, prominent hotels were selected and work within Abeokuta; the capital of Ogun State in the Southwest of Nigeria for the purpose of this study. Structured questionnaire was the major instrument used for the purpose of data collection with both primary and secondary information. Based on the accumulated data and its careful analysis, it was discovered that the majority of the employees of hotels are female. It was revealed that sexual harassment is really common in the hospitality business with customers without caring for the effect on the employees but their own ulterior motive of satisfaction is the apex priority. In the conduct of this research, simple random sampling technique was adopted and it was properly conducted and documented. Literature was appropriately reviewed. Conclusion was concisely drawn with valuable recommendations that decontamination on the awareness about sexual harassment should be organized for people in order to be informed that sexual harassment is happening almost on a daily basis and they should resourcefully resist it in order to avoid its recurrent. If proper and adequate measures are not taken into consideration, the industry risks prevalent effects from sexual harassment might put the industry into financial predicament and bad appellation.

Keywords:

Employee, Hospitality industry, Productivity, Sexual harassment