Employee Turnover Remains a Challenge for Hospitality Businesses
Hotels depend heavily on employees because service quality is closely connected to how effectively workers interact with guests and perform their daily responsibilities. Employees represent the hotel in direct interactions with customers, making their skills, commitment, and consistency important to customer satisfaction and business performance.
However, employee turnover remains a persistent challenge in the hospitality sector. The research cites previous findings indicating that annual employee turnover in Indonesia’s hospitality industry can reach 11–38 percent. This level is considerably higher than the 5–10 percent range generally considered ideal.
High turnover can create substantial operational costs. Hotels must repeatedly recruit and train new employees while also dealing with the loss of experienced workers and accumulated organizational knowledge.
The situation is particularly relevant in South Tangerang, where the number of star-rated hotels increased from 21 in 2024 to 26 in 2025, according to data referenced by the researchers from Indonesia’s Central Statistics Agency. Increasing competition among hotels makes retaining capable employees increasingly important.
Researchers Surveyed 108 Hotel Employees
Gunawan, Margareta, and Panjaitan used a quantitative research design and collected information through online questionnaires. The respondents were hotel employees in South Tangerang who had worked for at least one year.
A total of 116 responses were initially collected. Eight responses were excluded because they did not meet the research criteria, leaving 108 valid respondents for analysis.
The respondents consisted of staff members and senior staff. Staff represented 66 percent of the sample, while senior staff accounted for 34 percent. Women represented 58 percent of respondents, while the largest age group was employees aged 22–25, accounting for 34 percent.
The largest education group consisted of employees with senior high school or vocational school backgrounds, at 41 percent. Most respondents worked in three-star hotels, while the largest departmental group came from back-office functions such as human resources, finance, and sales and marketing.
The researchers analyzed the relationships among supervisor support, work engagement, and turnover intention using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) with SmartPLS 4.
Supervisor Support Strongly Increases Work Engagement
One of the strongest findings concerns the relationship between supervisor support and work engagement.
The analysis found a positive and statistically significant relationship between the two variables. The path coefficient was 0.745, with a p-value of 0.000.
In practical terms, employees who receive greater support from their supervisors tend to demonstrate stronger engagement with their work. Support can include clear guidance, recognition, attention to employee well-being, and assistance when workers face challenges.
The research model found that supervisor support explained 55.5 percent of the variation in work engagement. This represents a moderate level of explanatory power.
For hotel managers, the finding suggests that leadership behavior can influence how employees experience their daily work. Employees who feel valued and supported are more likely to invest energy, enthusiasm, and emotional commitment in their roles.
Supportive Supervisors Can Reduce Employees’ Desire to Leave
Supervisor support also had a direct negative relationship with turnover intention.
The path coefficient between supervisor support and turnover intention was -0.379, with a p-value of 0.000. The negative coefficient indicates that stronger supervisor support is associated with lower intentions to leave the organization.
This finding is consistent with previous research cited by the authors, including Siddiqi et al. (2024), which also reported a relationship between organizational or supervisor support and employees’ turnover intention.
For hospitality businesses, the result highlights an important point: employee retention is not determined solely by salary or financial incentives. Everyday interactions between supervisors and employees can also influence whether workers see a future within the organization.
Work Engagement Acts as a Key Link
Work engagement itself was also found to reduce turnover intention.
The relationship produced a coefficient of -0.339 with a p-value of 0.001. Employees with stronger engagement therefore tended to have lower intentions to leave their jobs.
More importantly, the study found that work engagement partially mediates the relationship between supervisor support and turnover intention. The indirect effect was -0.252, with a p-value of 0.004.
This means supervisor support operates through two connected pathways. First, supportive supervisors can directly reduce employees’ desire to leave. Second, supervisor support can strengthen employees’ engagement with their work, which subsequently lowers turnover intention.
The researchers interpret this relationship through Social Exchange Theory, which emphasizes reciprocity in workplace relationships. When employees perceive that supervisors treat them positively and provide meaningful support, they are more likely to respond with positive attitudes and stronger involvement in their work.
Implications for Hotel Management
The findings provide practical recommendations for hospitality companies seeking to improve employee retention.
Hotel management can strengthen supervisor capabilities through structured leadership and interpersonal communication training. Supervisors in departments such as front office, housekeeping, and food and beverage can be trained to recognize employee needs, provide constructive guidance, and manage workplace pressures effectively.
Hotels can also establish more participatory workplace cultures. Giving employees opportunities to share ideas and participate in operational problem-solving can strengthen their sense of involvement and ownership.
Another recommendation is to incorporate supervisor support into management performance indicators. Anonymous employee surveys could evaluate supervisors based on factors such as clarity of communication, empathy, helpfulness, and responsiveness.
According to the findings of Gunawan, Margareta, and Panjaitan of Bunda Mulia University, supportive leadership becomes particularly valuable when it succeeds in turning managerial attention into stronger employee engagement. In other words, support has greater retention value when employees feel not only cared for but also more connected and committed to their work.
Findings Have Limits
The researchers acknowledge that the study has several limitations. The sample was limited to hotel employees in South Tangerang, so the findings cannot automatically be generalized to hospitality workers in other Indonesian cities or regions.
The final sample also consisted of only 108 respondents, which limits the extent to which the findings can represent the broader hospitality industry.
In addition, the research focused on supervisor support and work engagement as the main factors associated with turnover intention. Future research could examine other factors, including job stress and workload, while involving more respondents from hotels across different cities.
About the Authors
Oktaviani Gunawan, Margareta, and Christy Ayu Sarah Panjaitan are affiliated with Bunda Mulia University. Their research examines human resource management issues, particularly employee behavior, supervisor support, work engagement, and turnover intention in the hospitality workplace.
Margareta served as the corresponding author of the article.
Research Source
Article: “The Impact of Supervisor Support on Turnover Intention: The Mediating Role of Work Engagement among Hospitality Industry Employees”
Authors: Oktaviani Gunawan, Margareta, and Christy Ayu Sarah Panjaitan
Affiliation: Bunda Mulia University
Publication year: 2026
Journal: International Journal of Economic, Finance and Business Statistics (IJEFBS)
DOI: https://doi.org/10.59890/ijefbs.v4i4.16
Official URL: http://journalijefbs.my.id/index.php/ijefbs
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