Employee perception of environmental management systems in selected hotels in Puerto Rico

Abstract

This study explored hotel employee's perceptions about the implementation of environmental management systems (EMS), and its consequent increase in workload. The service profit chain (SPC) model (Heskett et al., 1994) was used as theoretical base to measure internal service quality, job satisfaction, tenure and intentions to stay. The research was conducted in six selected hotels in Puerto Rico, which represented two types: green certified and non-certified facilities. Workers in the two different types of hotels were surveyed and data collected was compared to assess groups differences in SPC internal service and environmental practices perceptions. A structural equation modeling (SEM) method was used to evaluate SPC variables, and a pair wise test was conducted to compare the two groups of employees. Internal service quality (ISQ) was found to be important among workers in green certified hotels, while job satisfaction was found to be higher among employees in non-certified facilities. Implications for management and recommendations for future research were presented.