Measurement of employee satisfaction based on the European foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) model & the philosophy of Internal Service Quality

Abstract

Greece is one of the most popular tourist destinations. As a result, tourism is one of the most important Greek businesses, employing a sizable proportion of the entire labor force. Because of this, the implementation of various quality models such as the EFQM can result in considerable improvements in the services that firms provide, to the advantage of both internal and external consumers. Taken these into consideration, this paper is the first attempt to combine two quality tools: the EFQM model and the SERVQUAL. Moreover, it looks at the employment satisfaction of persons who work in the Greek tourism business, primarily in hotel units. Based on the theory of Internal Service Quality and the EFQM model, this paper intends to assess the satisfaction of employees working in the tourism industry in hotel units. More specifically, the study intends to investigate both men and women's perceptions on the internal perceived quality of the hotel unit in which they work. To do this, a complicated study approach was designed that combines questions from the SERVQUAL scale, which analyzes the quality of services provided by an organization's independent industry, and the EFQM business excellence model, with a particular focus on the "People" criterion. Finally, the first significant finding is that there is a positive relationship between Internal Service Quality and the EFQM "People" criterion and the other significant conclusion is that organizations that adhere to quality standards have higher job satisfaction than companies that do not adhere to quality standards.

JEL classifications: Μ19

Keywords: Employee satisfaction, tourism, EFQM, SERVQUAL, Internal Service Quality