Motivation and Improvement in Employee Performance in The Restaurant Industry in Ghana

Abstract

This study examined the impact of motivation on the performance of restaurant employees within the Cape Coast Metropolis of the Central Region of Ghana. The study sought to identify motivational strategies used by the selected restaurants and determine their effectiveness in influencing employee performance.  An ex-post facto research survey was adopting for the study using Maslow’s hierarchy of needs as the theoretical framework.  Primary data were collected from 5 restaurant managers and 55 of their employees using simple random sampling to elicit data on motivational strategies enjoyed by the staff. The findings showed that motivational strategies used included the payment of bonuses, free communication, monetary rewards and the provision of free meals, recognition and rewards. Most of the employees were however dissatisfied with the motivational packages resulting in the low performance of the respondents as obtained from performance indicators on profitability, customer satisfaction and increased customer base, showing the ineffectiveness of the motivational strategies employed. Lack of effective implementation of some of the motivational strategies and inconsistency in strategic decisions were the major constraints affecting employees’ performance. It was thus recommended that more motivational incentives such as supported study leave should be planned for the employees in order to help reduce absenteeism and the high labour turnover in the restaurant industry in Ghana.