Employment barriers for persons with disabilities in the hotel industry: Lessons from integrated hotels.

Abstract: Previous research has shown that managers in the hotel industry perceive persons with disabilities as lacking the required embodied capacities and attributes, unable to meet industry-specific work requirements and too costly to employ. I explore the validity of these negative judgements through a case study of integrative hotels employing on average more than 60 percent of persons with disabilities. The empirical findings show that the negative judgements held by managers in non-integrative hotels regarding persons with disabilities were not supported in the case of the integrated hotels. Many disabilities had no impact on the employees’ mobility or shift work. Accommodating and training persons with disabilities were in many cases of minimal costs, and physical attributes of persons with disabilities did not influence guests’ experiences negatively. The findings indicate that developing an organizational climate of openness and tolerance, putting the employee with disability at the centre of managerial planning and operational processes, and investing in good human resources management practices are essential elements for the integration of persons with disabilities in the workplace.

Biography: Stefan Gröschl is currently Associate Professor of Human Resources Management and Co-Chair of Leadership and Diversity in the Faculty of Management at ESSEC Business School, France. Stefan’s primary research interests focus on international human resources management and aspects related to diversity management - including cross-cultural issues and human resources policies and practices supporting the integration of disadvantaged employee groups into the workforce. For details about his publications see http://www45.essec.edu/faculty/stefan-groschl#.