Influences on seasonal ski worker intention to return and indicators and standards of quality for seasonal ski jobs

Abstract

This study addresses the problematic trend of seasonal employee turnover in ski resort settings. It presents quantitative results for strategic management practices likely to favorably influence seasonal employees to return for an additional season of ski employment. Six factors relevant to seasonal employee intention to return were investigated. These factors were tested by surveying 324 seasonal ski employees during visits to four Rocky Mountain region ski destinations in January 2002. The factors tested were: (1) the perceived levels of management attitude towards seasonal ski employees; (2) the level of hourly pay; (3) the level of seasonal employee benefits; (4) the level of camaraderie with co-workers; (5) the level of challenge found in the job experience; (6) the level of personal job satisfaction perceived by the seasonal employee. The relationship between these factors and intention to return was examined. Results revealed that more money and more job challenge have a significant influence on intention to return, but when measuring job satisfaction, employees were most satisfied with high levels of job challenge and camaraderie with peers. Interestingly, amount of money was not a significant predictor of job satisfaction. Further, the factors were measured as potential indicators of seasonal employee job quality. This study established these factors as indicators of job quality and their optimal levels of influence on intention to return were reported as standards of seasonal ski job quality. Results of this study provide specific managerial and theoretical implications related to seasonal ski employee management.