Understanding the treatment and perception of migrant housekeepers in the U.K. hospitality industry: An employer perspective.
Author: Benedict Ferrari
1 Commentries
Key words: Migrant Workers, Housekeepers, Exploitation, Sexism, Brexit, Hospitality
Abstract: Literature on exploitation in the workplace, especially migrant workers are focused on the perspectives of the employees and how the exploitation effects them directly. The purpose of this paper was to understand the perspectives of the employer who have had little opportunity in academic literature to express their feelings/experience of exploitation in the workplace. This study provides a platform for two employers who work for an unnamed budget hotel chain in the United Kingdom (U.K.) to provide an insight into how they perceive migrant workers and whether they believe the culture of exploitation in the workplace is as widespread as literature currently suggests.
1. Overview
Migration into the U.K. is a hotly debated topic, especially since the vote to leave the European Union (EU) by the British public in the 2016 referendum. This decision, also known as Brexit, will directly affect the opportunities afforded to migrants when attempting to move to the U.K. Migration peaked in 2015, with over 250,000 immigrants moving to the country (Sumption, 2019). Out of those 250,000 migrants, 177,000 were EU nationals, specifically from Eastern European territories including, but not limited to Poland, Czech Republic. Employment opportunities were a big factor for migrants, with over 56% stating this as the main motivation for moving away from their native countries to the United Kingdom.
Out of all the industries available to migrants, the hospitality industry i.e. hotels are chosen most frequently because of their low-tier positions that require little skill and no previous experience, such as housekeeping (Vargas-Silva and Fernandez-Reino, 2019). Housekeeping, among other positions, are typically occupied by females, composed of 95% of that overall workforce (Statista, 2019). The main reason for this is because males do not see themselves in such positions, holding more traditional values when it comes to gender roles; these values may manifest from conditioning at an early age, if living with a mother who cooks and cleans for an entire family (Dawson et.al 2017). In contrast, women tend to possess more egalitarian principles (Dawson et al. 2017), meaning that they view all people as equal and deserve equal rights and opportunities.
Institutionalised sexism heavily affects females across several industries, with literature being published as early as the 1970s (Reagan and Blaxall, 1976). Despite this, institutionalised sexism is still prevalent in society, even after having legislation established to create a more level playing field between both genders (Gov.co.uk, 2010). This discrimination towards females, especially from their male counterparts who are typically hold higher positions of power, negatively affecting the potential for career progression.
The purpose of this paper is to discover whether exploitation of migrant housekeepers is as prevalent as the research on the topic already suggests. Exploitation among migrant workers has been seen to be used especially by hotels, both in the U.K. and internationally. Balch (2014) suggests that migrant workers are looked at by hotels as important commodities, since they are frequently stereotyped for possessing a strong work ethic and willing to do jobs that U.K. workers may view as unattractive and not worth applying for. Zopiatis et al. (2014) elaborates further, stating that hotels take advantage of their migrant workers, especially for their lack of understanding surrounding U.K. employee rights. Yet migrant workers are often perceived as disposable by hotel management, due to the constant stream of workers moving to the U.K. for employment; with employers known to provide poor work conditions by increasing workloads with less time to complete them (Sarosi, 2017). All of this creates a high turnover of migrant workers within the hospitality industry. Balch (2014) continues, stating that, due to hotels operating around seasonality and demand for hotel rooms fluctuating, employees who are more willing to be flexible are ideal candidates. This makes migrant workers more favourable, because they may have less responsibilities or obligations than U.K. workers, if they are living away from family and friends (Balch 2014).
With Brexit looming, the hospitality industry’s dependence on migrant workers may cause difficulty in retaining staff, especially since shortages in staff are already starting to occur. Hotels will have to begin advertising positions such as housekeeping, which have otherwise been disregarded by regional workers. In order to entice them, hotels will have to increase wages, which may mean the cost of hotel rooms and services will rise
References
Balch, A.R. (2014) Tackling Exploitation and Forced Labour in the U.K. Hotel Sector. Liverpool: Hesteline Institute for Public Policy and Practice. Available from https://www.gla.gov.uk/media/1587/tackling-exploitation-and-forced-labour-in-the-uk-hotel-sector.pdf [accessed 3 May 2020]
Reagan, B.B. and Blaxall, M. (1976) Women and the workplace: The implications of occupational segregation. Chicago University Press, 1(3), 1-5.
Vargas-Silva, C. and Fernandez-Reino, M. (2019) EU Migration to and from the UK. The Migration Observatory: At the University of Oxford. Available from https://migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk/resources/briefings/eu-migration-to-and-from-the-uk/ [accessed 7 May 2020]
Abstract: Literature on exploitation in the workplace, especially migrant workers are focused on the perspectives of the employees and how the exploitation effects them directly. The purpose of this paper was to understand the perspectives of the employer who have had little opportunity in academic literature to express their feelings/experience of exploitation in the workplace. This study provides a platform for two employers who work for an unnamed budget hotel chain in the United Kingdom (U.K.) to provide an insight into how they perceive migrant workers and whether they believe the culture of exploitation in the workplace is as widespread as literature currently suggests.
1. Overview
Migration into the U.K. is a hotly debated topic, especially since the vote to leave the European Union (EU) by the British public in the 2016 referendum. This decision, also known as Brexit, will directly affect the opportunities afforded to migrants when attempting to move to the U.K. Migration peaked in 2015, with over 250,000 immigrants moving to the country (Sumption, 2019). Out of those 250,000 migrants, 177,000 were EU nationals, specifically from Eastern European territories including, but not limited to Poland, Czech Republic. Employment opportunities were a big factor for migrants, with over 56% stating this as the main motivation for moving away from their native countries to the United Kingdom.
Out of all the industries available to migrants, the hospitality industry i.e. hotels are chosen most frequently because of their low-tier positions that require little skill and no previous experience, such as housekeeping (Vargas-Silva and Fernandez-Reino, 2019). Housekeeping, among other positions, are typically occupied by females, composed of 95% of that overall workforce (Statista, 2019). The main reason for this is because males do not see themselves in such positions, holding more traditional values when it comes to gender roles; these values may manifest from conditioning at an early age, if living with a mother who cooks and cleans for an entire family (Dawson et.al 2017). In contrast, women tend to possess more egalitarian principles (Dawson et al. 2017), meaning that they view all people as equal and deserve equal rights and opportunities.
Institutionalised sexism heavily affects females across several industries, with literature being published as early as the 1970s (Reagan and Blaxall, 1976). Despite this, institutionalised sexism is still prevalent in society, even after having legislation established to create a more level playing field between both genders (Gov.co.uk, 2010). This discrimination towards females, especially from their male counterparts who are typically hold higher positions of power, negatively affecting the potential for career progression.
The purpose of this paper is to discover whether exploitation of migrant housekeepers is as prevalent as the research on the topic already suggests. Exploitation among migrant workers has been seen to be used especially by hotels, both in the U.K. and internationally. Balch (2014) suggests that migrant workers are looked at by hotels as important commodities, since they are frequently stereotyped for possessing a strong work ethic and willing to do jobs that U.K. workers may view as unattractive and not worth applying for. Zopiatis et al. (2014) elaborates further, stating that hotels take advantage of their migrant workers, especially for their lack of understanding surrounding U.K. employee rights. Yet migrant workers are often perceived as disposable by hotel management, due to the constant stream of workers moving to the U.K. for employment; with employers known to provide poor work conditions by increasing workloads with less time to complete them (Sarosi, 2017). All of this creates a high turnover of migrant workers within the hospitality industry. Balch (2014) continues, stating that, due to hotels operating around seasonality and demand for hotel rooms fluctuating, employees who are more willing to be flexible are ideal candidates. This makes migrant workers more favourable, because they may have less responsibilities or obligations than U.K. workers, if they are living away from family and friends (Balch 2014).
With Brexit looming, the hospitality industry’s dependence on migrant workers may cause difficulty in retaining staff, especially since shortages in staff are already starting to occur. Hotels will have to begin advertising positions such as housekeeping, which have otherwise been disregarded by regional workers. In order to entice them, hotels will have to increase wages, which may mean the cost of hotel rooms and services will rise
References
Balch, A.R. (2014) Tackling Exploitation and Forced Labour in the U.K. Hotel Sector. Liverpool: Hesteline Institute for Public Policy and Practice. Available from https://www.gla.gov.uk/media/1587/tackling-exploitation-and-forced-labour-in-the-uk-hotel-sector.pdf [accessed 3 May 2020]
Reagan, B.B. and Blaxall, M. (1976) Women and the workplace: The implications of occupational segregation. Chicago University Press, 1(3), 1-5.
Vargas-Silva, C. and Fernandez-Reino, M. (2019) EU Migration to and from the UK. The Migration Observatory: At the University of Oxford. Available from https://migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk/resources/briefings/eu-migration-to-and-from-the-uk/ [accessed 7 May 2020]