How emotional labor affect hotel employees’ mental health: A longitudinal study

The current study aims to examine the longitudinal effects of emotional labor on the mental health of hotel employees based on the Allostatic Load and Conservation of Resources theories. Four waves of data were collected from 534 hotel interns in an eight-month period. Latent growth modeling and lagged path analysis were used to analyze the time-series data. The study results indicated that hotel employees experienced increased anxiety and depression within the first three months of their new jobs. Surface acting increased employees' anxiety and depression. Interestingly, deep acting decreased employees' anxiety and depression in the short run but increased their anxiety and depression in the long run. Emotional exhaustion explained the double-edged effect of deep acting on mental health. The study results provide meaningful implications for hotel managers in workplace stress management and employees’ mental health improvement.     

The go-along interview: a valuable tool for leisure research

Abstract

The go-along interview, where the researcher and participant visit a predetermined location relevant to the research objective, is a data collection method that aligns with, but is distinct from, ethnographic traditions. This article introduces, critiques, and offers suggestions for the use of the go-along interview in leisure research based on two research projects focused on the leisure experiences of people with mental health challenges. We describe the go-along interview as a means of eliciting rich data situated in specific leisure settings while building rapport and addressing the power imbalances that can characterize traditional interviews. Further, we describe the need for careful consideration of how the researcher is introduced in the research setting and document pertinent ethical and safety considerations. A sample protocol for researcher and participant safety and a list of suggestions for the use of this method are provided.     

Employee work status,mental health,substance use,and career turnover intentions: An examination of restaurant employees during COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted the restaurant industry and employees in the worst possible way. This empirical study aims to examine the relationships between employees’ work status (working, furloughed, or laid-off), mental health (psychological well-being and psychological distress), substance use (drug and alcohol use), and career turnover intentions during the pandemic. Analyzing the responses of 585 restaurant employees using structural equation modelling (SEM), findings revealed that working employees experienced higher levels of psychological distress, drug and alcohol use than furloughed employees. Moreover, psychological distress increased drug and alcohol use, as well as career turnover intentions. Lastly, all employees, regardless of their mental health, increased their substance use and indicated a desire to seek future employment in alternate industries during the pandemic. Practical and theoretical implications are discussed in detail.     

Well on the way: An exploratory study on occupational health in hospitality

This study conducted a comprehensive review of work conditions and health risks/problems for various hospitality workers and summarized the various health and wellness promotion programs available in the workplace with the aim of identifying the key elements of successful employee wellness programs. In this review, physical health problems, such as musculoskeletal disorders, lung diseases, and dermatologic diseases, as well as mental health problems that are common among hospitality employees were discussed. In addition, different types of wellness programs that may help employees to overcome these health problems were included. In the next stage, interviews with hotel staff holding multiple positions were conducted to identify the most significant health challenges and assess their preference for various types of wellness initiatives. Using MAXQDA Pro, health-related categories and themes were extracted from the interviews. Participants believed that the lack of time, physical challenges and stress are the top three wellness challenges in the hospitality industry. In order to tackle the challenges, they stated that hospitality businesses should provide various wellness initiatives including healthy eating and weight management, smoking cessation, stress management, exercise programs, and fitbits or other wellness tracker devices.     

Tourism operator mental health and its relationship with SME organisational resilience during disasters

Crises have a negative, and often long-lasting impact on mental health. The stress of dealing with the ongoing and unpredictable aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic has led to an unprecedented rise in mental health problems including low mood, depression and anxiety. Tourism businesses have faced ongoing challenges, with repeated lockdowns and drastically reduced tourist numbers and mental health challenges faced by operators may impact the resilience of tourism organisations and vice versa. Few studies have examined this. Our study in Victoria, Australia documents the mental health impacts of the COVID-19 crisis on owners and managers (operators) of small to medium tourism businesses and explores organisational factors that may impact or protect operator mental health during the crisis. Our findings show that the mental health of the cohort reached critically low levels over the course of the pandemic. We also identify positive associations between tourism organisational resilience and operator mental health.     

Moderating Effects of Vacation on Reactions to Work and Domestic Stress

Several factors have been found to reduce the adverse effects of stress on physical and mental health. In this study it was investigated whether vacation modified the effects of occupational and domestic stress on different aspects of well-being. Also, the moderating effect of recuperation was studied. Occupational stress, operationalized as perceived workload, domestic stress and well-being were measured by questionnaire ten days before and three days after a two-week vacation from work for a sample of n = 53 employees of a hardware company. Workload did not affect well-being before vacation, but had a deteriorating impact on the quality of sleep, social activities, and mood after vacation. Domestic stress had a similar impact on well-being before and after vacation. Subjects reporting greater recuperation during vacation had less physical complaints and greater life satisfaction when experiencing high workload than subjects reporting less recuperation. In conclusion, this study shows that vacation generally does not buffer the effects of occupational or domestic stress on well-being. Rather, the results suggest that high levels of postvacation work-load eliminate the potentially positive effect of vacation. However, the results also indicate that a restful vacation may buffer postvacation work-related stress with respect to physical complaints and life satisfaction, but not with respect to mood-related aspects of well-being and sleep.     

Work stress and well-being in the hotel industry

Employee stress is a significant issue in the hospitality industry, and it is costly for employers and employees alike. Although addressing and reducing stress is both a noble goal and is capable of resulting in expense reductions for employers, the nature and quantity of hospitality employee stress is not fully understood. The first aim of this study was to identify common work stressors in a sample of 164 managerial and hourly workers employed at 65 different hotels who were each interviewed for eight consecutive days. The two most common stressors were interpersonal tensions at work and overloads (e.g., technology not functioning). The second aim was to determine whether there were differences in the types and frequency of work stressors by job type (i.e., managers versus non-managers), gender, and marital status. Hotel managers reported significantly more stressors than hourly employees. There were no significant differences by gender or marital status. The third aim was to investigate whether the various stressors were linked to hotel employee health and work outcomes. More employee and coworker stressors were linked to more negative physical health symptoms. Also, interpersonal tensions at work were linked to lower job satisfaction and greater turnover intentions.     

Facilitating well-being at the second home: the role of architectural design

Many studies have examined the benefits of second home ownership (here taken to mean those used primarily for the purpose of leisure and recreation rather than investment), and references to such second homes as sanctuaries and places of physical and psychological rejuvenation are common. This is frequently attributed to the physical landscape and natural environment the second home is located in; it is argued that re-connecting with nature has both tangible and intangible therapeutic benefits. However, the significance of the architectural design element of second homes in facilitating a sense of well-being has been overlooked in the literature. Representations of well-being at the second home in an architectural context are examined in this study, through a thematic analysis of second home articles in New Zealand’s first architecture and lifestyle magazine (Home New Zealand) from 1936 to 2015. The paper presents evidence that design elements may enhance benefits for well-being – whether those elements are architect-initiated or in response to a design brief from the owners. Furthermore, through taking a longitudinal approach, the study finds that designing for well-being at the second home has changed over the years, from a focus on physical well-being (health) to increasing emphasis on psychological well-being.     

Job insecurity,subjective well-being and job performance: The moderating role of psychological capital

The article illuminates one of the central concerns in organizational study; the extent to which job insecurity (JI) affects employees’ subjective well-being (SWB) and consequently their job performance (JP) in hospitality industry. Building on the transactional theory stress and coping, the study analyses the buffering role of psychological capital (PsyCap) as a strategy by which employees overcome the negative impact of JI on SWB and JP. Respondents include 250 four and five star hotel employees in Tehran, Iran. The results highlighted the mediating role of SWB, affirming that JI negatively impacts employees’ JP via decreasing their SWB. Furthermore, the results show that employees with high level of PsyCap are able to cope with JI. Hotel management teams should make appropriate decisions to minimize or eliminate stressful stimuli, particularly JI in the workplace, which has been found to have severe mental, emotional and behavioural consequences.     

Active engagement with nature: outdoor adventure tourism,sustainability and wellbeing

Abstract

This article draws on the conflicting arguments surrounding outdoor adventure tourism activities to determine if such activities might usefully be considered beneficial for humans and nature, and how they might offer avenues for sustainable tourism practice. Research in the field has often examined outdoor adventure activities through a lens that either highlights their negative environmental impacts or has sought to conceptualise motivations and/or experiences. In this article, we argue that through practices that are often seen as destructive, there is the possibility to think differently about human-nature relationships and pro-environmentalism. To explore these issues, we draw on data collected from a series of semi-structured interviews with outdoor adventure tourists. Our analysis highlights how outdoor adventure tourism facilitates reconnections to nature, offering potential wellbeing impacts and pro-environmental attitudes and behaviours. We conclude that outdoor adventure activities as a form of sustainable tourism have potential implications for our understanding of, and engagement with, sustainability, mental health and wellbeing.     

Differences Between Management Philosophies Among American and Chinese Hotel Managers: A Cultural Comparison Between Las Vegas and Shanghai

The aim of this study is to ascertain, in an international tourism context, whether there are cultural discrepancies between hotel employees who have been educated and trained in a host country, and guests who have traveled to that country, given that each group is imbued with their own national culture. The findings indicate that not only do Thai frontline hotel employees have different expectations about the behavior of Japanese and Korean customers, but that the expectations of both customer groups concerning their own behavior differ from those of Thai employees. A significant gap was found in perceptions of actual behavior between the international customers and hotel staff, suggesting that cultural discrepancies are indeed present, but also vary by ethnicity. The scale of the discrepancy between Thai employees’ perceptions of Japanese tourists’ behavior, for example, was larger than in the case of the Korean customers. Comparison of the expectations of the two international customer groups also revealed strong differences.     

Nature based solutions and customer retention strategy: Eliciting customer well-being experiences and self-rated mental health

This research attempted to explore the specific role of a hotel’s green physical environment as nature-based solution (NBS) in the customer retention process. Our results showed that the green spaces within a hotel and existing outdoor natural environment as NBS significantly increase guests’ perceptions of well-being and self-rated mental health. In addition, our very significant discovery is that among the examined variables, environmental values have a regulatory role. Well-being perception, self-rated mental health, satisfaction, and affective commitment were important mediators. The proposed theoretical framework encompassing NBS factors and these mediators included a strong prediction power for retention. Keeping in line with emerging NBS in environmental behavior and public health, the present study provides a critical guiding framework helping hotel researchers and operators maximize NBS in guest retention process. We discussed the theoretical/practical implications based on the results in detail in the discussion section.     

Reducing perceived health risk to attract hotel customers in the COVID-19 pandemic era: Focused on technology innovation for social distancing and cleanliness

As an essential risk-reduction strategy, technology innovation is likely to play a key role in the hotel industry’s recovery from the 2020 coronavirus pandemic. However, its impact on customer decision-making behavior is unknown. Focusing on technology innovation for reducing guest interaction with employees and enhancing cleanliness, the purpose of this research was to examine the impact of expected interaction and expected cleanliness on perceived health risk and hotel booking intention. Three experimental studies were conducted using online consumer samples. The studies found that low levels of expected interaction through technology-mediated systems lead to low levels of perceived health risk. Perceived health risk mediates the relationship between expected interaction and hotel booking intention. In addition, high levels of expected cleanliness through advanced cleaning technologies moderate the impacts of expected interaction on perceived health risk. Importantly, the proposed perceived risk mechanism was effective in post-pandemic scenarios. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.     

Moderating effects of gender and organizational level between role stress and job satisfaction among hotel employees

This study investigates the moderating roles of gender and organization level in the relationship between role stress and job satisfaction for hotel employees. A survey instrument that included measures of job satisfaction, role stress (conflict and ambiguity) and demographic information was used to collect information from hotel employees in Republic of Korea. Data from 320 respondents, representing a 64% of response rate, were analyzed. Findings show that the effect of role stress on job satisfaction is significantly stronger for female employees and supervisory employees than male employees and non-supervisory employees. Research implications and suggestions for future research are provided.     

How servant leadership and self-efficacy interact to affect service quality in the hospitality industry: A polynomial regression with response surface analysis

This paper aimed to investigate how perceived servant leadership and employees' self-efficacy interact with each other to affect employees' service quality in the hospitality industry. We methodologically employed polynomial regression equation with response surface analysis. There were two studies in this paper. The data of the first study were obtained from front-line employees at a restaurant chain. A total of 673 employees provided valid data. The data of the second study were collected from front-line employees at five-star hotels. The sample consisted of 317 participants. Both studies yielded similar patterns and results. It was demonstrated that self-efficacy moderates the relationship between servant leadership and service quality, and employees' service quality was higher when both perceived level of servant leadership and self-efficacy were higher. The resulted also showed that the larger the difference between perceived level of servant leadership and self-efficacy, the higher employees' service quality.     

Antecedents and consequences of employees’ job stress in a foodservice industry: Focused on emotional labor and turnover intent

The purpose of this study is to understand the interrelationships among employees’ emotional labor, emotional dissonance, job stress, and turnover intent in the foodservice industry. The study was administered to 338 family-style restaurant employees. The results showed that employees’ emotional labor was positively associated with emotional dissonance, job stress, and turnover intent. However, employees’ emotional dissonance did not have a significant, direct impact on turnover intent. In addition, employees’ job stress was positively associated with turnover intent.     

Overcoming work-related stress and promoting employee creativity in hotel industry: The role of task feedback from supervisor

This study adopts the literature on voice and examines the importance of task feedback (positive and negative) from supervisors in facilitating the emergence of creativity, as an expression of voice behavior, from two types of work stress (challenge- and hindrance-oriented). We theorized that both forms of feedback would interact with challenge- and hindrance-related stress to result in employee creativity. Using multi-source data from a total of 265 full-time Chinese employees in Beijing, China, we show that employees under challenge-related stress generated most creativity when levels of positive task feedback from their supervisors were high. Similarly, those suffering from hindrance stressors were more creative at work when supervisors provided less negative and more positive feedback. Future research and directions are also discussed.     

Exploring online fitness culture and young females

Abstract

While previous studies have investigated online health communities and health-seeking behaviours, less attention has been directed at the growing impact of the online fitness movement. This paper draws on the concept of biopedagogies to examine the messages transmitted within fitness culture on social networking sites (SNSs), and their role as a channel for health and fitness information. To explore this, a multi-method approach was conducted. The two methods included a netnography (online ethnography) and 22 semi-structured individual interviews with female participants aged 18–24 in Australia. The study suggests that online fitness use is becoming a popular leisure activity and source of health and fitness information. It reveals how SNSs are used as a platform to gather and teach ideas of health and fitness, and the manner in which textual and photographic online communication facilitates the social construction and transmission of this knowledge. Results indicated that although fitness accounts on SNSs offer differing notions to present alternative and competing realities, users predominantly chose to follow the normalised and dominant health discourses. Noteworthy, the onus is firmly placed on the individual within these health and fitness messages to adhere to norms of correct health practices and choices. This has connotations relevant to eHealth literacy.     

Holiday travel,staycations, and subjective well-being

The tourism industry thrives on the notion that holiday travel improves well-being. However, scientific evidence that holiday travel is more beneficial than spending free time at home is lacking. Using the Effort-Recovery and the Limited Resources model as theoretical basis, this study investigates whether workers behave, think, and feel differently during travel than during leisure time spent at home. In a five-week longitudinal field study, we followed 24 workers during free evenings after work, a free weekend at home, and on a free weekend of domestic travel. Within-person differences were investigated between these three occasions in behavior, cognition, and emotions. During travel, employees slept more, engaged more in physical and social activities and less in obligatory activities than during free evenings after work. Hedonic well-being was higher and ruminative thinking lower during travel than during free evenings after work. Physical distance from home and work was related to engagement in resource-providing rather than resource-consuming activities and seems to translate into mental distance from everyday worries. Differences between holiday travel and weekends at home were small. Still, the findings suggest that travel may provide feelings of remoteness in places with novel and fascinating qualities, free of chores.     

The Relationships Between Emotional Intelligence,Job Stress,and Quality of Life Among Tour Guides

Considerable evidence supports the notion that higher job stress is associated with lower quality of life (QOL), which is an increasingly common indicator to assess an individual's general health status, mental health and well-being. Those with higher emotional intelligence (EI) levels are more aware of their emotions and have more effective coping strategies to deal with stress-related emotions, all of which lead to higher levels of well-being. The purpose of this study is, therefore, to explore the relationships between EI, job stress and QOL among tour guides, who significantly influence tourists' impressions of a destination. The obtained results indicated that EI was inversely correlated with occupational stress and positively associated with QOL, and a negative link was seen between job stress and QOL. In practice, the results can provide information for developing interventions to enhance tour guides' competencies of EI and stress management, which result in higher levels of QOL.