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.     

Effects of work status congruence and perceived management concern for employees on turnover intentions in a fast casual restaurant chain

The current study examines a proposed turnover intention model on hourly employees in a large fast casual dining restaurant chain located in the United States. High levels of turnover have been a consistent and costly issue in the restaurant industry. The study was developed to help restaurant owners and managers determine how relationships between variables influence the turnover intentions of their employees, in order to overcome the economic hardship that organizations face when their turnover rates are high. Many factors were found to influence employee turnover intentions, including work status congruence, perceived management concern for employees, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment. Hence, it is important for fast casual restaurant operators in the United States to develop their managers' human resource skills, in order to have satisfied and committed hourly employees, who should as a result develop lower turnover intentions. Managerial and academic implications are discussed in detail.     

Examining the impact of psychological capital on workplace outcomes of ethnic minority foodservice employees

The purpose of this study was to examine the impacts of psychological capital on workplace outcomes of ethnic minority employees in the foodservice industry. Guided by the social exchange theory and the equity theory, this study developed and tested a survey instrument and collected 407 valid responses through an online survey. Results of the structural equation model analysis confirmed the positive impact of psychological capital on work engagement and workplace happiness, and their further impacts on job satisfaction and commitment. The results of multi-group comparisons showed differences between salaried and hourly employees. For individuals holding salaried positions, it was work engagement, rather than psychological capital, that affected their workplace happiness. For hourly employees, although psychological capital influenced their work engagement and workplace happiness, their work engagement and work happiness remain unrelated. Based on the findings, this study offered practical implications on how to enhance psychological capital for ethnic minority employees.     

Examining the impact of artificial intelligence on hotel employees through job insecurity perspectives

Artificial intelligence is another advance in technology for the hotel industry and its role is undetermined at this time. The overarching purpose of this treatise was to examine hotel employees’ perception of AI and its impact by identifying the critical role of job insecurity, job engagement, and turnover intention through a pragmatic approach. An explanatory sequential mixed-methods design was used by conducting a quantitative study with an empirical survey method followed by a qualitative study with a case study method. The results from the quantitative study demonstrated that perceived job insecurity significantly affected perceived job engagement and perceived job insecurity indirectly affected turnover intention through intermediary variable of perceived job engagement. There were no statistical differences between non-managerial positions and managerial positions. These results were fully supported by the qualitative study. The implications from these findings were provided to articulate the influence of AI on hotel employees.     

Job insecurity,work engagement and their effects on hotel employees’ non-green and nonattendance behaviors

The current study investigates the mediating role of work engagement in the relationship between job insecurity (JIS) and nonattendance and non-green behaviors. Data were gathered from hotel employees using one-week time lag between the study waves and their direct supervisors in Guangzhou in China. Structural equation modeling as well as bias-corrected bootstrapping method supported the hypothesized relationships. Specifically, JIS is a threat of future job loss eroding work engagement but aggravating absenteeism, intention to be late for work (ILFW), intention to leave work early (ILWE), and non-green behaviors. Work engagement mitigates these nonattendance behaviors and intentions and alleviates non-green behaviors. In addition, work engagement partly mediates the impact of JIS on non-green behaviors, absenteeism, ILFW, and ILWE. Our study proposes several areas for future research about JIS and its potential consequences.     

The impact of workplace ostracism in service organizations

This study examines the effects of personal and situational determinants on work engagement and service performance. Drawing on Conservation of Resources (COR) Theory, we hypothesize that workplace ostracism will reduce work engagement and service performance and that highly neurotic individuals are more susceptible to ostracism. To test the model, we collect longitudinal data from 304 supervisor–subordinate dyads in 19 Chinese hotels. As predicated, we find that: (1) workplace ostracism is negatively related to service performance; (2) workplace ostracism negatively impacts employee service performance via work engagement; and (3) neuroticism strengthens workplace ostracism's direct effect on work engagement and indirect effect on service performance. The implications of these findings, the strengths and limitations of the study, and directions for future research are discussed.     

Generation effects on work engagement among U.S. hotel employees

Drawing upon generational differences in work values and attitudes, this article examines work engagement of three generational cohorts using survey data collected from 677 customer contact employees in the hotel industry. Results of ANOVA and a series of moderated regression analyses indicate that levels of work engagement significantly differ depending on the generational membership of the employees. The effects of work engagement on turnover intention were significantly moderated by generational differences. Millennials were found to be a more distinct cohort from Gen Xers and Baby Boomers in terms of their level of work engagement as well as the relationship between work engagement and turnover intention.     

Being ignored at work: Understanding how and when spiritual leadership curbs workplace ostracism in the hospitality industry

Drawing on the conservation of resources theory, the present study theorizes that spiritual leadership is negatively related to workplace ostracism, both directly and indirectly via job social support and that employees’ justice orientation moderates the negative relationship between spiritual leadership and workplace ostracism. Based on time-lagged (three waves, two months apart) survey data collected from 252 hospitality employees, our findings reveal that spiritual leadership is negatively associated with workplace ostracism, both directly and indirectly via job social support. We also find that justice orientation strengthens the negative relationship between spiritual leadership and workplace ostracism. These findings not only highlight core theoretical contributions towards the existing literature on spiritual leadership, job social support, justice orientation, and workplace ostracism but also offer useful practical implications for hotel managers concerned about the repercussions of workplace ostracism for employees’ and organizations’ outcomes.     

The influence of restaurant co-workers’ perceived warmth and competence on employees’ turnover intentions: The mediating role of job attitudes

The current study examines the influence of co-workers’ perceived warmth and competence on employees’ job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and turnover intentions in a casual dining restaurant setting. The warmth and competence dimensions represent two fundamental social dimensions that people often use to evaluate other individuals or groups. The current findings determined that co-workers’ perceived warmth and competence had significant effects on employees’ job satisfaction, which in turn improved their organizational commitment.Furthermore, job satisfaction and organizational commitment mediated the relationships between co-workers’ perceived warmth and competence and employees’ turnover intentions. Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed.     

Workplace ostracism and hospitality employees’ counterproductive work behaviors: The joint moderating effects of proactive personality and political skill

This study seeks to examine the effect of workplace ostracism on hospitality employees’ counterproductive work behaviors (CWBs). The study specifically focuses on the joint moderating roles of proactive personality and political skill. Using a time-lagged research design, we collected data from 239 supervisor–subordinate dyads in 21 Chinese hotels. As predicted, we found that workplace ostracism was positively related to hospitality employees’ CWBs, specifically organizational counterproductive behaviors (CWB-O) and interpersonal counterproductive behaviors (CWB-I). Moreover, the study supported a hypothesized three-way interaction involving proactive personality, political skill, and workplace ostracism on CWBs. The results showed that high proactive personality coupled with high political skill led to the weakest relationship between workplace ostracism and CWBs (i.e., CWB-O and CWB-I). Conversely, low proactive personality combined with low political skill, resulted in the strongest relationship between workplace ostracism and CWBs (i.e., CWB-O and CWB-I).     

Do employees' perceived compensation system influence turnover intentions and job performance? The role of communication satisfaction as a moderator

Drawing on social exchange theory (SET), the study examined the influence of customer-contact hotel employees' perceived compensation system on turnover intentions and job performance. Also, the study explored the potential moderating role of communication satisfaction in the aforementioned connections. Data obtained from 372 customer-contact employees in 5-star hotels in Nigeria was used to assess the hypothesized relationships. Using hierarchical multiple regression, the findings demonstrated that while customer-contact hotel employees' perceived compensation system reduces turnover intentions, it enhances job performance. More importantly, communication satisfaction moderates the relationships between customer-contact hotel employees' perceived compensation system, turnover intentions, and job performance. Theoretical contributions of the study, managerial implications, and suggestions for further studies are discussed.     

The effect of psychological contract fulfillment on manager turnover intentions and its role as a mediator in a casual,limited-service restaurant environment

Job satisfaction is the most consistent predictor of turnover intention; however, its correlation with turnover intention in most studies is modest. Leader–Member Exchange (LMX) has not proven to be a reliable predictor of turnover intention. Meanwhile, the psychological contract has emerged as a useful framework for understanding the employee/employer relationship. In the present research, which utilizes a sample of managers in a casual, limited-service restaurant environment, a structural equation model is developed in which psychological contract fulfillment serves a mediating role between LMX and turnover intention. Psychological contract fulfillment is also found to be a statistically significant predictor of turnover intention. Findings from the study suggest that management turnover may be mitigated if organizational leaders develop strong relationships with their managers based upon respect, trust and mutual obligation and then utilize these relationships to understand and fulfill the unwritten contract perceived to exist between the firm and its management personnel.     

Engage or quit? The moderating role of abusive supervision between resilience,intention to leave and work engagement

This study explores the impact of travel agency employees' resilience on their intention to leave and work engagement, and simultaneously examines whether abusive supervision moderates the aforementioned relationships. There is a clear research gap on this subject in the tourism and hospitality literature regarding the moderating affects of abusive supervision on the relationships between resilience, intention to leave and work engagement. The survey was conducted in 18 travel agencies in Taiwan. Of the returned samples, 459 questionnaires were complete. Multiple regression analyses are used to test the four hypotheses of this study. The results indicate that travel agency employees' resilience can reduce their intention to leave and enhance their work engagement. Also, abusive supervision has a moderating affect on the relationship between resilience and intention to leave. Implications for managers of travel agency, theoretical contribution of the paper and suggestions for future research regarding travel agency employees are discussed.     

Ethical contexts and employee job responses in the hotel industry: The roles of work values and perceived organizational support

The hotel industry faces continual ethical dilemmas that present important, interesting and complex challenges. This study had two objectives. The first was to investigate the relationship between ethical context and job satisfaction and to examine the moderating role of work values and the mediating role of perceived organizational support in the relationship between ethical context and job satisfaction. The second objective was to examine the influence of these same variables on turnover intention. A survey of Taiwanese hotel employees showed that ethical context was a significant predictor of job satisfaction and turnover intention and that work values and perceived organizational support moderate and mediate respectively the relationship between an ethical context and job responses. These data suggested ways by which hotels can deal with ethical context, perceived organizational support, and employee work values to increase job satisfaction and decrease the turnover intention of employees.     

The Effects of Involvement and Social Support on Frontline Employee Outcomes: Evidence From the Albanian Hotel Industry

Using data from the Albanian hotel industry, this study developed and tested a model that examined the relationships of psychological involvement and social support with frontline employees' outcomes. The results revealed that family involvement and family support increased family satisfaction, while job involvement and work support amplified job satisfaction. Contrary to our predictions, work support did not significantly affect family satisfaction and family support did not demonstrate any significant relationship with job satisfaction. The results lent empirical support to the significant negative effects of both work and family support on turnover intentions. The results also showed that lower job satisfaction led to higher turnover intentions. In contrast, family satisfaction was found to exacerbate employees' turnover intentions. Implications of the results and future research directions are presented in the study.     

Unfolding deconstructive effects of negative shocks on psychological contract violation,organizational cynicism,and turnover intention

This research aims to unfold the impact of negative shocks on Chinese employees in the service sector by conducting a mixed-method study involving a scenario-based experiment and a field survey. The findings of Study 1 show that negative shocks resulted in a psychological contract violation, high organizational cynicism, and turnover intention. Study 2 further examined the moderating roles of traditionality and organizational embeddedness. Negative shocks triggered less organizational cynicism among employees with higher levels of traditionality. Organizational embeddedness, however, did not play such a moderating role in the relationship between psychological contract violation and turnover intention. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.     

Investigating employees' deviant work behavior in the hotel industry during COVID-19: Empirical evidence from an emerging country

Employees in the hotel industry are among the most vulnerable groups that have been severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Anchored on the general strain theory, transactional theory of stress and coping, and theory of justice, this study investigates the mechanism through which hotel employees' perceived job insecurity affects their deviant work behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic. A survey method was used to collect three-wave sample data from 988 hotel employees in popular tourist destinations in Vietnam. Multivariate data analysis reveals a positive relationship between perceived job insecurity and deviant work behavior, and this relationship is mediated by psychological distress. Furthermore, abusive supervision positively moderates the association between psychological distress–deviant work behavior and the indirect influence of perceived job insecurity on deviant work behavior through psychological distress. These findings are useful for hotel managers seeking to manage and develop employees in a global health crisis such as COVID-19.     

Explaining the Link Between Emotional Labor and Turnover Intentions: The Role of In-Depth Communication

This study investigates the relationships between three different emotional labor strategies (surface acting, deep acting, and genuine emotions) and turnover intentions and introduces the role of in-depth communication with colleagues as a potential moderator. This study was administered to employees in four Chinese hotel companies. Frontline employees were asked to participate in the survey and 216 valid responses were obtained for data analysis. The results showed that surface acting and deep acting were associated with turnover intentions, and in-depth communication with colleagues moderated the relation between deep acting and turnover intentions. Although there was not a direct effect of genuine emotions on turnover intentions, in-depth communication was a significant moderator of this relation. These findings extend previous literature by demonstrating the role of in-depth communication in shaping employees’ retention.     

Perceived organizational diversity and employee behavior

While the impact of organizational diversity on employee work outcomes has received significant research attention, there is a dearth of literature in hospitality settings, particularly in Eastern cultures. Integrating the Social Identity Theory and diversity literature, this study, using data collected from 22 hotels in Taiwan, examined the relationship of perceived organizational diversity with Job Performance (JP), Organizational Citizenship Behaviors (OCB) and Turnover Intention. The results indicated that the level of diversity perceived by hotel employees, significantly influenced employee JP and OCB. Ethnicity status also moderated the relationship between the perception of diversity levels and employee turnover intention. Specifically, a negative relationship between perceived diversity and turnover intention was observed among indigenous employees while a positive relationship was observed among non-indigenous employees.     

Why Do People Leave? a Study Of Nonsupervisory Restaurant Employees’ Polychronic Time Use Preference and Turnover Intention

ABSTRACT

The purpose of the study was to present a comprehensive view on the associations among polychronicity, job satisfaction, work engagement, and turnover intention within a restaurant context. Using a sample of 252 servers in full-service restaurants, structural equation modeling results found that polychronicity positively linked with job satisfaction, work engagement, and turnover intention. An indirect effect from polychronicity to job satisfaction to turnover intention was found. Results can assist restaurant managers in selecting candidates that best fit their organization. It will also assist employees in determining which career path best matches their personality traits.