Leading A Sustainable Workforce: Assessing the Pandemic’s Influence on Job Insecurities, Anxiety, Work Overload, and Turnover Intentions in Hospitality
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14738/abr.118.15273Keywords:
Covid-19, sustainable workforce, job insecurity, job satisfaction, turnover intentionsAbstract
The COVID-19 pandemic’s acute phase has faded, but the hospitality industry suffered extensive employee shortages due to industry layoffs, downsizing, terminations, closings, and the Great Resignation. Although the hospitality industry has rebounded, staff shortages and the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic remain a concern. This study aims to explore the factors that affect employee turnover intention by highlighting the effect of the pandemic on employees’ anxiety, organizational changes, work stressors, and locus of control. Results found that the top three factors that led to employee voluntary turnover were organizational changes, stress from work, and work locus of control. This study also found that employees' anxiety resulting from COVID-19 does not affect their turnover intention. Analyzing statistical data and relationships among each factor can assist hospitality practitioners in developing strategies to recruit, motivate, retain, and engage staff for future crises, thereby creating a more sustainable workforce. Theoretical and practical implications for future research are also discussed.
References
Abd-Ellatif, E. E., Anwar, M. M., AlJifri, A. A., & El Dalatony, M. M. (2021). Fear of COVID-19 and its impact on job satisfaction and turnover intention among Egyptian physicians. Safety and Health at Work, 12(4), 490–495. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.shaw.2021.07.007
Ajzen, I. (1991). The theory of planned behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 50(2), 179–211. https://doi.org/10.1016/0749-5978(91)90020-T
Akgunduz, Y., & Eryilmaz, G. (2018). Does turnover intention mediate the effects of job insecurity and coworker support on social loafing? International Journal of Hospitality Management, 68, 41–49.
Ashford, S. J., Lee, C., & Bobko, P. (1989). Content, cause, and consequences of job insecurity: A theory-based measure and substantive test. Academy of Management Journal, 32(4), 803–829.
Barsky, A., Thoresen, C. J., Warren, C. R., & Kaplan, S. A. (2004). Modeling negative affectivity and job stress: A contingency‐based approach. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 25(8), 915–936. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.285
Basyouni, S. S., & El Keshky, M. E. S. (2021). Job insecurity, work-related flow, and financial anxiety in the midst of Covid-19 pandemic and economic downturn. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 632265. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.632265
Bentler, P. M., & Bonett, D. G. (1980). Significance tests and goodness of fit in the analysis of covariance structures. Psychological Bulletin, 88(3), 588–606. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.88.3.588
Brown, S. P., & Peterson, R. A. (1993). Antecedents and consequences of salesperson job satisfaction: Metaanalysis and assessment of causal effects. Journal of Marketing Research, 30(1), 63–77.
Buhrmester, M., Kwang, T., & Gosling, S. D. (2011). Amazon’s Mechanical Turk: A New Source of Inexpensive, Yet High-Quality, Data? Perspectives on Psychological Science, 6(1), 3–5.
Chen, C. C., Zou, S. S., & Chen, M. H. (2022). The fear of being infected and fired: Examining the dual job stressors of hospitality employees during COVID-19 International journal of hospitality management, 102, 103131. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2021.103131
Chen, H., & Eyoun, K. (2021). Do mindfulness and perceived organizational support work? Fear of COVID-19 on restaurant frontline employees’ job insecurity and emotional exhaustion. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 94, 102850. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2020.102850
Cheng, G. H.-L., & Chan, D. K.-S. (2008). Who suffers more from job insecurity? A meta-analytic review. Applied Psychology, 57(2), 272–303. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1464-0597.2007.00312.x
Cheng, J. C., & O-Yang, Y. (2018). Hotel employee job crafting, burnout, and satisfaction: The moderating role of perceived organizational support. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 72, 78–85.
Cimarolli, V., Bryant, N., Falzarano, F., & Stone, R. (2021). Job resignation in nursing homes during the COVID-19 pandemic: The role of quality of employer communication. Journal of Applied Gerontology, 41, 12–21.
Cotton, J. L., & Tuttle, J. M. (1986). Employee turnover: A meta-analysis and review with implications for research. Academy of Management Review, 11(1), 55–70. https://doi.org/10.2307/258331
Darvishmotevali, M., & Ali, F. (2020). Job insecurity, subjective well-being and job performance: The moderating role of psychological capital. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 87, 102462. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2020.102462
De Witte, H., Pienaar, J., & De Cuyper, N. (2016). Review of 30 years of longitudinal studies on the association between job insecurity and health and well-being: Is there causal evidence? Australian Psychologist, 51(1), 18–31. https://doi.org/10.1111/ap.12176
Dunnette, M. D., Campbell, J. P., & Hakel, M. D. (1967). Factors contributing to job satisfaction and job dissatisfaction in six occupational groups. Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, 2(2), 143-174. https://doi.org/10.1016/0030-5073(67)90027-X
Faulkner, B., & Patiar, A. (1997). Workplace induced stress among operational staff in the hotel industry. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 16(1), 99–117. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0278-4319(96)00053-9
Febriani, R., Mohyi, A., & Kadharpa, E. (2022). The effect of COVID-19 to organizational changes and job satisfaction in turnover intention. In Social and Political Issues on Sustainable Development in the Post Covid-19 Crisis (pp. 262–267). Routledge.
Ford, R. C., & Sturman, M. C. (2018). Managing hospitality organizations: Achieving excellence in the guest experience. SAGE Publications.
Hair Jr, J. F., Black, W. C., Babin, B. J., Anderson, R. E., & Tatham, R. L. (2010). SEM: An introduction. Multivariate data analysis: A global perspective, 5 (6), 629-686.
Hight, S. K., & Park, J. Y. (2019). Role stress and alcohol use on restaurant server’s job satisfaction: Which comes first? International Journal of Hospitality Management, 76, 231–239.
Holcombe, M., & Waldrop, T. (2021, July 20). More Infectious Delta Variant Makes Up 83% of New US Coronavirus Cases as Vaccine Hesitancy Persists. CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/20/health/uscoronavirus-tuesday/index.html
Huang, S. S., Van der Veen, R., & Song, Z. (2018). The impact of coping strategies on occupational stress and turnover intentions among hotel employees. Journal of Hospitality Marketing and Management, 27(8), 926–945. https://doi.org/10.1080/19368623.2018.1471434
iSALT team. (2014). iSALT Resources: Theories, Concepts, and Measures. Theory of planned behavior. https://cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu/isalt_resources/1.
Jimmieson, N. L., Peach, M., & White, K. M. (2008). Utilizing the theory of planned behavior to inform change management: An investigation of employee intentions to support organizational change. Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 44(2), 237–262. https://doi.org/10.1177/0021886307312773
Jung, H. S., Jung, Y. S., & Yoon, H. H. (2021). COVID-19: The effects of job insecurity on the job engagement and turnover intent of deluxe hotel employees and the moderating role of generational characteristics. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 92, 102703. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2020.102703
Kang, H. J. A., Kim, W. G., Choi, H. M., & Li, Y. (2020). How to fuel employees’ prosocial behavior in the hotel service encounter. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 84, 102333. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2019.102333
Kang, H. J., Gatling, A., & Kim, J. (2015). The impact of supervisory support on organizational commitment, career satisfaction, and turnover intention for hospitality frontline employees. Journal of Human Resources in Hospitality & Tourism, 14(1), 68-89. https://doi.org/10.1080/15332845.2014.904176
Khawaja, K. F., Sarfraz, M., Rashid, M., & Rashid, M. (2022). How is COVID-19 pandemic causing employee withdrawal behavior in the hospitality industry? An empirical investigation. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Insights, 5(3), 687-706. https://doi.org/10.1108/JHTI-01-2021-0002
Kim, S. S., Im, J., & Hwang, J. (2015). The effects of mentoring on role stress, job attitude, and turnover intention in the hotel industry. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 48, 68–82.
Kim, Y.-S., Shin, D.-J., & Kim, B.-K. (2023). Effect of COVID-19-Induced changes on job insecurity, presenteeism, and turnover intention in the workplace—An investigation of Generalized Anxiety Disorder among hotel employees using the GAD-7 scale. Sustainability, 15(6), 5377. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su15065377 114
Koo, B., Yu, J., Chua, B. L., Lee, S., & Han, H. (2020). Relationships among emotional and material rewards, job satisfaction, burnout, affective commitment, job performance, and turnover intention in the hotel industry. Journal of Quality Assurance in Hospitality & Tourism, 21(4), 371-401. https://doi.org/10.1080/1528008X.2019.1663572
Labrague, L. J., & de Los Santos, J. A. A. (2021). Fear of Covid‐19, psychological distress, work satisfaction and turnover intention among frontline nurses. Journal of Nursing Management, 29(3), 395–403. https://doi.org/10.1111/jonm.13168
Lee, C., Bobko, P., Ashford, S., Chen, Z. X., & Ren, X. (2008). Cross‐cultural development of an abridged job insecurity measure. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 29(3), 373–390. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.513
Lin, C. Y., & Huang, C. K. (2021). Employee turnover intentions and job performance from a planned change: The effects of an organizational learning culture and job satisfaction. International Journal of Manpower, 42(3), 409–423. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJM-08-2018-0281
Liu-Lastres, B., Wen, H., & Huang, W.J. (2023). A reflection on the Great Resignation in the hospitality and tourism industry. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 35(1), 235 - 249. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-05- 2022-0551
Long, H., & Van Dam, A. (2020, May 8). U.S. unemployment rate soars to 14.7 percent, the worst since the Depression era. Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/05/08/april-2020-jobsreport/
Lu, L., Lu, A. C. C., Gursoy, D., & Neale, N. R. (2016). Work engagement, job satisfaction, and turnover intentions: A comparison between supervisors and line-level employees. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 28(4), 737-761. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-07-2014-0360
Madera, J. M., Dawson, M., Guchait, P., & Belarmino, A. M. (2017). Strategic human resources management research in hospitality and tourism: A review of current literature and suggestions for the future. International journal of contemporary hospitality management, 29(1), 48-67. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-02-2016-0051
Meyer, J. P., & Allen, N. J. (1984). Testing the “side-bet theory” of organizational commitment: Some methodological considerations. Journal of Applied Psychology, 69(3), 372–378. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.69.3.372
Mulki, J., & Lassk, F. G. (2019). Joint impact of ethical climate and external work locus of control on job meaningfulness. Journal of Business Research, 99, 46–56. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2019.02.007
Parker, D. F., & DeCotiis, T. A. (1983). Organizational determinants of job stress. Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, 32(2), 160–177. https://doi.org/10.1016/0030-5073(83)90145-9
Penn, R., & Nezamis, E. (2022). Job openings and quits reach record highs in 2021, layoffs and discharges fall to record lows. Monthly Labor Review. https://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2022/article/job-openings-and-quitsreach-record-highs-in-2021.htm
Safaria, T., Bin Othman, A, & Wahab, M.N.A. (2011). Role ambiguity, role conflict, the role of job insecurity as mediator toward job stress among Malay academic staff: A SEM analysis. Current Research Journal of Social Sciences, 3(3), 229–235. https://maxwellsci.com/print/crjss/v3-229-235.pdf
Salkind, N. J. (2006). Encyclopedia of measurement and statistics. SAGE Publications.
Schiffinger, M., & Braun, S. M. (2020). The impact of social and temporal job demands and resources on emotional exhaustion and turnover intention among flight attendants. Journal of Human Resources in Hospitality & Tourism, 19(2), 196-219. https://doi.org/10.1080/15332845.2020.1702867
Schumacher, D., Schreurs, B., Van Emmerik, H., & De Witte, H. (2016). Explaining the relation between job insecurity and employee outcomes during organizational change: A multiple group comparison. Human Resource Management, 55(5), 809–827. https://doi.org/10.1002/hrm.21687
Spector, P. E. (1988). Development of the work locus of control scale. Journal of Occupational Psychology, 61(4), 335–340. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2044-8325. 1988.tb00470.x
Staufenbiel, T., & König, C. J. (2010). A model for the effects of job insecurity on performance, turnover intention, and absenteeism. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 83(1), 101–117. https://doi.org/10.1348/096317908X401912
Stiglbauer, B., Selenko, E., Batinic, B., & Jodlbauer, S. (2012). On the link between job insecurity and turnover intentions: Moderated mediation by work involvement and well-being. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 17(3), 354–364. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0028565
Tabachnick, B. G., & Fidell, L. S. (2013). Using multivariate statistics (6th ed). Pearson.
Teng, Y. M., Wu, K. S., & Xu, D. (2021). The association between fear of coronavirus disease 2019, mental health, and turnover intention among quarantine hotel employees in China. Frontiers in Public Health, 9, 668774. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2021.668774
US Bureau of Labor (2022). Quit levels and rates by industry and region, seasonality adjusted. https://www.bls.gov/news.release/jltst.t04.htm
Van Breukelen, W., Van der Vlist, R., & Steensma, H. (2004). Voluntary employee turnover: Combining variables from the ‘traditional’ turnover literature with the theory of planned behavior. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 25(7), 893–914. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.281
Van Dam, K., Van der Vorst, J. D. M., & Van der Heijden, B. I. J. M. (2009). Employees’ intentions to retire early: A case of planned behavior and anticipated work conditions. Journal of Career Development, 35(3), 265–289. https://doi.org/10.1177/0894845308327274
Walsh, J. P., Ashford, S. J., & Hill, T. E. (1985). Feedback obstruction: The influence of the information environment on employee turnover intentions. Human Relations, 38(1), 23–46.
Wang, Y., Chiang, M., & Lee, Y. (2014). The relationships amongst the intern anxiety, internship outcomes, and career commitment of hospitality college students. Journal of Hospitality Leisure Sport & Tourism Education, 15, 86-93. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.JHLSTE.2014.06.005
Witte, H. D. (1999). Job insecurity and psychological well-being: Review of the literature and exploration of some unresolved issues. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 8(2), 155–177.
Wong, A. K. F., Kim, S. S., Kim, J., & Han, H. (2021). How the COVID-19 pandemic affected hotel Employee stress: Employee perceptions of occupational stressors and their consequences. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 93, 102798. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2020.102798
World Health Organization (2020, April 27). Archived: WHO timeline – COVID-19. https://www.who.int/news/item/27-04-2020-who-timeline---covid-19
Yue, C.A., Thelen, P.D. & Walden, J. (2023). How empathetic leadership communication mitigates employees' turnover intention during COVID-19-related organizational change. Management Decision, 61(5), 1413 -1433. https://doi.org/10.1108/MD-01-2022-0011
Yousaf, S., Rasheed, M. I., Hameed, Z., & Luqman, A. (2020). Occupational stress and its outcomes: The role of work-social support in the hospitality industry. Personnel Review, 49(3), 755–773. https://doi.org/10.1108/PR-11-2018-0478
Zenker, S., Braun, E., & Gyimóthy, S. (2021). Too afraid to travel? Development of a pandemic (COVID-19) anxiety travel scale (PATS). Tourism Management, 84, 104286. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2021.104286 [65]. Zopiatis, A., Constanti, P., & Theocharous, A. L. (2014). Job involvement, commitment, satisfaction and turnover: Evidence from hotel employees in Cyprus. Tourism Management, 41, 129–140. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2013.09.013
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2023 Prawannarat Brewer, Heidi L. Dent, Angela G. Sebby
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
