Measuring the Quality of Working Conditions and Behavioral Intentions of Seasonal Hospitality Workers in Croatia

Abstract

The aim of this study is to present an objective picture of the quality of working conditions and predictors of behavioral intentions among the Croatian seasonal workforce in the hotel and food and beverage industry. The 6th edition of the EWCS survey was modified for the purpose of this study. The research was conducted from 18 November 2020 to 30 March 2021, and 196 respondents were surveyed. The authors performed exploratory factor analysis and regression analysis to analyze the collected data. The study found that intention to return and intention to recommend are predicted by different sets of sociodemographic characteristics and that the higher the earnings of seasonal employees, the higher will be their intention to return. Moreover, the results imply that seasonal workers who feel they have more control over their daily tasks are more likely to recommend their seasonal job to others. Although the topic of job satisfaction among seasonal hospitality workers is well covered in the existing literature, there is a lack of research focused on measuring the quality of their working conditions. This study is useful for the academic community as a starting point for further research and for managers in the hospitality industry who can apply the results in their everyday business practices.