When rendering hospitality becomes collateral damage: Psycho-organisational variables and job burnout amongst hotel workers in metropolitan Nigeria

Oluyinka Ojedokun,Erhabor S Idemudia,Arike O Omotoso

doi:10.4102/sajip.v39i1.1124

Oluyinka Ojedokun, Erhabor S Idemudia + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.4102/sajip.v39i1.1124

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Abstract

Orientation: Job burnout is a serious problem in the hospitality industry. Therefore, employees require ongoing job and personal resources to cope with job burnout.Research purpose: The study investigated the influence of psycho-organisational variables (i.e. perceived organisational support, self-efficacy and age) on job burnout amongst hotel workers.Motivation for the study: Investigating the independent and joint influence of psychoorganisational variables on burnout will assist in pulling together psycho-organisational factors influencing burnout and its dimensions cohesively in systematic theory building and intervention plans.Research design, approach and method: This is a cross-sectional survey designed to investigate perceived organisational support, self-efficacy and age as predictors of job burnout amongst 268 hotel workers from 10 registered hotels in some metropolitan cities in Ondo State, south-western Nigeria. Structural equation modelling techniques were conducted to test the proposed hypotheses.Main findings: Structural equation modelling revealed that perceived organisational support and self-efficacy have inverse relationships with burnout syndrome and its dimensions.Practical/managerial implications: These findings imply that it is possible for different stakeholders in the hotel industry in Nigeria to reduce the incidence of high burnout amongst hotel workers by providing adequate organisational support to cope with difficult job demands and organising self-efficacy training to improve individuals’ confidence in their abilities to deal with job burnout. Such intervention can be individual-oriented, organisation-oriented or a combination.Contribution/value-add: This study contributes to literature by confirming that organisational support and self-efficacy are relevant in coping with burnout.

Highlights

Job burnout is a type of job stress in which a ‘normal employee’ becomes physically, mentally and emotionally exhausted (Leiter, Jackson & Shaughnessy, 2009; Maslach & Jackson, 1981)
Between Perception of organisational support (POS), self-efficacy and total burnout indicate that the more employees perceive that the organisation cares about their well-being, and the more they believe in their personal abilities to handle job demands, the less their perception of burnout syndrome
The findings revealed relationships between psycho-organisational factors and total burnout and its dimensions

Summary

Introduction

Job burnout is a type of job stress in which a ‘normal employee’ becomes physically, mentally and emotionally exhausted (Leiter, Jackson & Shaughnessy, 2009; Maslach & Jackson, 1981). The Permanent Life Situation Survey (2009) indicated that hotel and restaurant workers experience burnout at a rate of one in seven. This may be because of the 24/7 nature of the hotel business: workers render services in an environment that is full of challenges, pressures and demands that can become sources of stress. Such a work situation can be found in the restaurant, hotel and airline industries (Bitner, Booms & Mohr, 1994; Ledgerwood, Crotts & Everett, 1998). Understanding the personal and organisational factors that may help employees to cope with the risk of burnout will aid in the development of strategies that individuals and management can use to manage and reduce burnout effectively

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