Foodservice Employees Research Articles

Factors Influencing Job Satisfaction Among Food Service Employees In Terengganu, Malaysia

In the dynamic and competitive landscape of the food service industry, employee job satisfaction is a pivotal factor influencing organizational success. In Terengganu, Malaysia, where the culinary sector is both a cultural cornerstone and a significant economic contributor, understanding the nuances that affect job satisfaction among food service employees is crucial. This study aims to determine the influence of salary, working hours, and working environment on employee satisfaction towards a job at a food service establishment in Terengganu, Malaysia. The researchers collected 337 completed questionnaires after distributing an online survey to participants. The descriptive statistics, reliability analysis, and Pearson correlation were analyzed to produce pertinent information. It found that all factors, salary (r=.555), working hours (r=.631), and working environment (r=.778), were positively related to employee job satisfaction. The Cronbach's Alpha for the factors influencing job satisfaction among food service employees in Terengganu, Malaysia, was a range of 0.938, which indicates excellent internal consistency reliability. By identifying and analyzing these factors, this research aims to provide actionable insights for foodservice businesses to enhance their human resource strategies, thereby fostering a more motivated and efficient workforce.

Work-related injuries and illnesses among kitchen workers at two major students’ hostels

BackgroundKitchen workers face a disproportionately high risk of injuries and illnesses. Yet, despite the ubiquity of kitchen-related injuries, there has been a relative lack of comprehensive research on this topic, particularly in developing countries. Ain Shams University, as a prestigious educational institution with its diverse kitchen staff, provides an ideal setting for studying the challenges faced in professional kitchens. This study aims to measure the prevalence of work-related injuries and illnesses among kitchen workers of two major students’ hostels at Ain Shams University in Cairo and to explore their risk factors.MethodsA cross-sectional analytical study involving kitchen staff from two hostels that house students at the university was carried out in 2021. The study involved all kitchen staff in the dorms for students (n = 128). Data was collected using a structured interview questionnaire.ResultsThe findings showed a significant prevalence of work-related illnesses (81.3%) and injuries (77.3%) among restaurant employees. Age, education, and job type all had a statistically significant relationship with the frequency of work-related injuries over the previous year. Additionally, there was a statistically significant relationship between age, job type, and the frequency of diseases among kitchen workers (p ≤ 0.05).ConclusionCooks and other food service employees are more susceptible to occupational diseases and injuries in the workplace. Restaurants and the university hostel authorities should implement preventative measures and policies to lower the risk of harm among these employees by offering occupational health and safety services such as training and education programs, personal protective equipment, and regular health examinations.

Abusive supervision in commercial kitchens: Insights from the restaurant industry

This mixed-method study investigates how abusive supervision and bullying impact job satisfaction and turnover intentions among employees in an environment plagued by ingrained incivility: commercial kitchens. Underpinned by social learning theory, we draw from 832 survey responses and 20 in-depth interviews to explore the extent to which supervisory abuse and workplace bullying negatively impact employee perceptions of their working environment while also investigating positive alternatives therein (e.g., authentic leadership and encouragement of creativity). Results suggest that, despite day-to-day challenges posed by abusive leadership, a strong sense of camaraderie and passion for kitchen work stimulated a commitment to the job. Accordingly, the study concludes that the inherently creative nature of commercial kitchen work and the personalities of fellow staff played a significant role in retaining employees. It thus highlights the complexity of food service employee retention and suggests that a holistic understanding of both leadership dynamics and intrinsic motives is essential.

Are robots stealing our jobs? Examining robot-phobia as a job stressor in the hospitality workplace

Purpose The purpose of this study is to explore robot-phobia as a source of occupational stress among hospitality employees in the context of increasing robotization in the industry. Design/methodology/approach The study sampled 321 lodging employees and 308 food service employees in the USA. An online panel company recruited the participants and administered an online survey. The study used various analytical methods, including structural modeling, t-tests and multi-group analyses. Findings The study results reveal that hospitality workers experience robot-phobia regardless of their sector or position. Robot-phobia causes job insecurity and stress, which increases turnover intention. These negative outcomes are more pronounced for those who interact more frequently with robots. Practical implications The study findings suggest that hospitality workers fear being replaced by robots in the near future. Therefore, hospitality organizations should offer adequate training and education on the advantages and drawbacks of robots and establish a supportive and collaborative work environment that values human–robot interaction. Originality/value This study offers new insights regarding human–robot interaction from the employee perspective by introducing the concept of robot-phobia in the hospitality workplace. A comprehensive picture of how hospitality employees confront the increasing presence of robots is provided in this study.

The influence of empathy on food allergy training effectiveness: An experimental study with foodservice employees in the U.S.

This study aimed to examine the effects of empathy intervention on food allergy training through a between-subjects factorial experiment. A total of 388 foodservice employees participated, with half randomly assigned to the control group and half to the intervention group. Participants in the intervention group were shown a video describing a food allergy death to elicit empathic responses. Results showed that the intervention video elicited higher empathic responses toward food allergy victims among foodservice employees than those in the control group. Empathic responses positively related to post-training food allergy knowledge acquisition and practices. Emotional attachment and attitude towards food allergy training mediated the relationships between empathic responses and post-training knowledge acquisition and post-training practices. Meanwhile, prosocial motivations moderated the indirect effects of empathy intervention on post-training food allergy knowledge acquisition and food allegory practices through empathic response and emotional attachment/attitude towards the training. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

중국 외식업 서비스 종사원의 감정노동성향과 친사회적 동기 및 제언행동 간의 관계 연구

중국 외식업 서비스 종사원의 감정노동성향과 친사회적 동기 및 제언행동 간의 관계 연구

Labor dynamics among food and nutrition service employees in Korean public schools

ABSTRACT This study aims to explore labor dynamics surrounding the food and nutrition service employees in Korean public schools. This job group is known to have complex power dynamics because employees with different employment statuses (regular employees v. non-regular employees) and managerial authorities perform substantially similar tasks. Based on the ground theory perspectives, labor dynamics issues were discovered through face-to-face, semi-structured interviews with employees from different job groups in Korean public schools. Qualitative data analysis revealed significant problems in various human resource functions such as job analysis, selection, performance management, and compensation. The results show that the conflicts at work are derived from unclear job descriptions and specifications, the lack of acceptance concerning the validity of selection exams, the complicated power dynamics caused by the mixture of authority and employment status, and the lack of perceived fairness in compensation. This paper proposes practical solutions to those issues to minimize employee conflict and maximize organizational effectiveness by outlining individual HR practices and emphasizing the strategic human resource perspective.

Does Foodservice Employees’ Burnout Influence Their In-role and Extra-role Food Safety Behaviors? A Structural Modeling Approach

Over the past decade, a number of previous studies have found a gap between employees’ food safety knowledge and their food safety behavior. Thus, it is valuable to examine motivators (or demotivators) of employees’ food safety behavior from a psychological perspective. The objective of this study is to investigate the relationships among employees’ burnout, job commitment, and food safety behaviors (in-role and extra-role). A total of 267 nonmanagerial restaurant employees participated in this study. The data were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM). Findings reveal that colleague-related burnout and work-related burnout negatively affect employee job commitment. In addition, employee job commitment is a major predictor of in-role and extra-role food safety behaviors. The findings shed light on the effect of different types of burnout on food safety behaviors, which in turn have significant implications for managers in the foodservice industry.

HOSPITAL FOOD SERVICE QUALITY IMPROVEMENT QUESTIONNAIRE (HFSQIQ): DEVELOPMENT, TRANSLATION AND VALIDATION OF A QUESTIONNAIRE

The hospital food service department provides meals to staff, patients, and their caregivers while adhering to dietary therapy guidelines and promoting nutritional wellness. High-quality food service plays a pivotal role in offering inpatients nourishing meals that promote physical and mental well-being, aiding their recovery and overall health during their hospitalisation. This study aimed to develop and validate a tool for measuring and evaluating hospital food operations using the Total Quality Management approach. A literature review, in-depth interviews with food service employees, and a peer-review process were conducted to identify the domains and items for the questionnaire. A “Hospital Food Service Quality Improvement Questionnaire” (HFSQIQ) with 61 items in six domains was developed and the content validation was performed by seven experts. The questionnaire was translated into Malay, and the internal consistency of the HFSQIQ was examined using Cronbach’s alpha. Resultantly, the HFSQIQ depicted high validity and reliability, with a high I-CVI and Kappa index rating for most items and a Cronbach alpha value of 0.97 and 0.98 for the importance and performance scales, respectively. In conclusion, the HFSQIQ is a useful tool for evaluating and improving the quality of hospital food service operations.

High commitment HRM and well-being of frontline food service employees: the mediating roles of job demands and psychological conditions

PurposeThis study aims to examine the relationship between high commitment human resource management (HCHRM) practices and employee well-being in the food service industry, with a focus on the mediating roles of job demands and psychological conditions.Design/methodology/approachA survey was conducted among 296 frontline employees in the food service industry, and the data were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM) in AMOS ver26.FindingsThe results showed that HCHRM practices do not directly affect employee well-being. However, psychological conditions play a crucial role in mediating the relationship between HCHRM practices and employee well-being. Specifically, the psychological conditions of meaningfulness and availability significantly predicted work engagement and mediated the relationship between HCHRM practices and employee well-being. On the other hand, job demands did not mediate the relationship between HCHRM practices and employee well-being.Research limitations/implicationsAlthough the study addressed common method variance, the cross-sectional nature of the data limits the ability to infer causal relationships among variables. Future studies could adopt a longitudinal research design to investigate the causal relationships among variables. In addition, the study recommends that managers in the food service industry adopt HCHRM practices and provide necessary psychological conditions to promote employee well-being.Originality/valueThis study extends the current literature on HCHRM and employee well-being in the food service industry by providing new insights into the mediating role of psychological conditions. The findings suggest that HCHRM practices can indirectly promote employee well-being through the enhancement of psychological conditions. These insights could help managers in the food service industry to design effective HRM strategies that foster employee well-being and reduce turnover.

The Effects of Training and Communication: Study on Performance of the Food and Beverage Service Employee

Job training and communication are the basis for employees to be able to develop their personalities and be responsible for their positions. This study aims to analyze the effect partially and simultaneously between training and communication on employee performance in the food and beverage department at Padma Resort Legian. This study uses a questionnaire in data collection. The number of samples used were 37 people. Data analysis techniques used were descriptive analysis, validity and reliability tests, classical assumption tests, multiple linear regression analysis, t-test analysis, and f-test analysis. The results of the analysis show the regression equation model Y=0.529 + 0.832 X1 + 0.527 X2. This study resulted in three conclusions, namely (a) there is a positive and significant influence between training on employee performance. This is indicated by the significance value for the training variable (X1) of 0.000 t table (0.05 : 34) = 1.691; (b) there is a positive and significant influence between communication on employee performance. This is indicated by the significance value for the communication variable (X2) of 0.000 t table (0.05 : 34) = 1.691; (c) there is a positive and significant influence between training and communication on employee performance. This is indicated by the significance value of 0.000 F table 3.276. Keywords: Training, Communication, Employee PerformanceKeywords: Training, Communication, Employee Performance

Job competency expectations for senior living foodservice employees: an analysis of online job postings

ABSTRACT As foodservice is a significant aspect of the burgeoning senior living industry in the United States, career opportunities are projected to abound for hospitality students and professionals. However, it is still unclear whether senior living employers require different job competencies for their frontline foodservice employees compared to those required by restaurants due to the unique characteristics of the industry. The purpose of the study is to identify job competencies for both entry-level and managerial foodservice positions in the senior living industry. Online job postings of the 23 largest senior living companies in the United States were analyzed. The study results indicated that job competencies required in senior living foodservice were largely similar to those of food & beverage employees in the hospitality industry. Soft skills and generic competencies such as communication/interpersonal skills, adaptability and flexibility, customer service, and conceptual/critical skills were deemed essential for both entry-level and managerial positions. For career advancement, hard skills, technical knowledge of foodservice, and leadership were emphasized for managerial positions. Interestingly, aptitude for working with older people was mentioned but not referred to as the knowledge of aging and disease as expected. This study fills the gap in the hospitality literature on job competencies by focusing on senior living as a utilitarian aspect of the hospitality continuum and offers practical implications for hospitality management academic programs, senior living operators, and other relevant stakeholders.

Implementation of Standard Operating Procedures of Food and Beverage Service at Infinity8 Bali Hotel

Purpose: This study aims to determine the implementation of standard operating procedures applied by food and beverage service employees and the managements to improve food and beverage service.
 Research methods: This study uses a qualitative descriptive analysis technique, which systematically describes the data obtained during the study starting from interviews, observations, questionnaires, literature studies, and quantitative descriptive analysis using a 5-level Likert scale. Data were obtained by distributing questionnaires on the implementation of standard operating procedure of food and beverage service to 9 respondents in the food and beverage service department.
 Results and discussion: From 13 standard operating procedures there are 11 standard operating procedures that have been implemented optimally, and 2 of standard operating procedures which is not maximum implementated yet such as selling by recommendation with a value of 3.81 and serving food and beverage with a value 4.19, as well as several points in standard operating procedures for seat the guest and menu presentation with a value of below 4.11.
 Implication: Conducting training, improving and maintaining the application of standard operating procedures, improving supervision and communication, and conducting evaluations to improve the services provided to guests need to do better.
 
 Keywords: implementation, standard operating procedures, food and beverage service.

Resistance to blockchain adoption in the foodservice industry: moderating roles of public pressures and climate change awareness

PurposeBlockchain technology has created possibilities for environmental supply chain sustainability and climate protection. However, because of its early development stage, users tend to resist the adoption of this new technology. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of resistance on blockchain adoption intentions in the context of the foodservice industry. This study further explores if public pressures and climate change awareness could possibly weaken the negative relationships between blockchain resistance and adoption intentions.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from managers and full-time employees in the foodservice industry, using an online research panel survey. A structural equation model was developed and tested to examine the hypothesized relationships. Additionally, a multi-group analysis was performed to test the moderating roles of public pressures and climate change awareness.FindingsThe findings from this study confirmed that foodservice employees’ characteristics, including traditional barriers, and blockchain technology factors, like perceived risk, are both significant in forming resistance to blockchain. This study also demonstrated the significant roles of internal and external stakeholders in weakening the negative associations between blockchain resistance and adoption intentions.Research limitations/implicationsThis study recommends that foodservice companies address how to reduce their employees’ negative perceptions about changes imposed by blockchain adoption. This study also suggests the joint consideration of the pressures from internal and external stakeholders to provide continued insights into developing environmental practices for the foodservice industry.Originality/valueThis study extends the theoretical underpinning of the innovation resistance theory by incorporating the stakeholder theory as a strong foundation for understanding how external pressures and internal awareness may influence foodservice employees’ responses to the implementation of blockchain technology to mitigate climate change.

An educational needs analysis of precautions against of safety accidents for school foodservice employees in the Jeonbuk area using Borich priority formula and the Locus for Focus Model

An educational needs analysis of precautions against of safety accidents for school foodservice employees in the Jeonbuk area using Borich priority formula and the Locus for Focus Model

Barriers and Challenges of an Outsource Hospital Foodservice Operation: A Narrative Thematic Analysis

Introduction: Hospital foodservice is one of the key performance metrics that should be constantly monitored to maintain and improve the quality of hospital services. However, hospital foodservice must overcome obstacles and constraints that can impact the quality of services supplied. This study explored the barriers and challenges foodservice employees encountered during food production and serving meals to patients. Methods: A qualitative study was conducted with thirteen foodservice employees (N = 13) at a government hospital in Selangor, Malaysia, that outsourced its foodservice operations. The interviewees were chosen based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. The interviews were audiotaped, transcribed, and analyzed using narrative, and thematic analysis. Results: The narrative findings reported foodservice employees were able to define their job in the foodservice department and describe their responsibilities in delivering sufficient quality of service to patients. The findings showed foodservice staff confronts barriers and challenges related to the type of foodservice operation, budget allocation, menu served, employee issues, meal preparation, and equipment. Employees also proposed that the government should regularly revise the foodservice contract specifications, budget allocation, and upgrade the equipment used during meal preparation and delivery to patients for future improvement. Conclusion: Future studies should be conducted in different hospital settings, including government, semi-government and private hospitals or foodservice operation systems such as in-house and outsourced operations or centralized and decentralized plating systems to explore other barriers and challenges that may affect the overall foodservice performance. Therefore, intervention studies can be proposed to improve their operation in the future.

Factors Associated with Job Stress among Employees in Food Service Department at Selected Private Hospitals in Malaysia

The institutional food services industry is one of the most important sectors in Malaysia. In conjunction with institutional food services industry roles that provide services either in the government or public institutional operations, this industry has rapidly expanded in the coming years. Hence, the numbers of employees requested in this industry are getting high in demand in supplying services throughout the institutional operations. Despite the high demand in this industry, the exposure of job stress to the employee can cause turnover. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to examine the factors that contribute towards to job stress among food service employees at the private hospitals and identify the most influential factor that associated with the stress. This study also designed to examine the relationship between demographic characteristics of employees and job stress. The factors that used to conduct this study are workload, salary and working environment. This study used a quantitative approach through a self-administered survey questionnaire. 180 sets of questionnaires distributed to employees who were currently working in food service department at private hospitals. There were only 126 questionnaires returned and valid for further analysis. Data obtained were analyzed by using Statistic Packages for Social Science (SPSS) latest version. Based on the analysis, workload is the most influential factor of job stress and followed by the working environment as a second influential factor. Meanwhile, the salary factor did not significantly influence job stress among employees in this industry. Findings of study hopes will help the managers or owners in the institutional food service industry particularly the private hospitals to highlight these factors that lead to employee job stress. Additionally, the importance of this study is to encourage managers in focusing on these three factors in order to implement strategies to minimize stress at workplace.

A Study of Food Safety Knowledge for Sustainable Foodservice Management of Childcare Centers in South Korea Using Importance-Performance Analysis.

This study aims to evaluate the importance and performance level of knowledge about sanitary management among foodservice employees in childcare centers that were registered at Center for Children’s Food Service Management in Chungju city according to their work duration, type of childcare center, and number of enrolled children. The self-administered questionnaire was conducted to examine food safety attributes of sanitary management at 150 childcare centers without qualified dietitians registered at Center for Children’s Food Service Management of Chungju city. The questionnaire consisted of 15 questions about perceived importance and performance regarding sanitation management (personal hygiene, ingredient control, temperature control of food, facility, equipment, and utensils sanitation) using IPA (importance–performance analysis). The results show that overall mean scores of the importance and performance of sanitary knowledge were 4.71 and 4.67 out of 5, respectively. ‘Checking the center temperature at 75 °C for 1 min in the thickest part of meat (3 times or more check for each serving)’ (p = 0.047) and ‘Keeping preserved meals (at least 100 g of each menu) for 144 h. with −18 °C or less’ (p < 0.001) show significantly lower scores of performance than those of importance. The results of importance and performance for sanitary management according to work duration of foodservice employees show that those who have worked more than 10 years had the highest scores of importance and performance for overall sanitary management among them. For the types of childcare centers, the overall performance scores of national/public employees for sanitary management were lower than those of private or home type (p < 0.001). Additionally, the result showed that the overall importance (p < 0.001) and performance scores (p < 0.001) of employees for sanitary management in centers with <50 children were higher than those in centers with ≥50 children. This result should provide more useful information to develop food safety programs for employees and sustainable foodservice management in childcare centers.

An exploratory study of women in foodservice: Persevering in a #MeToo world

Sexual harassment is a nefarious issue that has pervaded the restaurant industry, with women proving to be the most vulnerable targets. Accordingly, there is an urgent need to explore the experiences of women who are veterans in the foodservice industry, and how they have persevered in a #MeToo world. A phenomenological qualitative approach was implemented by using structured written questionnaires to probe this issue in-depth. Results demonstrated that sexual harassment behaviors were incited by the inherent male-dominate hegemonic culture of the foodservice industry, management inactions, and employees’ sexist attitudes toward women. This study offers several practical implications from both, professional and personal levels, as well as recommendations for future industry professionals.

THE EFFECT OF LEADERSHIP, WORK DISCIPLINE AND WORK MOTIVATION ON EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE

Purpose: To determine and measure the influence of Leadership, Work Discipline, Work Motivation, either partially or jointly on Employee Performance at the Food and Agriculture Security Service.&#x0D; Research Methodology: This type of research is a causal associative research using a quantitative approach with the survey method. The population in this study were 206 agricultural extension workers from the Department of Food Security and Agriculture. The technique used in sampling in this study is by proportionate stratified random sampling using the Slovin formula as many as 68 people.&#x0D; Results: There is a partial influence of leadership on employee performance at the Department of Food and Agriculture Security by 87%. There is a partial effect of Work Discipline on the Performance of Food and Agriculture Security Service Employees of 89.6%. There is a partial influence of work motivation on the performance of employees of the Food and Agriculture Security Service of 82.7%. There is a positive and significant influence of leadership, work discipline and capacity simultaneously on the performance of employees of the Food and Agriculture Security Service. The magnitude of the positive influence of Leadership, Work Discipline, Work Motivation on Employee Performance is 95.1% while the remaining 4.9% is influenced by other factors.&#x0D; Limitations: Resecarh variable just Leadership, Work Discipline And Work Motivation On Employee Performance, need the development of other variables that support&#x0D; Contribution: Theoretically, the results of this study are expected to contribute ideas, especially in the science of human resource management as study material in the further development of theories of Leadership, Work Discipline and Work Motivation in an effort to improve employee performance.