Frontline Hotel Employees Research Articles

The effects of emotional intelligence on work-life balance and retention of U.S. hotel employees: The moderating role of generational differences

This study investigates the relationships among emotional intelligence, work-life balance, and retention from the perspective of U.S.-based hotel frontline employees, as perceived by generational cohorts. The study also examines the moderating role of generational differences on these relationships. Data were collected from 247 frontline employees. Results indicated that emotional intelligence was positively associated with work-life balance and retention. The relationship between emotional intelligence and work-life balance was significantly strengthened for Generation Y employees than for Generation Xers. There was no significant moderation effect of generational difference on the relationship between emotional intelligence and retention. Implications for HR professionals are provided.

Leadership style and job performance: a longitudinal approach

Purpose This study aims to examine the relationship between leadership style and job performance by multiple mediating roles of career satisfaction and job satisfaction using the longitudinal approach for frontline employees in the Jordanian hotel sector. Design/methodology/approach This study used a survey questionnaire based on a five-year longitudinal approach. Data were collected in two-period among frontline employees in five-star hotels in Jordan. Leadership style (transformational leadership and transactional leadership) was measured in the first period, whereas job performance, career satisfaction and job satisfaction were measured in the second period. The final sample for the first and second periods comprised 314 questionnaires valid for more analysis. The statistical software of SPSS (version 25) and SmartPLS (version 3.3.5) have been used for data analysis. Findings The results demonstrated that leadership style (transformational leadership and transactional leadership) has a positive significant effect on job performance. The results demonstrated also that leadership style (transformational leadership and transactional leadership) has a positive significant effect on career satisfaction and job satisfaction. As well the results demonstrated that career satisfaction and job satisfaction have a positive significant effect on job performance. Regarding multiple mediating roles, the results demonstrated that career satisfaction and job satisfaction mediated the relationship between leadership style and job performance. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study of its kind to examine the relationship between leadership style and job performance by multiple mediating roles of career satisfaction and job satisfaction using the longitudinal approach among frontline employees in the hotel sector.

Uncertainty tolerance moderates the link between job insecurity and service performance: evidence from China’s hotel frontline employees

The pandemic crisis outbreak has impacted the hospitality industry tremendously. This study investigated the effect of job insecurity on service performance and examined the mediating role of cognitive appraisal and the moderating effect of uncertainty tolerance from the perspectives of cognitive appraisal theory of stress. The study collected a questionnaire from 316 hotel employees at three time points, with a one-month interval between the two time points. The SPSS PROCESS macro and MPLUS are used to test the research hypotheses. The results highlighted that the mediating role of challenge-hindrance appraisal, affirming that job insecurity positively impacts service performance via increasing challenge appraisal, and job insecurity negatively impacts service performance via increasing hindrance appraisal. Furthermore, the results show that uncertainty tolerance moderates the relationship between job insecurity and cognitive appraisal and also moderated the indirect effect of job insecurity on service performance through cognitive appraisal. The research results provide implications for human resource management in the hospitality industry.

Does one’s sense of psychological safety mitigate the link between workplace ostracism and employee vitality? Meaningful work as a boundary role

The present study examines one’s sense of psychological safety as a mediator between workplace ostracism and vitality. It also tests meaningful work as a moderator between one’s sense of psychological safety and vitality. The present research collected cross-sectional data applying purposive and convenience sampling from 390 frontline hotel employees in Thailand. Workplace ostracism has a negative impact on one’s sense of psychological safety and vitality. One’s sense of psychological safety mediates the connection between workplace ostracism and vitality, and meaningful work positively moderates the association between one’s sense of psychological safety and vitality. These findings not only expand upon the conservation of resources (COR) theory and confirm the mediating role of psychological safety but also extend value congruence theory by moderating the role of meaningful work. The study highlights to increase meaningful work and one’s sense of psychological safety to improve vitality, and the strategies to minimize workplace ostracism.

Lãnh đạo phụng sự và hành vi công dân tổ chức ngành khách sạn: Vai trò trung gian của sự gắn kết công việc

The study aims to assess the impact of servant leadership on the organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) of frontline hotel employees, with work engagement as a mediating role. We use a qualitative research method to evaluate the appropriateness of the scale. Next, the hypotheses were tested by quantitative research with a sample size of 469, collected using the snowball and quota sampling methods. The results show that: (1) servant leadership directly influences all three dimensions of OCB; (2) work engagement directly affects OCB toward organizations and OCB toward customers, and also partially mediates the relationship between servant leadership and OCB toward organizations, OCB toward customers; (3) work engagement neither directly impacts OCB toward individual nor mediates the relationship between servant leadership and OCB toward individual. The research findings provide theoretical and practical contributions to enhancing the understanding of the formation mechanism of OCB among frontline hotel employees.

Well! Fun forms and friendship uplift frontline employees' positive affect for workplace well-being in the hospitality industry

PurposeThis study aims to reveal the positive effects of workplace fun forms on employee positive affect state and workplace well-being. This study also aims to examine workplace friendship opportunity and workplace friendship prevalence in the context of fun events and workplace well-being.Design/methodology/approachThe research model developed and tested with responses from 1,000 thousand Indian frontline employees of five-star hotels who have worked in the hospitality industry for at least two years and who have been exposed to fun committees at their workplace.FindingsThis study revealed that workplace fun forms are the main causes of employee positive affective reactions, and they have positive effects on frontline employees' positive affect. The study also found that fun activities, customer interaction with fun and manager support for fun as workplace events are strong proximal causes for forming positive affect when they have workplace friendship opportunity. Coworker socialization can induce employee positive affect in the workplace, even without the moderating effect of workplace friendship opportunity. Additionally, the positive effect of positive affect was found to be significant on workplace well-being.Practical implicationsHospitality management is required to foster fun culture with fun activities, coworker socialization, manager support for fun and customer interaction with fun that enhance employee affective reactions to uplift employee positive affect state. This study also presents more interesting practical implications for practitioners and managers.Originality/valueThis study empirically tested deferential workplace fun forms on positive affect, and study provides novel insights into positive affect and workplace well-being. Four mediation mechanisms examined on fun forms and workplace well-being. Four moderating roles of workplace friendship opportunity tested on positive affect and fun events. Workplace friendship prevalence moderation on positive affect and workplace well-being helped to understand employee cognitive mechanism.

How and when negative workplace gossip influences service sabotage behavior? A study among hotel frontline employees in China

Purpose Drawing upon the conservation of resources (COR) theory, this study aims to examine whether ego depletion mediates the relationship between negative workplace gossip and employees’ service sabotage behavior and whether psychological resilience moderates the relationship between negative workplace gossip and service sabotage behavior through the mediator of ego depletion among hotel frontline employees and their colleagues. Design/methodology/approach A paired sample was collected at three-time points from employees and their colleagues working in hotels in Guizhou province, China. The PROCESS macro for SPSS was applied to examine the moderated mediation model. Findings The results showed that negative workplace gossip has a positive effect on employee service sabotage behavior, and that ego depletion mediates the relationship between negative workplace gossip and employee service sabotage behavior. Psychological resilience weakens the relationship between negative workplace gossip and ego depletion, as well as the indirect effect of negative workplace gossip on employee service sabotage behavior through ego depletion. Originality/value The present research provides a thorough understanding of when and how negative workplace gossip influences employee service sabotage behavior in the hospitality industry. The findings of this moderated mediation relationship expanded the boundary conditions of negative workplace gossip and employee service sabotage behavior.

Leader–Member Exchange and Service-Oriented Organizational Citizenship Behavior: A Mediation-Moderation Model of Employee Envy and Psychological Empowerment Among Hotel Frontline Employees

ABSTRACT Leader–member exchange (LMX) is critical to service-oriented organizational citizenship behavior (SOOCB). This research investigates a mediation–moderation model theorizing the influence of employee envy and psychological empowerment on the LMX and SOOCB relationship. Using survey data acquired from 559 hotel frontline employees and analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM), this study reveals that LMX reduces employee envy and contributes to SOOCB, albeit indirectly, as employee envy was found to have an indirect influence on the relationship between LMX and SOOCB. To address the negative influence of employee envy, the findings suggest that psychological empowerment should be cultivated as it strengthens the effect of LMX in reducing employee envy and thus enabling LMX to exert an indirect influence on SOOCB when employee envy is mitigated.

Exploring the impact of abusive supervision on employee approaches to managing service errors and failures: Examining the effects of hope and optimism, and service tenure

Drawing from the conservation of resources (COR) theory, the current study posits that leadership in the form of abusive supervision will be more detrimental to subordinates' hope and optimism, due to the loss of accumulated resources for those who have increased service tenure, thereby lowering their ability to alleviate and successfully manage service failures/errors. Using convenience sampling, 174 hotel frontline employees from Istanbul, Turkey, completed survey questionnaires in two separate time waves. Results from SmartPLS indicate that abusive supervision has a significant and adverse association with employees’ hope and optimism. Additionally, the relationship between abusive supervision and employees’ hope and optimism is moderated by service tenure, such that the negative relationship is more profound for those with increased service tenure. Finally, hope and optimism mediate the relationship between abusive supervision and two behaviors for handling service errors/failures (i.e., service recovery performance and error reporting). This study concludes by discussing theoretical and practical implications.

Customer-oriented Organizational Citizenship Behavior and Turnover Intention of Frontline Employees in Hotels: A Preliminary Study

Customer-oriented Organizational Citizenship Behavior and Turnover Intention of Frontline Employees in Hotels: A Preliminary Study

Sensory synergy and energy dynamics: unveiling the performance drivers of Chinese hotel frontline employees

ABSTRACT This study explores the relationship between sensory experiences and the energy levels of Chinese hotel frontline employees, examining the pathways through which their resource energy is activated and the underlying mechanisms. Specifically, it looks at how frontline employees in Asian hotels promote work integration through relational and collective energy. Set within the Asian hospitality sector, this research highlights the Asian paradigms – service philosophies and management styles embedded in Asian culture and values – that have made an impact on the global hospitality industry. Interviews with 35 hotel employees resulted in 35 narrative structure maps, revealing that sensory synergy and compensation can activate an interactive dynamic mechanism, facilitating the ongoing activation of energy in their daily tasks. This process advances the five critical nodes of energy activation at work. The study significantly contributes by focusing on the individual and collective values of frontline employees as they navigate and adapt to shifts in the Asian paradigm. It reveals the internal mechanism that regulates the integration and optimisation of hotel frontline employees’ energy, providing insights into improving employee well-being and performance in the hospitality industry.

Investigating the impact of fear of COVID-19 on intention to quit: do supervisor support and government support matter?

PurposeThis study aims to examine the relationships among fear of COVID-19, job stress, job commitment and intention to quit. It also investigates the boundary conditions of the impact of fear of COVID-19 on job stress and intention to quit, a research gap that has not been addressed yet.Design/methodology/approachThis research focused on full-time frontline hotel employees who have been working in four- and five-star hotels in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. A pilot test was performed before collecting formal data. The survey was conducted face-to-face on site so that any potential confusion could be clarified right away. 487 valid responses were analyzed using SPSS 28 and SmartPLS 4.FindingsThe majority of hypotheses were supported, with the results suggested that supervisor support contributes to reducing the tendency of hotel employees to quit their job and their job stress. Besides, government support is necessary to make staff feel secure during the pandemic.Practical implicationsThis study contributes to pointing out central priorities in making decisions by hotel managers when facing crises. Managers need to focus more on measures to help their employees feel secure and should be available for guidance and feedback when nedeed. Additionally, supportive policies from the government, especially financial support, can provide hotel employees with resources they need to maintain a basic level of living in the face of a severe drop in their income. The study provides the hotel industry not only in Vietnam but also in countries with comparable settings with strategies to cope with unexpected events.Originality/valueResearch on intention to quit a job has mainly focused on a complex interplay of internal factors. However, the influence of fear of COVID-19 on intention to quit a job has not been studied in the context of Vietnamese hotel industry yet. During the COVID-19 pandemic, a number of hotels in Vietnam had to close due to a lack of visitors, which had a negative impact on human resources. Accordingly, fear, stress, commitment and intention to quit a job are the issues faced by staff.

Supervisor incivility and service employee creativity: a moderated mediation model of negative affect state and core self-evaluation

PurposeThe present study examines the effect of supervisor incivility on service employee creativity and the mediating mechanism of negative affect state on the said relationship with the aid of Affective Events Theory (AET) and Social Power Theory. Additionally, the study explores the mitigating role of core self-evaluation in the dual stage of the moderated mediation model.Design/methodology/approachSurvey data were collected from 420 frontline employees working in four-star and five-star hotels across India and PROCESS macro in SPSS 23.0 was employed to test the hypotheses proposed in the study.FindingsThe study findings observe that frontline employees experiencing supervisor incivility face a negative affect state and it further diminishes service employee creativity. Also, the indirect effect gets attenuated at dual stages when frontline employees are equipped with a high level of core self-evaluation.Practical implicationsThe study findings provide various insights to the managers to understand the deleterious effect of supervisor incivility at work and to develop interventions to manage supervisor incivility and the negative affect state among frontline hotel employees.Originality/valueThe present study is the first and unique attempt to investigate the role of supervisor incivility experienced by frontline hotel employees in India with reference to their creativity towards customers and mediating mechanism of negative affect state. The study adds value to the literature by establishing the role of core self-evaluation in the moderated mediation model. Further, the study also provides a unique contribution to the management of frontline hospitality employees.

The effect of occupational stigma on work engagement: A conservation of resources perspective

We explored the effect of occupational stigma on work engagement, basing our research on conservation of resources theory. Frontline hotel employees (N = 286) in China completed an online survey. Analysis of the results showed that occupational stigma was negatively related to work engagement, and occupational identity and emotional exhaustion both played mediating roles in this relationship. These findings enrich the research on the antecedents of work engagement and provide practical implications for related management practice.

Why and when perceived organizational exploitation inhibits frontline hotel employees’ service performance: a social exchange approach

PurposeBy investigating trust in the organization as a mediator and traditionality as a moderator, this study aims to examine the effect perceived organizational exploitation poses on frontline hotel employees’ service performance.Design/methodology/approachA three-wave survey that targets 219 supervisor–subordinate dyads from four Chinese hotels was conducted to test the hypotheses. The authors used SPSS 20.0 and AMOS 21.0 to analyze the data and verify the theoretical model.FindingsThis study found that perceived organizational exploitation exerts a destructive impact on frontline hotel employees’ service performance. Trust in the organization is a full mediator of the link connecting perceived organizational exploitation to service performance. Furthermore, traditionality weakens perceived organizational exploitation’s impact on trust in the organization and subsequent service performance.Practical implicationsThe authors’ findings remind hotels to cease exploiting their employees to avoid compromising service performance. Hotels should also endeavor to instill trust among employees toward the hotel and allocate more attention to employees with lower levels of traditionality.Originality/valueFirst, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is among the first to explore the impact of perceived organizational exploitation on frontline hotel employees’ service performance. Second, this study reveals a novel mechanism underlying the connection between perceived organizational exploitation and service performance. Finally, this study identifies frontline hotel employees’ traditionality as a vital moderator that mitigates the negative relationships among perceived organizational exploitation, trust in the organization and service performance.

Hospitality labor leakage and dynamic turnover behaviors in the age of artificial intelligence and robotics

研究目的本研究探讨了人工智能（AI）应用对酒店业工作不安全感的影响, 以及其对员工流失意向的后续影响。研究调查了AI引发的工作不安全感如何通过工作压力和不安全感的感受影响员工考虑离开当前酒店工作、转投其他酒店或者寻求酒店行业外的机会。研究方法本研究采用了259名一线酒店员工的定量数据分析。采用验证性因子分析（CFA）探索因子结构并评估模型拟合指标。随后, 应用结构方程模型（SEM）来检验假设。研究发现研究结果显示, AI意识对工作压力和不安全感有积极影响。此外, 工作不安全感被发现对员工流失意向产生正向影响, 尤其是对转投非酒店公司的流失意向影响更为显著。此外, 社会资本作为调节变量对工作不安全感与流失意向之间的关系的影响取决于流失意向的具体维度。研究局限性本研究有助于加强酒店业人才流失动态的理论框架和实证见解。然而, 未来研究应考虑员工的职位、角色、组织和职业水平, 通过研究这些因素与技术意识、工作压力、工作不安全感和流失意向之间的关系。研究创新本研究首次聚焦于酒店业中动态人才流失问题的现象, 提供了在自动化和人工智能时代有效整合新技术并管理人力资源的实证和实践观点。

Foregrounding why and when inclusive leadership triggers customer stewardship in hospitality organizations

PurposeThis study aims to investigate the potential positive correlation between inclusive leadership and hotel frontline employees’ (FLEs) customer stewardship (CS) behavior, using the conservation of resource theory as its foundation. It hypothesizes that role breadth self-efficacy (RBSE) acts as a mediating factor in this relationship, with employee conscientiousness serving as a significant moderating variable.Design/methodology/approachA time-lagged survey design was used, spanning over three rounds to collect data from 348 hotel FLEs and 42 managers. The analysis was conducted using structural equation modeling in Mplus version 8.6.FindingsThe study revealed a positive association between inclusive leadership and FLE CS, both directly and indirectly through RBSE. The results also showed that FLE conscientiousness moderated the direct link between inclusive leadership and RBSE, as well as the indirect link between inclusive leadership and FLE CS.Practical implicationsThe evidence suggests that inclusive leadership behaviors among hospitality managers may elevate FLE CS behaviors, implying significant benefits for the success of hospitality organizations. Managers should focus on enhancing FLEs’ RBSE to further improve CS behaviors. In addition, by considering FLE conscientiousness, managers can craft targeted strategies to maximize the impact of inclusive leadership on CS behaviors.Originality/valueThis research contributes to the limited body of knowledge on the precursors of CS behavior by explaining both direct and indirect connections with inclusive leadership. Furthermore, it broadens the understanding of the conditions under which leadership most effectively shapes such behaviors.

Perceived overqualification and career indecisiveness in front line hotel employees: a moderated mediation model examination

Perceived overqualification and career indecisiveness in front line hotel employees: a moderated mediation model examination

Does spiritual leadership promote employees’ green creativity? The mediating effect of green work engagement

PurposeAnchored in the conservation of resources (COR) theory, this research aims to examine the effect of spiritual leadership on green creativity via the mediating role of green work engagement (GWEN).Design/methodology/approachThe data were collected from 254 frontline hotel employees in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and the hypothesized relationships were assessed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS SEM).FindingsThe findings suggest that spiritual leadership boosts GWEN and green creativity, and GWEN positively affects green creativity and mediates the nexus between spiritual leadership and green creativity.Practical implicationsTop management in the hospitality industry should focus on building spirituality and spiritual practices among their managers to accomplish organizational green goals. The hospitality industry is a highly competitive service sector that contains several unique challenges for workers, such as growing customer demands and asking for employee creativity while concurrently producing and delivering high-quality, differentiated services. In such tense and demanding professional settings, employees require intrinsic motivation to achieve something “out of the box.” Organizations should understand that intrinsic motivation implanted by spiritual leaders can encourage individuals to engage in green tasks and ultimately go beyond the script to achieve green creativity.Originality/valueThis study advances the extant literature by highlighting the role of spiritual leadership, as an emerging leadership style, in fostering GWEN and green creativity. It also adds to the existing research by examining the underlying mechanism through which spiritual leadership nurtures green creativity.

Interplay of High Performing Work Practices with Career Satisfaction, Extra-Role Behavior and Job Embeddedness: Study on Frontline Employees in Hospitality Industry

Frontline employees play a critical role in providing exceptional customer service, essential for both; overall customer satisfaction and the long term success of the hospitality industry. Their satisfaction enables effective resource allocation and strategic planning for the growth and development of the industry. The present study focuses on the relationship of high performing work practices (HPWPs) with career satisfaction (CS) and extra-role behavior (ERB) via job embeddedness (JE) among frontline hotel employees. The measurement model was assessed using Smart Partial Least Squares (PLS) SEM, version 4.0.9.0. The results of the study indicated that HPWPs directly and indirectly (through the mediating effects of JE) affect CS of frontline employees and also boost ERB among them. The findings suggested that the adoption of HPWPs, such as comprehensive training, rewards, and empowerment initiatives, cultivates positive attitudes among employees, which in turn encourages proactive customer handling, leading to customer satisfaction.