Are your associates flourishing? An investigation on hospitality employees' well-being in post-pandemic

Employee well-being, a cornerstone of a healthy workplace and professional performance, has been significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. As we transition out of this crisis, it is of utmost importance to promptly evaluate the current state of hospitality employees’ well-being. This will enable managers to support those in need, underscoring our research's critical and timely nature, which will be reported here.

The Empirical Study

In collaboration with Dr. Bonhak Koo at Texas Tech University and Dr. Sohee Kim at the University of South Alabama, we published a study in the International Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Administration. We aimed to answer two research questions:

RQ1: To what extent can the well-being profiles of hospitality employees be identified?

RQ2: How do their well-being profiles relate to their motivation?

The Research Design and The Sample

We conceptualized our work using Seligman’s well-being theory (the PERMA model) and the self-determination theory, enabling us to develop a questionnaire for data collection. Specifically, the PERMA model identifies five key elements of well-being: Positive Emotion, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Accomplishment. Self-determination theory emphasizes the importance of intrinsic motivation and well-being for optimal performance and satisfaction.

We adopted an embedded mixed methods design to answer the research questions, integrating the qualitative with quantitative data to provide supporting descriptive insights. Besides the items from the workplace PERMA profiler and the work extrinsic and intrinsic motivation scale, we added an open-ended question to each section of the questionnaire, allowing respondents to elaborate on their quantitative responses using their own narrative. Through Prolific.co, we successfully retrieved 402 valid responses from hospitality workers in the U.S. We primarily used latent profile analysis to answer RQ1 and multinominal logistic regression analysis to answer RQ2.

The Findings

The latent profile analysis revealed four distinct well-being profiles among hospitality employees:

1. Lack of Pursuit Group (5% of the sample): Employees in this group exhibited the lowest scores across all well-being dimensions (Positive Emotion, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Accomplishment), indicating poor well-being. Respondent 133 (R-133) suggested: “There are no goals in my work; it is just day-to-day.”
2. Task-Focused Group (32.1%): This group showed average well-being scores, with relatively above-average mean scores in relationships and accomplishment. R-92 stated: “My co-workers are great, the job is ok, but not something I thought I’d do or have interest in.”
3. Overall Well-Being Group (46.8%): Employees in this group had above-average well-being scores. R-293 reported: “Work is going fairly well; management is very accommodating with my needs, and they recognize the work that I do.”
4. Flourishing Group (16.1%): The highest well-being scores were observed in this group. R-13 responded: “I keep my problems outside of work so that I am able to provide customers with a positive experience and my bosses with a hardworking coworker.” R-222 stated: “I love my job and the interactions in my professional life.”

The above four groups of employees also showed distinguished self-reported mean scores in Intrinsic Motivation, Integrated Regulation, Identified Regulation, Introjected Regulation, External Regulation, and Amotivation. The Flourishing Group reported the highest average scores across the first five motivational factors but the lowest average score in Amotivation. By observation, the gaps between the Flourishing Group and the Lack of Pursuit Group are particularly salient in Intrinsic Motivation, Integrated Regulation, Identified Regulation, and introjected Regulation. Statistically, the multinomial logistic regression analysis indicated that higher Integrated Regulation was associated with better well-being, while higher Amotivation was linked to poorer well-being.

Managerial Implications

In our sample, 37% of hospitality employees reported a poor or average well-being status, compared to 63% feeling positive about their well-being. The study provides several practical insights for hospitality managers:

• Enhancing Employee Well-Being: The five pillars of shaping human flourishing, or the PERMA model, point out the areas where managers can focus as they find ways to improve employee well-being. Implementing well-being programs that include flexible work arrangements and stress management workshops can be beneficial.
• Motivational Strategies: To move employees from lower well-being groups to the Flourishing Group, managers should enhance Integrated Regulation by aligning employees' values with organizational goals. This can be achieved through effective training and development programs.
• Addressing Labor Shortages: The findings suggest that improving employees' well-being and intrinsic motivation can help address labor shortages and the Great Resignation challenges in the hospitality industry. Promoting fair wages and providing meaningful work can attract and retain employees.

What Do You Think? 

Does your company measure employee well-being, too? If so, do you see our results reflect what happens in your organization? What strategies does your company use to promote employee well-being? What tactics are working exceptionally well?