How the COVID-19 pandemic affected hotel Employee stress: Employee perceptions of occupational stressors and their consequences

Potential categories of employment stress among rural college students and their relationship to employment psychology

Background

Psychological problems related to employment are among the most common psychological problems faced by rural college students. Employment stress is an important factor affecting the development of psychological health in employees; thus, reducing employment stress can improve the psychological state of employment.

Objective

This study aimed to understand the potential profiles of employment stress among rural college students to determine the relationship between different profiles and employment psychology.

Methods

This study was conducted in a higher education institution in Qingdao, Shandong Province, China between June and December 2023, and 249 rural college students participated. The Employment Stress Scale and Employment Psychology Scale were used to collect the data. Data were analyzed using latent profile analysis, independent sample t-tests, and binary logistic regression analysis.

Results

The results showed that rural university students were categorized into low-level (49.80%) and high-level (50.21%) employment stress groups. There was a statistically significant difference between the employment psychology of rural college students in the low- and high-level groups (p < 0.001). Juniors/seniors were more likely to be classified in the high-level group (OR = 0.477, p = 0.011).

Conclusion

Intervention programs should be developed and implemented to address the characteristics of employment stress among rural college students with different profiles to promote the healthy development of their attitudes toward employment.

Intercultural communication competence and job burnout in MNC employees: the mediation role of job stress

This study examined the relationship between intercultural communication competence (ICC) and job burnout, as well as the mediating effects of job stress, using data collected from employees (n = 1,064) from a Chinese multinational corporation in Brunei. Through regression analysis and mediation effect tests, we found that ICC was negatively associated with job burnout (β = -0.19, p < 0.001) and job stress (β = -0.08, p < 0.001). Job stress was positively associated with job burnout (β = 0.65, p < 0.001). Job stress played a partial mediating role between ICC and job burnout. The total effect of ICC on job burnout was -0.19, the direct effect was -0.14, and the indirect effect of ICC via job stress was -0.05. The findings call for ICC training for employees in multinational corporations.

Leveraging employee online reviews for improving hotel competitiveness in the great resignation

The Great Resignation has brought significant challenges to the recovery of the hospitality industry from the depression caused by the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19). Prior studies have revealed that the leading cause of the Great Resignation is negative employee experience. However, few empirical studies have been conducted to obtain deep insights into the negative experiences of hospitality employees. Hotel managers still lack the knowledge to help them resolve the workforce problem and maintain competitiveness during the pandemic. This study proposes a novel framework, named HENEX, that uses data-mining technologies and employees' online reviews about hotels to identify the factors that lead to hospitality employees' negative experiences and changes in these factors caused by COVID-19. We demonstrate the effectiveness of HENEX through a case study that involves major hotels in Australia. The findings could help hotel managers develop strategies to resolve the workforce problem and maintain competitiveness during the Great Resignation period.

Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health, working, and life situation of employees in the Swedish hospitality industry

Introduction

Previous studies reported that the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has negatively affected the mental health of employees in the hospitality industry internationally, however, its effect in Sweden has not been studied. Unlike several other countries, Sweden never enforced a lockdown. Restaurants, bars, and hotels could remain open and host a limited number of guests but had to abide by certain restrictions.

Methods

A cross-sectional survey was distributed among hospitality industry employees containing questions regarding the perceived effects of the pandemic on the respondents' working and life situations and their physical and psychological health. The sample consisted of 699 individuals, with a response rate of 47.9%.

Results

Although several respondents had been laid off or furloughed, the majority of the sample remained at the same employer. However, more than half of the respondents reported that their economic situation had deteriorated. Compared to before the pandemic, 38.1% experienced elevated levels of stress, 48.3% experienced elevated levels of worry, and 31.4% reported worsened mood. A deteriorating personal economy and difficulty in following COVID-19-related restrictions at work were associated with the worsening of these three mental health aspects. While the fear of becoming infected with COVID-19 was related to higher levels of stress, the fear of infecting others was related to higher levels of worry.

Conclusion

Although Sweden imposed less strict measures than most other countries, the personal economy and mental health of hospitality workers were negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lessons on the COVID-19 pandemic: who are the most affected

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to significant changes in work and lifestyle, impacting occupational mental health. This study examines the time and individual heterogeneity in the pandemic's effects on occupational mental health using panel data from job stress checks spanning 2018 to 2021. On average, there was an initial alleviation of high-stress risk in 2020, followed by a deterioration in 2021. Based on the job demand-resource theory, we identify the group of employees most affected by the pandemic. The findings highlight that employees in unfavorable workplace conditions are more likely to experience substantial adverse impacts. Adequate workplace support, including factors like interpersonal relationships, managerial support, job meaning, control, and work-life balance, is crucial for mitigating high-stress risk. Additionally, during the early phase of the pandemic, engaged employees experienced a slight decline in occupational mental health, while those lacking job resources at their worksite faced higher levels of occupational stress in the subsequent year. These findings offer practical suggestions for person-centered coping strategies to mitigate the pandemic's adverse impact.

Experiences from the international frontlines: An exploration of the perceptions of airport employees during the COVID-19 pandemic

The aviation industry is one of the sectors that has been heavily impacted by the pandemic. While the major body of literature has focused on passenger experience and behaviour, this study focuses on airport employees instead-their experiences, perceptions, and preferences following the emergence of COVID-19. More than 1000 participants from 4 major airports-Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, Singapore Changi Airport, Taipei Taoyuan Airport, and Zurich Airport-representing over 10 different occupations, have provided a variety of sentiments about the airport as an employment ecosystem in the wake of COVID-19. Quantitatively and qualitatively surveying four different airports enabled a cross-border analysis of the results to identify interesting geographic contrasts, as well as global themes, among the responses. Regional differences regarding, the feeling of preparedness, confidence in measures, and optimism are presented. A significant difference in confidence in non-pharmaceutical measures between employees from Asian and European airports is shown. Wants and needs such as better physical/IT workplace infrastructure and more flexibility regarding job scope and hours are pointed out. The results of this research provide insights for future airport employee experience research by outlining areas to study in greater detail. Furthermore, practical implications for airport stakeholders and companies arising from the challenges experienced by the workforce are laid out to provide guidance to prepare for similar circumstances in the future and navigate the aftermath of and recovery from the pandemic.

Exploring hospitality workers' career choices in the wake of COVID-19: Insights from a phenomenological inquiry

The COVID-19 pandemic severely hit the hospitality industry and caused employees concerns over health, finance, and well-being. These challenges may trigger their decisions to leave the profession, leading to major talent crises in the industry. Guided by the transactional model of stress and coping and the career construction theory, this study explored how their experiences with the pandemic affected their career choices moving on. A phenomenological approach was adopted, and 31 current and past hospitality employees were interviewed. The findings supported the conceptual model and addressed the connection between stress management and career decisions among the participants. It is also noted that, besides generational differences, most participants' career decisions at this critical moment were influenced by their personality traits, industry involvement, and employer-employee relationships. Thus, to create a sustainable, resilient, and engaged workforce, hospitality practitioners must commit to crafting positive relationships with their employees both in regular and crisis times.

JD-R model on job insecurity and the moderating effect of COVID-19 perceived susceptibility

The present research applied a triangulation approach in order to examine the mediating effect of job insecurity and the moderating effect of perceived susceptibility to COVID-19 (PSC) in the Job demands and resources model (JD-R model). Questionnaire and follow-up interview data were collected at two points in time from 292 hotel front-line employees and 15 hotel senior and department managers in Phuket, Thailand. Quantitative results indicated that job insecurity fully mediated the relationship between job demands and job burnout, as well as the relationship between job demands and work engagement. In addition, PSC partially moderated the research model. More specifically, the impact of job insecurity on work engagement is reduced when PSC is low and increased when PSC is high; the impact of job insecurity on job burnout is reduced when PSC is high and increased when PSC is low. Qualitative results further verified the findings of the quantitative study.

Hotel employees' knowledge of monkeypox's source, symptoms, transmission, prevention, and treatment in Egypt

BACKGROUND

The re-emerging human monkeypox virus (MPXV) poses a global threat. The rising number of confirmed MPXV cases worldwide is a significant reason for concern. This study aims to investigate (1) hotel employees' knowledge in Egypt of MPXV source, signs/symptoms, transmission, prevention, and treatment, (2) the primary sources of their information about MPXV, (3) whether or not they received information about MPXV from their hotels, and (4) the differences of employees' knowledge in terms of gender, age, marital status, level of education, type of contract, professional category, hotel department, type of hotel, seniority in the hotel, and the number of hotel rooms.

METHODS

Using a quantitative approach, we collected data from 453 employees in Egyptian hotels via a web-based questionnaire. The survey included questions regarding the MPXV source, signs/symptoms, transmission, prevention, and treatment, as well as its primary information sources. The questionnaire also included questions regarding participants' demographics and hotel characteristics.

RESULTS

The findings indicated that more than half of hotel employees have inadequate knowledge of MPXV. Additionally, the majority of employees selected social media as their primary source of MPXV-related information. Surprisingly, most participants reported that their hotels neglected to provide them with the MPXV's information. Age, marital status, education, professional category, and tenure in the hotel all have a significant impact on their MPXV knowledge level.

CONCLUSION

The current paper presents significant implications for both theory and practice. This study provides government agencies and hotels with guidelines for preventing the outbreak of MPXV. According to our knowledge, this is the first study conducted with hotel employees in the MPXV Egyptian context.

Procrastination and Stress: A Conceptual Review of Why Context Matters

Research over the past two decades has continued to highlight the robust associations between procrastination and stress across multiple populations and contexts. Despite this burgeoning evidence base and theory linking procrastination to higher levels of stress, as well as the reverse, the role of context in this potentially dynamic association has received relatively little attention. In this conceptual review I argue that from a mood regulation perspective of procrastination, stressful contexts necessarily increase risk for procrastination because they deplete coping resources and lower the threshold for tolerating negative emotions. Drawing on insights from coping and emotion regulation theory, the new stress context vulnerability model of procrastination proposes that the risk for procrastination increases in stressful contexts primarily because procrastination is a low-resource means of avoiding aversive and difficult task-related emotions. The new model is then applied to evidence on the primary and secondary sources of stress during the COVID-19 pandemic and how they may have increased vulnerability for procrastination. After discussing potential applications of the new model for understanding how and why risk for procrastination may increase in other stressful contexts, approaches that might mitigate vulnerability for procrastination in high-stress contexts are discussed. Overall, this new stress context vulnerability model underscores the need for taking a more compassionate view of the antecedents and factors that may increase the risk for procrastination.

Losing talent due to COVID-19: The roles of anger and fear on industry turnover intentions

Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, the US hospitality industry workforce experienced significant job loss via furloughs and job eliminations. Over a year later, the American hospitality industry is now facing a labor shortage. However, there is a dearth of literature explaining why the hospitality industry's response due to a mega-event, like the pandemic, can motivate employees to leave the hospitality industry. Instead, theory and research have primarily focused on organizations as the focal point for understanding turnover, while neglecting the industry. Using the affect theory of social exchange, this paper examined how anger and fear related to job status changes (i.e., being furloughed or laid-off) due to the pandemic, influence intentions to leave the industry. Study 1 used a survey of management-level employees, whereas Study 2 used an experiment to test the proposed model. Both studies showed that employees who lost their job due to the pandemic felt more anger and fear than those still employed. However, mediation analyses revealed anger, but not fear, as the primary driver of industry turnover intentions. These results highlight a potentially problematic trend. Should skilled hospitality workers switch industries due to job loss amidst an industry-wide negative event, it may become difficult for hospitality businesses to find qualified employees once the industry recovers and rehiring begins.

Transformational Leadership, Employee Engagement, Job Satisfaction, and Psychological Well-Being among Hotel Employees after the Height of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Serial Mediation Model

Over the past few years, great attention has been given to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and its consequences on employee psychological well-being (PWB), particularly in the hospitality industry. Like many aspects of human life, employee PWB is influenced by multiple factors. One of the factors that may affect employee PWB is transformational leadership (TLS). Accordingly, we aim through this study to empirically (1) examine the direct effect of transformational leadership on employee PWB and (2) investigate the potential independent and serial mediation effects of employee engagement (EEG) and job satisfaction (JS) on the TLS-PWB relationship after the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were gathered using an online questionnaire from a convenience sample of 403 front-line employees from five-star hotels in Saudi Arabia. The partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) with the bootstrapping technique was utilized to test the study hypotheses. Based on the demands-resources (JD-R) theory, the findings of this study reveal a significant positive effect of TLS on hotel employees' PWB. Additionally, drawing on the stimulus-organism-response (S-O-R) model, the two main contributions of this study are: (1) EEG and JS serially and independently have a significant partial mediational effect on the TLS-PWB relationship among hotel employees, and (2) EEG has a greater impact on the TLS-PWB relationship as an intervening variable than the two other mediators (JS, as well as EEG and JS serially). Based on these findings, hotel management should mainly consider developing and encouraging TLS behavior among their managers to promote EEG and increase JS among their followers, which consequently enhances their PWB and alleviates negative psychological outcomes due to experiencing a disaster such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Impact of Communication Information on the Perceived Threat of COVID-19 and Stockpiling Intention

This article investigates the role of diverse nudging communication strategies on perceived threat and stockpiling intention. Across three studies, the authors examined the various effects of “nudging” on consumer behavior. Study 1 demonstrates that a commonly used picture has a stronger impact on perceived threat than a less frequently exposed picture regardless of its accuracy. Study 2 shows that the perceived threat of COVID-19, in terms of severe health consequences, is lower when using an indirect (vs. direct) explanation of the virus, as well as when reducing the amount of information about the virus. Study 3 investigates the impact of salient negative information and childhood socioeconomic status (SES). Findings reveal that negative information about deaths associated with the virus increases the level of perceived threat and stockpiling intention, especially among people of low childhood SES.

Four serially mediating mechanisms in the relationship between COVID-19 fear and employee performance

BACKGROUND

During the COVID-19 pandemic, most workers were forced to work remotely, although having no prior experience, and as a result, they were exposed to new job-related stressors.

OBJECTIVES

To examine the mediating role of job stress, work-family conflict and job satisfaction between fear of COVID-19 and job performance.

METHOD

An online questionnaire was conducted a survey of remote workers in Turkey. Responses were obtained from 351 subjects. Related scales were used to measure work-life balance, job stress, job satisfaction, and employee performance as well as fear of COVID-19. Because all hypothesis constructs can be analyzed simultaneously, structural equation modeling was used for data analysis.

RESULTS

The results showed that fear of COVID-19 affects job stress (p = .001; β= .264). There was a significant relationship between job stress and job satisfaction (p = .001; β= .619). Also, work-family conflict was affected employee job stress (p = .001; β= .516). Job stress had a mediator role fear of COVID-19 on job satisfaction and work-family conflict on job satisfaction.

CONCLUSION

The findings of this study provide a useful measurement model that can be used to evaluate and improve job performance and job satisfaction through work stress and work-family conflict in times of crisis such as COVID-19.

A multilevel analysis of the links between daily emotional labor, daily spiritual experiences, and daily stress during the COVID-19 pandemic

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

The adverse effects of the COVID-19 pandemic both necessitate and obstruct emotional regulation and coping mechanisms. Despite growing interest in the connection between stress and spirituality, multilevel studies addressing day-level variance to understand how spiritual experiences and emotional regulation are linked with stress during this unique situation are scarce. This study aims to analyze how daily spiritual experiences (DSE) and daily emotional labor (EL) connect with the daily stress levels of employees during the pandemic.

DESIGN AND METHOD

Data collected from 132 employees for five consecutive workdays (660 d-level, 132 person-level responses) were analyzed via Hierarchical Linear Modeling.

RESULTS

Multilevel analysis provided evidence for the negative association between DSE and daily stress. The "faking emotions" and "hiding emotions" dimensions of daily EL were positively and significantly related to daily stress, while the "deep acting" dimension demonstrated no significant relationship. There was no evidence for the moderator role of DSE in the relationship between daily EL and stress.

CONCLUSION

The form of daily EL is crucial to understanding how it associates with daily stress. Although its buffering role on the adverse effects of EL is not significant, DSE directly relates to lower stress levels.

Breaches and buffers: Can meaningful work impact turnover during COVID-19 pandemic?

The fear and uncertainty created by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic have strained the employer-employee relationship. This research seeks to understand how psychological contract breach shapes employees' perspectives of meaningful work and its influence on turnover intention. Drawing on event systems theory, we investigated how objective events in the environment (e.g., global pandemic) impact employees. We also argue that the career shock caused by the COVID-19 pandemic affected employees' choices based on their job fit and psychological resources. Findings indicate that experiencing meaningful work reduced turnover intention, especially for those that experienced less psychological contract breach. Also, experiencing meaningful work reduced turnover intention most for individuals whose working hours were not impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. These findings show that experiencing meaningful work in a relatively stable job reduces employees' potential turnover during exogenous shocks. The study also highlights the importance of meaningful work and why organizations should collaborate and assist their employees in making work more meaningful.

Analyzing the impact of COVID-19 vaccination requirements on travelers' selection of hotels using a fuzzy multi-criteria decision-making approach

In the later stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, hotels are taking various measures to balance pandemic prevention and business operations. Some hotels require travelers to be fully vaccinated prior to check-in, while others do not. In the latter type of hotels, fully vaccinated travelers may encounter others who are not vaccinated. All of these have created constraints for travelers to choose suitable hotel accommodation during this time. To address this issue, a fuzzy multi-criteria decision-making approach is proposed in this study to help traveler choose suitable hotel accommodation. In the proposed methodology, firstly, hotels are divided into two types considering their requirements for COVID-19 vaccination. Travelers are then asked to list the key factors to consider when choosing between these two types of hotels. To derive the priorities of these key factors, the proportionally calibrated fuzzy geometric mean (pcFGM) method is proposed. Subsequently, the fuzzy VIšekriterijumskoKOmpromisnoRangiranje (fuzzy VIKOR) method is applied to evaluate and compare the overall performances of different types of hotels for recommendations to travelers. The applicability of the proposed methodology is illustrated by a real case study. According to the experimental results, most hotels did not request travelers to be full vaccinated. Nevertheless, the hotels recommended to travelers covered both hotel types.

The effect of residential environment satisfaction on depression in the elderly: Focusing on the mediating effect of stress

This study aimed to determine the mediating effect of stress on the relationship between residential environment satisfaction and feelings of depression in the elderly. To achieve the purpose of the study, the researcher personally conducted interviews with 250 senior citizens residing in Jeollanam-do, South Korea, from October to November 2019. SPSS version 27.0 and Hayes' PROCESS ver. 4.0 were used for data analysis. As a result of testing the research hypothesis, a partial mediating effect of stress on the relationship between residential environment satisfaction and feelings of depression was confirmed. Based on these results, diverse practical and policy suggestions were recommended. First, a connection between barrier-free walking and public transportation linking elderly residences and major living facilities (transportation facilities, medical facilities, cultural facilities, social welfare facilities, parks, etc.) was suggested. Second, the application of a universal design was proposed when remodeling or building elderly residences. Third, policies promoting social participation of the elderly and providing assistance to increase the intimacy of their relationship with family members and neighbors are necessary to enable older adults to maintain their social relationships. Fourth, programs, such as educational schemes that provide older adults with a greater understating of stress, must be developed in parallel to facilitate stress self-management interventions. In future, it is necessary to include additional mediating or moderating variables to generalize these findings to the larger population.

What influences company attachment and job performance in the COVID-19 era?: Airline versus hotel employees

Airline and hotel employees are experiencing multiple forms of precariousness amid the COVID-19 pandemic, which have increased workers' distrust of their respective airline/hotel businesses and affected job performance and retention. This research builds and tests two sturdy theoretical frameworks to explain airline and hotel employees' job performance and behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic. The frameworks, developed using a quantitative method, adequately account for employees' company attachment and job performance by using their perceived job insecurity, life satisfaction, and job satisfaction as the key antecedents; while employees' perceived job insecurity influences the formation of attachment to the company and job performance. The mediating nature of life and job satisfaction is also examined alongside the moderating role of two different industry types (airline versus hotel). The results show that the process of generating job performance differs between airline and hotel employee groups. The research implications and value are discussed.

Investigating employees' deviant work behavior in the hotel industry during COVID-19: Empirical evidence from an emerging country

Employees in the hotel industry are among the most vulnerable groups that have been severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Anchored on the general strain theory, transactional theory of stress and coping, and theory of justice, this study investigates the mechanism through which hotel employees' perceived job insecurity affects their deviant work behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic. A survey method was used to collect three-wave sample data from 988 hotel employees in popular tourist destinations in Vietnam. Multivariate data analysis reveals a positive relationship between perceived job insecurity and deviant work behavior, and this relationship is mediated by psychological distress. Furthermore, abusive supervision positively moderates the association between psychological distress-deviant work behavior and the indirect influence of perceived job insecurity on deviant work behavior through psychological distress. These findings are useful for hotel managers seeking to manage and develop employees in a global health crisis such as COVID-19.

Antecedents and consequences of healthiness in café service: Moderating effect of health concern

This study aims to examine the antecedents of consequences of healthiness in the café business context. Additionally, this study attests to the moderating effect of one's concern for health (health concern) between healthiness and attitude. To attain a more vivid response, this research selected Starbucks coffeehouse as a case study. Hygiene, healthiness, and nutritional disclosure are the determinants of healthiness in the café business area. The consequences of healthiness are attitude and purchase intention for café products. Health concern is the moderating variable between healthiness and attitude in the context of café businesses. In order to test the association between attributes, a survey was used. Amazon Mechanical Turk was chosen to recruit survey participants. The valid observation for data analysis was 455 participants. For hypothesis testing, a structural equation model was implemented. Regarding the results, health concern is positively influenced by hygiene and organicness, but healthiness is negatively affected by nutritional disclosure. Moreover, it was found that health concern significantly moderates the relationship between healthiness and attitude, and attitude exerts a positive effect on purchase intention.

How Did Work-Related Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Hamper Healthcare Employee Performance during COVID-19? The Mediating Role of Job Burnout and Mental Health

The study objective was to examine the psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the performance of healthcare employees. The study was informed by a theoretical framework that incorporates different psychological issues (i.e., stress, depression, and anxiety) that influence healthcare workers' performance through the mediating roles of job burnout and mental health. The study data was gathered through structured questionnaires from 669 participants working in the healthcare sector in Pakistan. A structured equation modeling (SEM) technique was used for data analysis and hypothesis development. It was found that stress, depression, and anxiety positively affected healthcare employees' job performance during COVID-19. Psychological factors had a positive and significant impact on job burnout and mental health. Job burnout and mental health mediated the relationship between stress, anxiety, depression, and employee performance. The ongoing repercussions of COVID-19 include their impact on employee performance in the healthcare sector. Healthcare worker performance is critical to fostering industrial economic growth. Elevated levels of stress, depression, and anxiety have profoundly exacerbated employee mental health issues. COVID-19 has created challenging working conditions in organizations requiring that they address the growing psychological issues which impact negatively on worker performance.

An Integrated Assessment of the Competitiveness of a Sustainable City within the Context of the COVID-19 Impact

It is crucial for a city to ensure economic stability and growth, along with social security and prosperity, not only for the present, but also for future generations. Increasingly, researchers are highlighting the need to apply sustainable urban growth principles to the field of urban development, arguing that this would reduce the negative impacts of urbanization processes (poverty, air pollution, unemployment, and crime). At the same time, cities are competing with one another to maintain their position in the urban hierarchy, not only in the short term, but also in the long term. The COVID-19 pandemic affected many areas of our everyday life: over 5.85 million deaths, increased unemployment, the introduction of restrictions, the closure of national borders, and various other circumstances have all undoubtedly affected to a certain degree those factors which serve to influence competitiveness. The aim of this article is to conduct an integrated competitiveness assessment of the Baltic capitals within the context of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic for the period 2015–2020, according to an integrated assessment model for urban competitiveness (MDK), which is based upon the principles of sustainable development. A systematic and comparative analysis of the concepts published in the scientific literature has been performed, the concepts of sustainable city and sustainable urban competitiveness have been formed, research and methods of urban competitiveness evaluation have been carried out, and a comprehensive competitiveness assessment of the results of the study showed that the evaluation of integrated competitiveness of a sustainable city in the context of the impact of COVID-19 (using the Baltic capitals as an example in the period 2015–2020), in terms of the multi-criteria SAW and TOPSIS evaluation methods, is in the highest position in 2016–2019. Vilnius is in second place during the whole period 2016–2019. Riga takes third place in 2015–2019 (except in 2020, when it exchanges places with Vilnius and takes second place). Meanwhile, the results of the COPRAS multicriteria method differ from those discussed above. In 2016, 2019, and 2020, Tallinn is in the highest position, and in 2015, 2017, and 2018, it is surpassed by Vilnius. Riga remained in third place from 2015 to 2019. In 2020, Vilnius took over this position.

Occupational stress: evidence from industries affected by COVID-19 in Japan

Background

This study provides objective evidence on the impact of COVID-19 based on employee occupational stress reported from 13 different industries, and examines the determinants of employee psychological well-being. As the economic and social impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic continue, governments should consider industry-level differences when making support decisions concerning public resource allocation to corporations. However, little evidence exists regarding the differences in occupational stress across industries.

Methods

Employee occupational stress data (N = 673,071) was derived from workers in Japan from 2018 to 2020. The sample comprises workers from 13 industries, including civil services, service industry (other), real estate, medical/welfare, wholesale/retail, academic research, and accommodation/restaurant business. A logit model is employed to investigate the differences in employees’ psychological well-being before and during the pandemic.

Results

In 2020, 11 out of 12 industries had significantly worse occupational stress compared to employees engaged in civil services. Over 23% of employees from the wholesale/retail and accommodation/restaurant industries were observed as high-stress employees. Improved compensation policies supporting these industries are suggested. In contrast, reduced occupational stress was found among employees in the transportation/postal and information/communication industries. Among the 13 industries, aside from high job demands, tough inter-person relationships in the workplace became the most significant stressors during the pandemic.

Conclusions

The results confirm that the pandemic has had a heterogeneous effect on employee occupational stress across industries, thus suggesting that the level of compensation given to different industries during the COVID-19 pandemic should be discussed and approved by the Japanese government. Additionally, support for the wholesale/retail and accommodation/restaurant industries during the pandemic should be improved.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12889-022-13257-y.

Hotel building design, occupants' health and performance in response to COVID 19

In the COVID-19 pandemic, the employee realized the importance of a healthy workplace. A healthy workplace provides natural protection against respiratory disease and reduces exposure to viruses. Therefore, the current COVID-19 pandemic should be a wake-up call to understand the importance of building design and a dress rehearsal for future challenges because building-based prevention and control measures have become one of the most significant ways of fighting against the epidemic. This study investigates the role of hotel building design in employee health and performance during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study covered the LEED-certified hotel building in India. The formulated Hypothesis was tested empirically by the structural equation modeling (SEM) for determining the potential of the hotel building design. It was obtained from the study that during the COVID-19 pandemic, the hotel building design of the hospitality industry had a more significant influence on employee performance, followed by employee health.

Managing Covid-19 pandemic and supply chain disruptions through employee attitude: A cross-country analysis based on the transtheoretical model

In this paper, we examine the attitudinal changes and processes regarding Covid-19 guidelines through the lens of the Transtheoretical Model (TTM) among 932 employees in organisations within the emerging markets of China and Qatar, and the implications for the management of operations and supply chain disruptions. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, and hierarchical multiple regression were conducted to validate our measures, confirm model fit, and verify the proposed hypotheses. Our findings reveal that attitude towards the guidelines differ between Chinese and Qatari samples, significantly stronger among the Chinese sample. The TTM dimensions explain a considerable amount of variance in attitude and self-efficacy. Self-efficacy further explains attitudinal changes. Firms should actively source and provide useful and accurate information about COVID 19, including pathological characteristics, propagation, prevention measures, and treatment. Besides, firms should promote the importance of following the guidelines, leaders should set examples, and encourage and empower employees to do so. With the right employee attitude and behavior, firms can manage pandemic-related disruptions within the organization and the supply chain.

Unethical Organization Behavior: Antecedents and Consequences in the Tourism Industry

The entire tourism and hospitality industry has witnessed a considerable increase in the number of ethical difficulties that occur in the workplace. It has been discovered that unethical organizational behavior (UOB) is the most significant category in tourists’ unpleasant experiences, driving them to switch and spread unfavorable word-of-mouth information. This study aims to explore the effects of three contextual factors on UOB (i.e., work intensification, job insecurity, and an unethical company-profit climate) and to investigate its possible employee-related consequences, including the feeling of guilt, emotional exhaustion, and customer-oriented citizenship behavior. A total of 970 employees working in hotels (5-star and 4-star) and travel agencies (Category A) participated, and the obtained data were analyzed by structural equation modeling. The results asserted that work intensification, job insecurity, and an unethical company-profit climate stimulate unethical organizational behavior, and unethical organizational behavior leads to feelings of guilt, emotional exhaustion, and customer-oriented citizenship behavior. Significant insights into theoretical and practical implications were further discussed.

COVID-19 oriented HRM strategies influence on job and organizational performance through job-related attitudes

The COVID-19 crisis forced many changes to occur within organizations, which were necessary to keep the continuance of the organization's operations. Job performance seems to be an important factor determining such continuance, through its influence on the performance of entire organization. Shaping and keeping job performance in times of COVID-19 pandemic was a challenge for organizations, due to its negative impact on employees, causing their stress or lack of sense of security. There is a growing role of HRM specialists in appropriately shaping HRM strategies that can positively shape job-related attitudes, resulting in enhanced job performance during such difficult times. Therefore, this study aims to explain the role of COVID-19 oriented HRM strategies in shaping job performance through job-related attitudes such as work motivation, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment in a time of crisis occurring in the organization due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The study was conducted among 378 organizations operating in Poland during 2nd wave of COVID-19 pandemic. To verify the hypotheses, descriptive statistics were calculated using IBM SPSS and path analysis was performed using IBM AMOS. The result shows that combined set of "hard" HRM strategies related to the financial aspects and "soft" HRM strategies related to keeping employees' wellbeing during the crisis gives the best results in shaping job performance through job-related attitudes and consequently strengthening organizational performance. This study contributes to the knowledge concerning the development of COVID-19 oriented HRM strategies, which may also have practical application.

Extending Theory of Planned Behavior to Understand Service-Oriented Organizational Citizen Behavior

The financial crisis of 2007-2008 and the COVID-19 pandemic have caused many enterprises to suffer great losses. Thus, companies have to take measures such as pays cut, furloughs, or layoffs, which caused dissatisfaction among employees and triggered labor disputes. Therefore, this study explores the service-oriented organizational citizenship behavior based on the decomposed theory of planned behavior in order to understand the behavioral intentions of employees through their mental states, job attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control. This study conducted questionnaire surveys for employees in different industries, collected 281 valid questionnaires, and applied Structural Equation Model for the analysis. The results show: (1) employees believe organizational justice in the organization is important, and when they feel treated fairly, their job attitudes and beliefs are enhanced. (2) Employees' job attitudes and beliefs support service-oriented organizational citizenship behavior, in other words, they have positive job attitudes and beliefs and will actively provide better service to customers. (3) When employees are treated reasonably and fairly by the organization and have positive job attitudes (job satisfaction and organizational commitment) and perceived behavior control, their spontaneous service-oriented organizational citizenship behavior is stimulated, thus increasing organizational development.

The fear of being infected and fired: Examining the dual job stressors of hospitality employees during COVID-19

As the COVID-19 pandemic has posed grave threats to the financial and physical health of hospitality employees, this research unveils details of the dilemma experienced by hospitality employees during the pandemic, namely, their fear of becoming infected and fired. The research data were derived from a sample of 622 hospitality employees in the U.S. and analyzed using PLS-SEM as a new model of COVID-19 stressors are proposed and tested. The findings show that hospitality employees perceive the pandemic as a traumatic event that elevates their perceived job insecurity and infectious risk. It was also found that both job insecurity and infectious risk lead to increased job stress and turnover intentions, while job insecurity alone is a stronger predictor of turnover intentions. This study is among the first to examine the antecedents and consequences of the dual stressors encountered by public-facing occupations, including hospitality, during the pandemic.

Transformational Leadership, HRM practices and burnout during the COVID-19 pandemic: The role of personal stress, anxiety, and workplace loneliness

The present research investigates the crucial role of "Transformational Leadership (TFL)" on employees' "anxiety", "personal stress", and "workplace loneliness", and finally on employees' "burnout". Moreover, this survey investigates the moderating role of "HRM practices" in the relationship between TFL and burnout. For the needs of the research, "Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM)" was conducted on a sample of 459 Greek "customer-contact employees" based on thirteen hotels during the "COVID-19 pandemic". First, the findings uncover the dynamic of TFL in reducing all three stressors, namely "personal financial stress"; "anxiety"; and "workplace loneliness", thus prohibiting employees' "burnout". Moreover, the study underscores the moderating role of "HRM practices" in strengthening the negative relationship between TFL and "burnout". Overall, the findings provide additional evidence on the process through which "HRM practices" interact with "TFL", "job stressors", and employees' "burnout", a vital knowledge for HRM professionals and hotels' managers.

Examining the Relationship between COVID-19 Related Job Stress and Employees' Turnover Intention with the Moderating Role of Perceived Organizational Support: Evidence from SMEs in China

The outbreak of COVID-19 has exerted an enormous impact on society, enterprises, and individuals. It has affected the work attitudes and psychology of employees to a certain extent and their job stress (JS) has also augmented accordingly, leading to increased turnover intention (TI). With the survey responses of 720 employees of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in China as the sample, we studied the impact of COVID-19 related JS and TI with the moderating effect of perceived organizational support (POS). We utilized linear and multiple regression analysis using Windows SPSS 25. The research findings indicated that the JS caused by COVID-19 in the first affected region (Hubei) was significantly stronger than that in other regions (non-Hubei). JS had a significant positive relationship with employees’ TI, while POS had a significant negative connection with employees’ TI. We also identified that POS weakened the positive association between JS and employees’ TI. These findings are expected to be conducive to and conductive for the upcoming theoretical and empirical investigations as the founding guidelines, as well as for managers in formulating effective policies to curb JS, which would ultimately be helpful in reducing TI.

Perceived Risk of Job Instability and Unethical Organizational Behaviour Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Role of Family Financial Pressure and Distributive Injustice in the Tourism Industry

The economic disaster precipitated by the pandemic of COVID-19 changed people’s perceptions of ordinary job stability and elevated it to an ultimate high level. To avoid being laid off, employees who are concerned about job stability may engage in unethical activities in the name of their employer. In this study, the influence of job instability on unethical organizational behaviour (UOB) was investigated through the mediating role of family financial pressure and distributive injustice. Perceptions of 830 employees working in hotels (5-star and 4-star) and travel agencies (Category A) were explored and further analyzed using structural equation modelling. The results asserted that family financial pressure and distributive injustice partially mediated the effects of job insecurity on UOB. Important insights on theoretical and practical implications were further deliberated towards the end of this study.

Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Hotel Employees in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana

This study examines the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on hotel employees in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana using the conservation of resource and human relations theories to ascertain the level of impact. Data was collected from 511 hotel employees from 58 hotels using questionnaires. The employees were randomly sampled. Stepwise Regression in Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 16 model was used to run the analysis. Nine independent variables were included in a stepwise regression model. Six came out as significant and explained 51.6% of the variation in the percentage of their salary that staff received during the current COVID-19 pandemic. The remaining 48.4% was explained by other factors such as the years of service and whether the facility shut down during the lockdown. It was further identified that about 80% of the respondents had their salaries reduced, and that work schedules and working hours were altered, particularly during the lockdown and closure of the country’s borders. It is recommended that hotels should network, be more customer-oriented, be health- and safety-focused, frequently update their communication channels, and make digitalisation and human resource development a priority as measures to help the industry in its recovery process.

Modelling the COVID-19 Pandemic Effects on Employees' Health and Performance: A PLS-SEM Mediation Approach

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in the imposition of certain changes in the management of organizations and in the behavior and actions of employees. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of COVID-19 pandemic effects on employees’ health and mental well-being, as well as on their working performance. Moreover, the paper aims to highlight whether health- and work-related stress factors mediate the above relations. For the purpose of data collection, a structured questionnaire was used. The first results of the study showed that the pandemic effects felt by employees did not directly affect their mental and physical well-being. On the other hand, the COVID-19 pandemic effects felt by employees affected their general work performance. The findings of the study may provide a useful perspective for organizations and their employees in order to adopt the most effective measures to minimize the effects generated by the pandemic.

COVID-19 Pandemic Implications for Corporate Sustainability and Society: A Literature Review

The paper revises the ample empirical and theoretical literature on sustainable organizational growth and strategic leadership relating to the critical aspects of the ongoing pandemic, including poverty, social responsibility, public health, and organizational and managerial innovation. Drawing from available COVID-19, management, and sustainable leadership publications released from 2020 to 2021, this paper considers influential studies exploring core business concepts, principles, philosophies, and activities for accelerating, stimulating, and nurturing social and corporate sustainability. The study analyzed the characteristics and interrelation of 133 articles through bibliometric and literature systemization techniques. We shed light on the significant influence COVID-19 has had on financial, operational, and psychological solvency and organizational health to elucidate expectations and implications for businesses worldwide concerning the long-term financial and functional impact of COVID-19. An overview of the relevant studies on the individual, organizational, and external factors relating to novel disease’s relation to sustainability are provided. We emphasize the need for digital transformation following the COVID-19 upheaval and throughout the upcoming years. Some of the generally employed techniques in response to adversity entail portfolio diversification, service delivery innovation, product redesigning, new market development, partnering with competitors and/or complementary service providers, synergizing with other stakeholders, and open innovation.

I don't want to be a rule enforcer during the COVID-19 pandemic: Frontline employees' plight

This research explores the pandemic-related experiences of frontline employees (FLEs) relative to customer rule-enforcement interactions within retail and service industries. Using a survey, incorporating closed-ended and CIT questions, we investigated, from the FLEs' perspectives, the occupational stress of rule-enforcement, company expectations of FLEs regarding rule enforcement, and the emotional impact of customer interactions on FLEs. Results indicate that several customer misbehaviors, such as not following rules and being rude, produce significant occupational stress. Further, based on our CIT assessments, many of the FLEs’ recounted rule-enforcement incidents involved negative customer reactions, translating to heightened negativity for FLEs due to emotional contagion.

Determinants of workers' well-being during the COVID-19 outbreak: An exploratory study

Inspired by the Conservation of Resource theory (Hobfoll, 1989), this study investigated the role of a broad set of personal vulnerabilities, social, and work-related stressors and resources as predictors of workers' well-being during the COVID-19 outbreak. Participants were 594 workers in Italy. Results showed that personality predispostions, such as positivity, neuroticism and conscientiousness as well as key aspects of the individuals' relationship with their work (such as job insecurity, type of employment contract or trust in the organization) emerged as factors promoting (or hampering) workers' adjustment during the COVID -19 outbreak. Interactions between stressors and resources were also found and discussed.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12144-021-02408-w.

Praise and recognition from supervisors buffers employee psychological strain: A two-sample investigation with tourism workers

BACKGROUND

Focusing on employees with psychological strain, this research draws on Fredrickson's 'undoing hypothesis' to examine praise and recognition from one's supervisor as an organizational resource.

OBJECTIVE

A model is tested in which psychological strain is a mediator in the positive relationship between role demands and employees' intentions to take sick leave and seek medical advice, and positions supervisor praise and recognition as a buffer of psychological strain on such intentions.

METHODS

The model was tested using two Australian samples in the tourism sector, consisting of motel workers (n = 104) and museum workers (n = 168).

RESULTS

For museum workers, but not motel workers, there was a positive indirect effect of each role demand on sick leave intentions through psychological strain that weakened as a function of supervisor praise and recognition. The proposed moderated mediated model was supported for both samples in regards to intentions to seek medical advice.

CONCLUSIONS

This research contributes new evidence regarding the antecedents of employees' intentions to take sick leave and seek medical advice for work stress-related problems. It also contributes to the limited evidence regarding supervisor praise and recognition as a protective factor for employees exhibiting the symptoms of psychological strain.

Ethical Leadership and Followers' Emotional Exhaustion: Exploring the Roles of Three Types of Emotional Labor toward Leaders in South Korea

Employees' emotional exhaustion caused by their leaders has significant consequences for both individuals and organizations. Identifying the roles of intra-organizational emotional labor is important to prevent employees' emotional exhaustion. This study examined the relationships between ethical leadership, followers' emotional labor toward leaders, and emotional exhaustion using Hobfoll's conservation of resources theory. Data collected from 259 employees working in South Korea were analyzed using regression and SEM. The results indicate that ethical leadership was negatively related to followers' emotional exhaustion. It is demonstrated that ethical leadership has a significant indirect relationship with followers' emotional exhaustion through three types of emotional labor strategies; genuine display, faked display, and suppressed display. Through genuine display and suppressed display, ethical leadership had an indirect and negative relationship with followers' emotional exhaustion, whereas ethical leadership and followers' emotional exhaustion showed a positive indirect relationship through faked display. We discuss the implications and limitations of this research and future research directions.

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Occupational Stress in Restaurant Work: A Qualitative Study

The economic downturn due to the COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately impacted the food service industry-one of the largest workforce sectors in the United States. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the occupational stressors experienced by restaurant and food service workers during the COVID-19 pandemic through a detailed assessment of their lived experiences. Thematic analysis was used to identify patterns within data from sixteen semi-structured interviews with people employed or recently employed in the restaurant industry during July of 2020. Five themes were highlighted including fear of being exposed to the COVID-19 virus while working under inadequate safety policies, job insecurity, inconsistent pay and hours and a lack of health benefits and paid time off, all of which increased occupational stress and led to uncertainty if respondents would return to the restaurant industry. Hardships associated with the pandemic were mitigated by the support and connections fostered by the communities built within the restaurants. Results led to several recommendations to address the social and economic contributors to occupational stress at the structural and population levels which can be used in the current and post-pandemic workplace.

Are airline workers planning career turnover in a post-COVID-19 world? Assessing the impact of risk perception about virus infection and job instability

Airline workers have been suffering risks of job instability and virus infection since the outbreak of COVID-19. This research developed a novel framework explicating airline workers' career turnover decision formation by considering the influence of perceived risks of virus infection and job instability during the COVID-19. A quantitative approach using a survey method was utilized to attain research goals. Our empirical findings revealed that airline image, attitude, and commitment have a significant influence on employee career turnover intention. Both attitude and commitment were identified as essential mediators. In addition, perceived risks of virus infection and job instability significantly moderated the relationships among attitude, commitment, and employee career turnover intention. The effectiveness of the proposed theoretical framework for career turnover intention was demonstrated. Our findings help researchers and entrepreneurs find effectual ways to lower competent workers’ career turnover and raise their approach behaviors in a post-COVID-19 world.

Work Stress Hampering Employee Performance During COVID-19: Is Safety Culture Needed?

During uncertain situations, such as the COVID-19 partial lockdown, maintaining satisfactory levels of employee performance (EP) is an important area of concern for many organizations. The current study examines the relationship of work stress due to COVID-19 (COVID-19 STR) and EP. Using social exchange theory (SET), safety culture (SC) is presented as a moderator for stress and performance relationships. A sample of 213 bank employees was collected using a convenient sampling method. Data were analyzed using stepwise linear regression and PROCESS Macro by Hayes (2013). Results revealed that COVID-19 STR has a negative impact on task and contextual performance (CP) and a positive impact on adaptive performance (AP). Similarly, the prevalence of SC significantly moderates the stress and performance relationships.

How workplace support for the COVID-19 pandemic and personality traits affect changes in employees' affective commitment to the organization and job-related well-being

How do organizational responses to environmental disruptions affect employees' job‐related well‐being? As the COVID‐19 pandemic has led to new ways of working, increased health concerns, and added responsibilities, employees are facing important challenges in doing their work that can affect their job‐related well‐being. This study aims to understand how different types of work support (i.e., perceived organizational support and supervisor accessibility) in response to environmental disruption interact with personality traits (i.e., core self‐evaluations and future focus) to influence changes in employees' affective commitment to their organization and in their job‐related well‐being. We develop a moderated mediation model and test it on data collected from 295 individuals working in the United Kingdom. We find that work support for the COVID‐19 pandemic, both perceived organizational support and supervisor accessibility, is associated with more positive changes in employees' job‐related well‐being and that this effect is mediated by changes in employees' affective commitment to their organization. Furthermore, we find that personality traits moderate the relationships between these two types of support and changes in affective commitment to the organization, with those relationships being more positive for employees with low core self‐evaluations and for those with a high future focus.

Impact of Perceived Organizational Support on OCB in the Time of COVID-19 Pandemic in Hungary: Employee Engagement and Affective Commitment as Mediators

The performance of the employees and productivity of each individual, in general, have been badly affected because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Organizational citizenship behavior is regarded as an interpretation of the performance of the employee which is essential to contribute more to the organization’s processes and success. Therefore, to increase the organizational effectiveness and achieve its goals, it is crucial to understand the factors affecting the organizational citizenship behavior of the employees. This study aims to examine the impact of perceived organizational support on organizational citizenship behavior with the mediating role of employee engagement and affective commitment. To collect the data for this study, a linear snowball sampling method was used, and 380 foreign employees working in different service companies in Hungary participated in the survey. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to test the proposed hypothesis. The results of the study revealed that perceived organizational support positively associated with organizational citizenship behavior and this relationship is also strongly mediated by employee engagement. On the other hand, employee engagement and affective commitment pose a direct positive influence on organizational citizenship behavior. This study has theoretical and practical implications as it will provide a comprehensive framework to better understand the factors influencing the organizational citizenship behavior of the employees.