Employer attitudes on hiring employees with disabilities in the leisure and hospitality industry

Abstract

PurposeThis paper seeks to analyze government survey data on what concerns leisure and hospitality employers most when considering hiring people with disabilities, as well as what hiring practices best alleviate these concerns. Special attention is to be given to the theory of planned behavior in these aims.Design/methodology/approachUS government survey data of leisure and hospitality employers' perspectives were disaggregated and examined using F‐, T‐, and Z‐tests.FindingsEmployee abilities and workplace accommodations raised substantial concerns, while financial incentives and practices addressing workplace attitudes were seen as especially helpful solutions. Employer concerns toward hiring varied significantly by employer size, with employers with more workers being more likely to hire those with disabilities than those with fewer workers.Research limitations/implicationsFuture research should work to overcome limitations inherent in the source data used by further disaggregating business types within the leisure and hospitality industry, and to examine how socio‐demographic factors impact employer perceptions.Originality/valueThis is the first study to statistically test and apply the theory of planned behavior to the most recent nationally representative and randomized survey data of leisure and hospitality employer perceptions on hiring people with disabilities.

On the treatment of persons with disabilities in organizations: A review and research agenda

“…They found employers had concerns about the job qualifications and performance potential of persons with disabilities, the costs associated with such hiring, and possible reactions of other stakeholders. Some employers were concerned about “headaches” (Lengnick‐Hall et al, ) such as more frequent absences or higher government scrutiny associated with hiring persons with disabilities, which increased their fear of discrimination litigation (Jasper & Waldhart, ; Kaye et al, ). A qualitative study of Taiwanese employers by Huang and Chen () found the perceived need for accommodations and extra training and supervision also decreased managers' perceptions of promotability for employees with disabilities.…”

Actitudes de los gerentes de los alojamientos rurales hacia el desarrollo de un turismo sostenible

“…El primer concepto, las actitudes, está constituido a partir de las creencias que posee un individuo acerca de las consecuencias de realizar una determinada conducta, y por la evaluación realizada por el sujeto sobre el resultado de dicha acción. Dichas actitudes determinan las intenciones de las personas a adoptar comportamientos responsables, e.g., la intención de visitar un hotel sostenible (Han, Shu y Sheu, 2010; Han y Kim, 2010; Teng, Wu y Liu, 2015); del directivo empresarial hacia la adopción de medidas responsables dirigidas a incrementar la satisfacción de sus grupos de interés (Plaza et al, 2012); la implementación de comportamientos responsables o medidas concretas tales como la contratación de personas con discapacidad (Jasper y Waldhart, 2013), o la adopción de prácticas medioambientales en su establecimiento (Uhlaner et al, 2012;Yacob y Moorthy, 2012;Yacob et al, 2013), entre otras.…”

“…Por tanto, es razonable considerar el papel de las NUSB como antecedente de la IC del individuo, esto es, la influencia social que ejerce el entorno del individuo (e.g., amigos, familiares, compañeros, etc.) sobre la realización de una conducta (Chou, Chen y Wang, 2012;Hong Tan, 2013;Jasper y Waldhart, 2013;Uhlaner et al, 2012;Yacob y Moorthy, 2012;Yacob et al, 2013;Zientara, Kujawski y Bohdanowicz, 2015 El tercer constructo, el CCP se refiere a la percepción del individuo de la dificultad o facilidad para desarrollar una conducta o comportamiento (Ajzen, 1991). Se define aquí como la capacidad que el gerente de un alojamiento rural considera que ostenta para desarrollar con éxito unas prácticas socialmente responsables en su establecimiento.…”

“…Se define aquí como la capacidad que el gerente de un alojamiento rural considera que ostenta para desarrollar con éxito unas prácticas socialmente responsables en su establecimiento. A mayor CCP por el individuo, mayor será su IC de adoptar o implantar una conducta o un comportamiento real (Chou, Chen y Wang, 2012;Jasper y Waldhart, 2013;Plaza et al, 2012;Uhlaner et al, 2012;Zientara, Kujawski y Bohdanowicz, 2015). Hong Tan (2013) evidencia que a medida que un individuo dispone de unas mayores creencias de control y percibe que cuenta con unos mayores recursos y capacidades para desarrollar el comportamiento, este lo realizará.…”

Exploring the Performance of Hotels’ Websites for Guests With Disabilities: A Content Analysis Approach

“…The majority of the articles related with PwD and the accommodation industry focus on the subject of employment of PwD (Kou and Kalargyrou, 2014;Jasper and Waldhart, 2013;Houtenville and Kalargyrou, 2012;Bengisu and Balta, 2011). A few studies pay attention to the experiences of PwD who visited the establishments providing accommodation services (Poria et al, 2011).…”