Hospitality employment 2033: A backcasting perspective (invited paper for ‘luminaries’ special issue of International Journal of Hospitality Management)

Abstract

Work in hospitality remain a persistent blemish with respect to one of the world's fast growing economic sectors. Issues are represented across a wide spectrum of indicators and have not changed, in substance, since George Orwell's challenging musings about the social value of such work in 1933. In this paper, we assess the extent to which change can be evidenced with respect to hospitality employment. We employ backcasting methodologies to delineate where hospitality employment should be by 2033. Finally, we map the steps that will be required to get there and, to achieve this, attribute responsibility to key players.

Applying sustainable employment principles in the tourism industry: righting human rights wrongs?

“…Discourse relating to employment in the tourism industry is underpinned by a cacophony of contradictions or paradoxes, of which interpretations are contingent on stakeholder perspectives that are both ideologically and practically framed. Inter-alia, all or some of location, political climate, economic context, socio-cultural values, industry sector, business size and ownership, location within the formal or informal economy, composition of the workforce and the working roles of individual actors, all of which feed into an employment environment that is diverse as it is fragmented (Baum, 2018;2019). Such paradoxes are rife within tourism in general and specifically emerge with reference to employment (Iverson, 2000;Furunes, 2005;Sandoff, 2005).…”

“…There is little evidence that, across the global piece, working conditions, job quality and remuneration in tourism are improving in line with the growth of the industry and, indeed, when the very substantial informal sector is taken into consideration, it is arguable that, in some respects they are deteriorating. There is also an evident failure to address workplace, job quality and skills issues alongside the planning and development of tourism facilities, infrastructure and markets at a destination or national level (Baum, 2018;Baum, 2019). Tourism is certainly far from delivering the ILO's notion of decent work (ILO, 2012) and taking aboard guidance provided by Article 8 of the UN's 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development which advocates "full and productive employment and decent work for all" (United Nations, 2015).…”

“…There has been little evidence of significant change to this bleak assessment over time (Baum, 2015;2019). Many areas of tourism in both developed and less developed countries include work which remains poorly paid, and lacking in social respect and value (see, for example, De Beer, Rogerson, and Rogerson, 2014); hostile to workplace organisation (Bergene, Boluk, and Buckley, 2015); or is located in an environment where employer practice flies in the face of both legal and ethical standards and expectations (Poulston, 2008;The Guardian, 2016).…”

“…In summary, then, there is ample evidence that tourism can (but by no means always will) include  Work that is poorly paid relative to other sectors in the economy, frequently at levels that are unsustainable in the informal economy and below the legal threshold in countries where a minimum wage level applies  Work in challenging and physically demanding conditions (hot, noisy, unsanitary) where there is limited regard to health and safety considerations  Work that is located remote from major centres of population, requiring employees to live away from home or to relocate to remote areas  Work that is subject to the effects of stochastic demand due to seasonality and uneven demand during the day/ week/  Work that demands delivery of services at times when the majority of the population are at leisure (evenings, weekends, holiday periods)  Work that is segregational and discriminatory against opportunity on the basis of gender, ethnicity, age and disability  Work that is demeaning and degrading in conditions of slavery and/ or sexual exploitation Advocacy for improvements in working conditions within tourism is not new and has been led by the ILO's decent work agenda (Boardman et al, 2015;Baum, 2019). Such acknowledgement is also the focus of the UN in the eighth of its sustainable development goals (United Nations, 2015).…”

The Mediating Roles of Psychological Autonomy, Competence and Relatedness on Work-Life Balance and Well-Being

“…The hospitality industry is a labor-intensive environment that operates 365 days a year and around the clock and requires working hours that sometimes exceed the 40 h/week standard for full-time employment for the production of services. Such a working environment is highly problematic because employees must deal with a precarious and exploitative work environment, a low salary, anti-social working hours, and poor social status, all of which prevent them from balancing work, family duties, and other elements necessary for their well-being (Baum, 2019). Consequently, the working conditions within the hospitality industry make it impossible for employees to benefit from satisfactory levels of psychological needs, such as an increase in psychological well-being and a proper work-life balance (Haider et al, 2018).…”