Rethinking decent work: the value of dignity in tourism employment

Abstract

This paper focuses on establishing a conceptual grounding for the value of dignity in tourism employment for achieving decent work as part of the sustainable development agenda. Dignity is widely acknowledged as a key driver for 'good' work, but little conceptual grounding on the value of dignity in tourism employment has been established. This paper will contribute to the theoretical debate on sustainable tourism by providing a critical review of frameworks for decent work, workplace dignity (or its absence), and understandings of identity. We will explore how the context and conditions of tourism employment are conducive (or not) for offering dignified and sustainable employment. This paper makes two original contributions to knowledge. First, it introduces a psychosocial understanding of dignity in tourism employment, reflecting its deeply rooted individual, organisational, societal and policy aspects, and recognising the actors involved. Second, the critical importance of dignity in tourism employment for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is discussed, with future research directions identified.

Dynamic capability building and social upgrading in tourism - Potentials and limits of sustainability standards

“…However, for many FTT-certified businesses, it was difficult to run two organisations at the same time, especially because most of the businesses had no prior experience in the NPO sector (Interview 2013, rural backpacker), and they often had to hire additional staff to support them, which was costly. Yet, caring for communities and including SMMEs from previously disadvantaged groups into local value chains was driven by the organisational values of the FTT-certified businesses and resemble Winchenbach et al (2019) findings on how to create meaningful work and quality employment in tourism.…”

“…This paper focuses on sustainability standards and how they can contribute towards better working conditions in tourism. Particularly in the Global South 1 , the tourism sector is often characterized by precarious working conditions with low wages, long hours, exploitation, and job insecurity (De Beer et al, 2013;Ladkin, 2011;Robinson et al, 2019;Winchenbach et al, 2019). The International Labour Organisation (ILO) points out that in tourism "the predominance of on-call, casual, temporary, seasonal, and part-time employment is related to insecurity, comparatively low pay, job instability, limited career opportunity, a high level of subcontracting and outsourcing, and a high turnover rate" (ILO 2010:14).…”

Tourism and the SDGs: An Analysis of Economic Growth, Decent Employment, and Gender Equality in the European Union (2009–2018)

“…It has even been claimed that tourism activity maintains job insecurity, even considering the lack of job security when referring to capitalist economies, widening social divisions and economic inequalities [59]. Lately, the highlighting of the role of dignity in employment has contributed to the theoretical debate on sustainable tourism, generating discussion of this facet in the workplace and causing it to be valued [60]. The roles people and employment play in the concept of sustainability are being discussed, and that they are sometimes overlooked in discussions of tourism has been called into question.…”

Tourism development and sustainable well-being: a Beyond GDP perspective

“…Tourism is notorious for gender pay gaps, low wages, poor working conditions, irregular hours, casual rather than full time jobs, and layoffs in the off season (Mahadevan & Suardi, 2019). More research effort is now being placed on the characteristics of a 'decent job' and tourism's role in providing this (Winchenbach et al, 2019).…”