Preparing for the “black swan”: Reducing employee burnout in the hospitality sector through ethical leadership

Abstract

Hospitality is at a crossroads. While the growth and developmental indicators in this sector show economic potential, the rising employee burnout rate is a serious challenge to hospitality management. Literature suggests that an ethical leader can reduce employee burnout significantly. Although hospitality employees face a higher risk of burnout than other service segments, shockingly, past leadership studies did not focus on how ethical leaders in a hospitality organization may reduce the risk of burnout. Therefore, we conducted this research to explore ethical leadership-burnout relationships in the hospitality sector with the mediating effects of subjective wellbeing and employee resilience. A questionnaire was provided to employees in different hotel organizations (n = 346). Structural equation modeling was employed for hypothesis testing. The statistical evidence supported the theoretical assumptions that ethical leadership negatively predicts employee burnout, and subjective wellbeing and resilience mediate this relationship. The outcomes of this study suggest different theoretical and social implications. For example, the findings indicate the effectiveness of ethical leadership in reducing employee burnout in the hospitality sector. Several other implications have been discussed in detail.

From Fine Dining to Profound Connections: Joaquin Chavez Delves into the Psychology of Hospitality on the Come Teach It Podcast

“…This approach aligns with recent scholarship on leadership and management, emphasizing the value of recognizing and cultivating leadership skills within individuals. By creating an environment where people feel valued, respected, and motivated, whether in a restaurant or a classroom, organizations can enhance team dynamics and overall satisfaction [4].…”

Personal and organizational factors impacting burnout syndrome among hotel employees: A bibliometric and content analysis

“…Not only is there a significant rate of occupational burnout, but there is also a growing trend of burnout among hospitality employees (Yin et al, 2022). Employees suffering from burnout syndrome have a negative impact on overall organizational results, as well as consumer satisfaction and loyalty (Ali et al, 2022). As a result, the hospitality industry's primary goal is to eliminate or at least reduce occupational burnout among employees (Cheng & O-Yang, 2018; Dai et al, 2021).…”

“…Burnout refers to an individual's mentally and emotionally depleted state as a result of chronic interpersonal workplace stresses (Maslach et al, 2001). The key job and organizational attributes that contribute to burnout are: hard working conditions, less job recognition (Freudenberger, 1977), work overload, lack of control, insufficient rewards, absence of fairness, conflicting values (Maslach & Leiter, 1997), unclear goals and roles, bureaucratic organizational structure, unclear and unsupportive communication (Maslach, 1982), restrictive rules and procedures, poor management (Nápoles, 2022), as well as blurred job nature and more diverse work responsibilities (Ali et al, 2022). As a result, burnout is defined as a job-related psychological syndrome induced by long-term uncontrolled and unresolved stress at work (Khammissa et al, 2022).…”