Quarantine Repatriation Program and its Impact on Hotel Employees in Indonesia

Abstract

The Covid-19 pandemic has had a profound and unanticipated impact on the hospitality business globally. In particular, employees who work in quarantine repatriation programs face detrimental challenges during the pandemic, which may result in well-being crises. This study explores employees' fear of Covid-19, mental health, and intention to leave the hotel when the repatriation program was conducted in Indonesia. 82 repatriation hotel employees were examined through an online questionnaire to assess the study framework. This study found that employees' fear of Covid-19 significantly impacted employees' mental health, and mental health strongly affected employees' turnover. However, the turnover intention was not correlated with employees' fear of Covid-19. While only a few studies have been discussed for this program, these findings contribute to tourism and hospitality studies in the context of quarantine repatriation programs provided by the government during pandemics. Hotel managers urgently need to implement sustainable encouragement programs to reduce employee mental health issues to mitigate anxiety, depression, and stress.