Decent work in hospitality: scale development and validation

Abstract

Decent work is a construct of growing interest in the hospitality sector. It is an important component of employee-focused, micro-level corporate social responsibility and a key element of a sustainable tourism agenda. In this study, we identify the domain and dimensions of this construct, merging objective and measurable work variables with the conditions of the tourism environment and job market, according to workers’ perceptions. This approach improves on previous aggregate perspectives that use applied and academic secondary information sources. Subsequently, a multidimensional, efficient measurement instrument of decent work in the hospitality sector is developed, identifying eight factors and demonstrating reliable and valid scores. The exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses show a good fit for the model. Interestingly, there are some factors that stand out as key features, such as an adequate income, stability and security in employment, issues related to health and safety at work as well as lifelong learning and professional development managed under equal opportunity conditions.

Keywords:

• Decent work
• hospitality
• micro social responsibility
• scale development
• employment quality
• sustainable tourism

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Francisco J. García-Rodríguez is currently Senior Lecturer at the Faculty of Tourism, Business and Economics at University of La Laguna (Spain) and main researcher of the research group Business and Society. His current line of research includes the strategic analysis of firms from the perspective of social responsibility. He has worked as management consultant and project manager for different tourism organizations.

Yaiza Armas-Cruz is currently PhD in Business Management at the Department of Business Management and Economic History at the University of La Laguna (Spain). Her research is primarily in the area of corporate social and environmental strategies, specially focused in tourism.

Manuel González-De-la-Rosa is currently Lecturer at the Faculty of Tourism, Business and Economics at University of La Laguna (Spain). His research interests include workforce in tourism, business management, marketing, inventory systems and supply chain management in tourist sector. He has participated in several national and international research projects in tourism.

Additional information

Funding

The authors would like to express their gratitude for the Fundación Cajacanarias (Canary Islands, Spain, Grant ID number 2016TUR14) for supporting the research.