A Multigroup Analysis of Bidirectional Work-Family Enrichment on Family Satisfaction of Hospitality Employees during the Pandemic: Where Religiosity and Marital Status Matter

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed our lives. As many industries face a complete stand-still, it also highlights the need to maintain family satisfaction (FS) during this challenging time, empirical research on achieving this remains scant. This study elucidates how marital status influences employees’ religiosity, work-family enrichment (WFE) and FS. Data from 295 employees was examined using the analyzed using the partial least squares method structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) multigroup analysis. Results suggest that religiosity has a positive significant relationship on the bidirectionality of WFE. The multigroup analysis indicates a significant difference in how single and married employees interpret work-family experience. We extend family-work interfaces by incorporating both the construct of marital status and religiosity. It advances the body of knowledge in understanding work-family interfaces, especially in times of the pandemic.

Keywords:

• COVID-19
• work-family enrichment
• religiosity
• family satisfaction
• PLS-SEM

Data Availability Statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

Conflict of Interest

The authors report there are no competing interests to declare.

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.

Author Notes

Kim-Lim Tan is a lecturer at the JCUS Business School, James Cook University Singapore. His research interests lie primarily in contemporary issues such as on future of work, employee attitudes, and employee behaviours. He also investigates consumer behaviour across different contexts such as technology adoption, hospitality, and tourism.

Adriel K.S. Sim is a Senior Lecturer at the Faculty of Business, Curtin University Malaysia. He has published extensively in his areas of research i.e. human resource development, work-life balance, gender studies, project management and psychological capital.

Ivy S.H. Hii is an Assistant Professor at BNU-HKBU United International College. Her research interests lie in the broad fields of behavioral studies, such as consumer behavior and financial behavior.

Rita Pidani is currently a lecturer in the University of Newcastle’s wholly-owned entity, the Newcastle Australia Institute of Higher Education. Her research interests include digital transformation and innovation-based pandemic prevention. She is particularly interested in how nations innovate to combat Covid and its variants and how to navigate the ambiguity of a digital transformation.

Thomas Donohue is currently a lecturer in the College of Human and Social Futures at the Newcastle Business School. His teaching and research interests are in marketing, entrepreneurship and decision making.