Pressure, state and response:configurational analysis of antecedents of hotel employees' career prospect perceptions following the COVID-19 pandemic crisis

ABSTRACT

The unexpected COVID-19 pandemic will reduce the attractiveness of hospitality occupations for a considerable period of time. There is still a lack of research on the combined effects of pressure, state and response with respect to hotel employees ' perceptions of their career prospects as a result of the major public health crisis. This study applied complexity theory and the pressure-state-response (PSR) model to examine the combined and interactive effects of PSR factors on employees' career prospect perceptions by means of fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis(fsQCA). Our sample consisted of employees (N=1090) at star-rated hotels in southeast coastal areas of China. A number of conclusions emerged from this study. First, from an analysis of necessary conditions, hotel employees developed low career prospects in the case of high hotel operation losses, high employee job adjustments, and low income levels. Hotel safety incentives and employee safety participation provided the basic conditions for forming high career prospects.In the particular case of COVID-19 prevention and control in China, employee safety compliance and hotel safety control are necessary conditions with respect to perceptions of high or low career prospects. Second, the sufficient conditions analysis for perceptions of low career prospects yielded four configurations. In terms of pressure factors, hotel operation losses and high employee job adjustments were the main causes of negative prospect perceptions;perceived risk and negative emotion further aggravated such perceptions. With respect to state factors, frontline employees with low incomes and low positions had weak adaptability and flexibility, and they were more likely to have perceptions of low career prospects. Even some older employees who had worked in hotels for a long time had such low perceptions. With regard to response factors, the lack of hotel safety incentives and employee safety participation were the main reasons that led to perceptions of low career prospects. Third, the sufficient conditions analysis for perceptions of high career prospects gave rise to five configurations. Compared with frontline employees, senior managers who worked in higher position, had higher incomes, and with long working years had greater adaptability to the impact of COVID-19, and they had perceptions of higher career prospects. Under the same pandemic pressure factors, higher hotel safety incentives and employee safety participation had a positive effect on perceptions of career prospects. In conclusion, the present study offers the following suggestions for management. First, as a result of COVID-19, it is necessary for hotel managers to consider alleviating and adjusting their employees' work stress;they should reduce the impact of pressure factors related to their employees perceptions of career prospects. Second, to achieve hierarchical control of their employees career prospects, hotel managers need to implement differentiated management for different types of employees. Finally, hotels should create a positive atmosphere of safety with respect to preventing and controlling COVID-19 and enhancing the level of risk response of their staff.