Depletion of psychological, financial, and social resources in the hospitality sector during the pandemic

Qasim Ali Nisar; Shahbaz Haider; Faizan Ali; Shumaila Naz; Kisang Ryu

doi:10.1016/j.ijhm.2020.102794

Depletion of psychological, financial, and social resources in the hospitality sector during the pandemic

Int J Hosp Manag. 2021 Feb:93:102794. doi: 10.1016/j.ijhm.2020.102794. Epub 2020 Dec 14.

Authors

Qasim Ali Nisar¹, Shahbaz Haider², Faizan Ali³, Shumaila Naz¹, Kisang Ryu⁴

Affiliations

¹ Faculty of Business and Management Sciences, The Superior College, Lahore, Pakistan.
² School of Business Management, University Utara Malaysia, Sintok, Malaysia.
³ School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, University of South Florida, Sarasota, FL, 34243, United States.
⁴ College of Hospitality and Tourism Management, Sejong University, South Korea.

Abstract

This study details how psychological, financial, and social factors shape employee deviant interpersonal behaviors during a pandemic. Data were collected with a survey of 372 front-line employees of hotels and analyzed with PLS-SEM. The findings showed social disconnectedness and perceived risk of unemployment leads to perceived isolation, which further creates depression in employees. The findings also showed that depression is positively related to employee deviance. Financial strain is a major cause of perceived isolation, depression, and deviant behaviors among front-line employees. Results also proved that social support reduces fear of isolation, depression, and employee deviance. This study provides guidelines that hotels need to understand the psychological stance of employees and design policies to overcome employee perceived fears and psychological disorders.

Keywords: Depression; Deviant interpersonal behavior; Financial strain; Perceived risk of unemployment; Social disconnectedness; Social isolation; Social support.