Job perceptions of generation Z hotel employees towards working in COVID-19 quarantine hotels: the role of meaningful work

Abstract

Purpose – The COVID-19 pandemic has seen a growing emergence of “quarantine hotels” that provide accommodation to guests who are mandated to self-isolate for 14 days upon entry to a country to prevent the spread of virus. Why are young hotel workers willing to endure the poor working conditions and expose themselves to dangerous COVID-19 workplace environments? Perhaps, the opportunity to participate in meaningful work is the prime motivator for hotel workers who choose to work in quarantine hotels. This study investigated the motivations hotel employees hold towards working in a dangerous hotel workplace. Design / methodology / approach – Using personal interviews, this research explored the antecedents behind Generation Z employees’ (n=42) actual behaviour towards working in quarantine hotels through the lens of the extended TPB model (attitudes, subjective norms, perceived difficulties, and meaningful work). Findings – Results revealed that meaningful work such as making the world safer and going beyond the call of duty was a key motivating factor behind a willingness to work in quarantine hotels. Hotel employees also viewed working in quarantine hotels as exciting but dangerous, and the support from their family nuclei was seen as a key underlying motivator. Originality/value – This is the first paper to examine the Generation Z hotel workers’ motivations to work in quarantine hotels. A key theoretical contribution to the body of knowledge is the extension of the TPB framework with the additional meaningful work variable.

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© 2021 Emerald Publishing Limited

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https://strathprints.strath.ac.uk/75520/