Journal of Human Resources in Hospitality & Tourism, 8:119–136, 2009 Copyright © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC ISSN: 1533-2845 print / 1533-2853 online DOI: 10.1080/15332840802269643
Understanding and Reducing Work-Family Conflict in the Hospitality Industry
VINCENT P. MAGNINI
Department of Hospitality Management, Virginia Tech University, Blacksburg, VA
Due the nature of the industry, hospitality workers often face workfamily conflict (WFC) issues. If not managed properly, WFC can produce many detrimental consequences, including decreased employee performance, job dissatisfaction, lateness, absenteeism, and high turnover. This article synthesizes pertinent WFC literature and explicates a series of measures for reducing WFC in hospitality firms. Future research directions are also identified. KEYWORDS Hospitality management, hotel management, hotel human resources, work-family conflict
INTRODUCTION
The two most important facets of most adults’ lives—family and work—often clash. Work-family conflict (WFC) refers to the degree to which the demands of one role make it difficult to fill the demands of the other role (Greenhaus & Beutell, 1985). In other words, as an individual’s situational stressors within a domain increase (e.g., in the family domain), conflict surfaces as one domain begins to interfere with the other (e.g., in the work domain) (Skitmore & Ahmad, 2003). Work-family conflict is a serious human resources issue. USA Today reports that 32% of employees indicated that balancing work and family demands was their leading job-related concern (Armour, 2002). WFC is on the rise in the United States for a number of reasons: First, the number of dual-career couples is increasing. In 1980 about half of women with children worked outside the home, but this number rose to 70% by 1999 (Oglesby, 2001). Second, the conflict between work and family roles is increasing because a larger percentage of single parents are present in the workforce. For
Vincent P. Magnini,... [continues]
Understanding and Reducing Work-Family Conflict in the Hospitality Industry
VINCENT P. MAGNINI
Department of Hospitality Management, Virginia Tech University, Blacksburg, VA
Due the nature of the industry, hospitality workers often face workfamily conflict (WFC) issues. If not managed properly, WFC can produce many detrimental consequences, including decreased employee performance, job dissatisfaction, lateness, absenteeism, and high turnover. This article synthesizes pertinent WFC literature and explicates a series of measures for reducing WFC in hospitality firms. Future research directions are also identified. KEYWORDS Hospitality management, hotel management, hotel human resources, work-family conflict
INTRODUCTION
The two most important facets of most adults’ lives—family and work—often clash. Work-family conflict (WFC) refers to the degree to which the demands of one role make it difficult to fill the demands of the other role (Greenhaus & Beutell, 1985). In other words, as an individual’s situational stressors within a domain increase (e.g., in the family domain), conflict surfaces as one domain begins to interfere with the other (e.g., in the work domain) (Skitmore & Ahmad, 2003). Work-family conflict is a serious human resources issue. USA Today reports that 32% of employees indicated that balancing work and family demands was their leading job-related concern (Armour, 2002). WFC is on the rise in the United States for a number of reasons: First, the number of dual-career couples is increasing. In 1980 about half of women with children worked outside the home, but this number rose to 70% by 1999 (Oglesby, 2001). Second, the conflict between work and family roles is increasing because a larger percentage of single parents are present in the workforce. For
Vincent P. Magnini,... [continues]
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