Stressors and Mental Well-Being Among Hospitality Employees During COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

The hospitality and tourism industry has been known for its labor-intensive and stressful work environment. The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has added stress and mental health impacts on the hospitality workforce. Therefore, the objective of this article is to investigate stressors affecting hospitality and tourism employees during the COVID-19 pandemic and their mental well-being. This conceptual paper sets forth a framework based on the tourism and hospitality literature on stressors and mental well-being. From the review of the literature, stressors among hospitality and tourism employees during the COVID-19 pandemic can be divided into financial insecurity, occupational stress, psychological stress as well as stigma. Stressors during the pandemic may prolonged post-pandemic and will affect the mental well-being of employees in the hospitality industry. This study broadens the hospitality management literature on stressors and enables hospitality industry providers to strategize efforts to enhance the mental well-being of employees during the post-pandemic. Future research can take on the coping strategies to reduce the negative impact of stressors on employee’s mental well-being.