The effects of corporate social responsibility (CSR) on employee well-being in the hospitality industry

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine hotel industry employees’ perceptions of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and the influence of these perceptions on their quality of working life (QWL), job satisfaction and overall quality of life. By applying need satisfaction theory and bottom–up spillover theory, the study hypothesizes that employees’ overall quality of life is affected by QWL and job satisfaction. CSR serves as an antecedent to the hypothesis. Design/methodology/approach: The target population for this study consisted of hotel industry employees working for companies in which CSR practices are conducted. The data collection method involved distributing a survey questionnaire. Using a sample drawn from employees in upscale hotels in South Korea, 442 usable responses were analyzed using a SEM approach. Findings: The results revealed that philanthropic and economic CSR positively affected QWL, while legal and ethical CSR did not affect QWL. The study also confirms the need satisfaction theory, which suggests that employees’ QWL and job satisfaction affect their overall quality of life. Originality/value: Despite the importance of CSR perception, most of the previous studies in this area have examined company and customer perspectives, while only limited research has examined employees’ CSR perceptions. The results of this research enrich knowledge of the outcome of CSR from the employee perspective. Information about employees’ perceptions of CSR activities is valuable for hotel management as it is the employees who turn CSR statements to actions.