A reward mechanism for burnout reduction in family-owned restaurants

Purpose Burnout has been a hidden cause affecting well-being, work capacity and job turnover in various service industries. Many hospitality service industries, including family-owned restaurants, are trying to find an effective mechanism for burnout reduction that can revive their workforce's energy to work and serve their customers continuously. To solve this issue, this research proposes a reward mechanism for burnout reduction, aiming to examine the links between rewards (intrinsic and extrinsic rewards), stress, motivation, satisfaction and workers' burnout. Design/methodology/approach 500 questionnaires were distributed to survey workers in family-owned restaurants located in tourist areas of Thailand. With 335 valid responses, a path analysis method was applied to analyze these data. Findings This research found that intrinsic and extrinsic rewards significantly influenced workers' motivation. Meanwhile, work motivation and intrinsic and extrinsic rewards significantly influence workers' stress. Then, job stress and work motivation significantly influenced workers' satisfaction. Moreover, stress and satisfaction, except for work motivation, showed significant associations with workers' burnout in family-owned restaurants. Finally, this research found that job satisfaction acted as the mediator between work motivation and burnout. Originality/value This research offers a reward mechanism for burnout reduction, which helps entrepreneurs and HR managers to apply intrinsic and extrinsic rewards as incentives, promoting positive work attitudes so that it can minimize burnout in family-owned restaurants.