Antecedents and Consequences of Work Engagement Among Frontline Employees in Turkish Hotels

Frontline service employees in the hospitality and tourism sector have a key role in creating high-quality customer service. This research considers potential antecedents and consequences of work engagement in a sample of 549 frontline service employees working in 15 top quality hotels in Turkey, a 59% response rate. Respondents completed anonymous questionnaires. Respondents reported lower levels of work engagement compared to normative data reflecting the way that frontline service work has been portrayed (low pay, long hours, and autocratic supervision). Personal demographic characteristics (e.g., age, gender, level of education) and work situation characteristics (e.g., job tenure, size of property) were weakly and inconsistently related to levels of work engagement. Consistent with previous studies, work engagement was significantly related to job satisfaction, employee use of voice behavior, intent to stay, and lower levels of work-family and family work conflict Practical implications and practical suggestions for enhancing levels of work engagement are offered.