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The number of females working in the hospitality sector has
significantly increased over the past two decades, during which women in
general have achieved much progress in their careers. However, many females are
facing challenges in balancing their time between their careers and families.
Amongst these challenges include long working hours, demanding customers and
stressful work environment, all of which negatively affect their work–family
balance (WFB). Females in general feel frustrated when they are unable to
provide care to their children and families because of their work. This
situation often leads to ‘win-lose’ outcomes and prevents them from achieving
WFB. Previous studies have identified many cases of WFB but have not examined
the issue of marital status from the female perspective. By conducting in-depth
interviews, this study examines how single and married females working in the
hospitality sector perceive the concept of WFB and how they try to achieve such
balance. This study offers some recommendations for HR managers that can help
them improve the productivity of their employees and enhance the
competitiveness of their organizations.
Keywords: Females, Marital Status, Attitudes, Hospitality
Sectors, Work-Family Balance.
INTRODUCTION
WFB
has become a primary social challenge in the current era (Halpern, 2005).
Unfortunately, whether businesses should help their workers balance their time
between work and family is still being debated. Most positions in the
hospitality sector are taken up by females. Despite fulfilling their economic
roles, these women also need some time to provide care to their families and
children. Therefore, these women generally have poor WFB, which reduces their
productivity, increases their turnover rate and negatively affecting their
service quality.
The
hospitality sector has a problem in retaining its employees (Chan et al.,
2018). Many women also choose to leave this sector because of their low pay,
low job satisfaction, poor working environments and lack of motivation. Many
females also quit working their jobs in this sector because of their night
shifts or for other personal reasons. However, previous studies have rarely
examined the topic of WFB from the perspective of females working in
hospitality organisations. The lack of WFB can produce ‘win-lose’ outcomes.
Single and married women also have different needs for WFB, thereby
necessitating a further investigation on this topic. Accordingly, this study
explores the attitudes of these women towards WFB and proposes some suggestions
that can help them achieve such balance. HR practitioners may also benefit from
the findings of this work that can help them improve their extant policies and
increase the productivity of workers in their organisations.
INDUSTRY BACKGROUND
The
casino business in one of largest businesses in Macau and creates many job
opportunities for people at home and abroad. The frontline positions in this
industry, including hoteliers and dealers, are dominated by females who are working
different shifts. Given that gambling is an important business in Macau, this
study examines the attitudes of single and married females working as casino
dealers towards the concept of WFB in hopes of providing insights for HR
practitioners that can help them increase the value of their businesses.
With
the increasingly intense competition amongst casino hotel operators, employing
highly skilled and qualified frontline staff is crucial in achieving visitor
satisfaction and encourages revisit intention. However, the long working hours,
odd shifts and great demands of visitors have made working in the casino
business a tiresome venture. Many female employees even claimed that working
overtime and in different shifts leads to high levels of stress, low commitment
and work withdrawal (Deery & Jago, 2015). Married females also complain
about working in irregular, rotating shifts that greatly lessen their time with
their family and children. Specifically, married females spend less time with
their spouses whilst single females spend less time with their friends and
families. Overall, the job nature of these female workers disrupts their WFB.
Some cases reveal that having a quality WFB can help HR managers retain their
best talents, promote their productivity and transform their new recruits into
valuable assets for the company.
Limited
studies have investigated the expectations of single and married females with
regards to WFB. In Macau, the labor force is mostly composed of females.
Specifically, amongst the 57,757 full-time employees in the country, females
account for 31,854 or approximately 55.2% of all job posts available in the
country, a huge percentage of which can be found in casino hotels (Chan et al.,
2018). Most of these workers earn an average of MOP 18,000 every month.
However, despite this salary, many female workers eventually leave their posts
because of stress, thereby creating challenges related to high turnover,
absenteeism and low productivity for organisations. Many married females working
in this sector have to sacrifice their time with their family while those
single females have to sacrifice their social life and their career drive. To
fill the research gap in this field, this study aims to examine the perceptions
of females casino employees towards WFB, identify the challenges encountered by
female casino dealers in their daily work situations, contrast the perspectives
of single and married females towards WFB and provide some recommendations for
HR practitioners that can help them update their policies to help their
employees achieve WFB.
WFB BACKGROUND
AND CONCEPTUALISATION
WFB
has been well defined in many academic fields (Frone, 2000; Greenhaus &
Allen, 2006; Grzywacz et al., 2005). Many researchers define this concept as
the absence of work-family conflict or the frequency and intensity to which
work interferes with family or vice versa. Clark (2000) defined WFB as the
extent to which individuals are equally engaged in and satisfied with their
work and family roles. Greenhaus & Allen (2006) defined WFB as the extent
to which the effectiveness and satisfaction of an individual in his/her work
and family roles are compatible with his/her life priorities. However, very few
studies, including Greenhaus, Collin & Shaw (2003) suggest that workers
seek ‘equality’ between their work and family lives. Indeed, having meaningful
experiences in both work and family is crucial for each individual (Marks et
al., 2001; Marks & MacDermid, 1996).
Greenhaus
& Allen (2006) argued that WFB over emphasizes the satisfaction of
individuals with their work and family. Although satisfaction within and across
different life domains is important, defining balance in terms of satisfaction
is conceptually problematic. Many problems in WFB can be found in
organisations, families and other contexts where individuals perform their
activities. Frone (2003) defined WFB as the state in which an individual does
not face any conflict or interference between his/her work and family roles.
Over the past two decades, WFB has been conceptualised as an inter-role
phenomenon and as the orientation of an individual across his/her different
roles. WFB also integrates a range of life activities with a special attention
to self and to personal and spiritual development as well as expresses the
unique wishes, interests and values of an individual.
The
definition of WFB considers two components of equality, namely, input and
outcomes. A positive WFB suggests equally high levels of attention, time,
involvement and commitment whilst a negative WFB implies a low level of
attention, time involvement or commitment. These inputs reflect the role
engagement level of an individual in terms of his/her time and psychological
involvement. In other words, an individual with WFB is more engaged in his/her
work role than in his/her family role, especially from the female perspective.
Many
studies suggest that social support can be conceptualised as emotional and
instrumental supports. Social support refers to the behaviors and attitudes of
family members in their daily household activities, such as relieving employees
of their household tasks or accommodating their work requirements. Meanwhile,
emotional support refers to the expression of one’s feelings to enhance the
affect or behavior of others.
Employees
can derive support from different sources in the workplace, including their
supervisors and co-workers (Voydanoff, 1988). These sources of support present
another problem for WFB. Organisations and supervisors need to understand that
the family duties of their employees are positively related to their
satisfaction or WFB. Therefore, they can implement family-friendly policies to
increase the satisfaction and WFB of their employees. Many organisations also
provide work-family benefits to their employees, including job sharing, open
communication, job protection, parental leaves, flexi-time schedules, resources
and services, paid family leaves, dependent care assistance, shorter standard
work weeks, childcare centres, support groups for working parents, day-care
facilities and canteen facilities. Many scholars also suggest that flexible
work arrangements allow individuals to integrate their work and family
responsibilities in time and space and are instrumental in achieving a healthy
WFB.
Although
many studies are gender neutral, they all suggest that the aforementioned
variables have a greater impact on women at work than on men. Females continue
to serve as the primary providers for their families and their children. With
the increasing dominance of women in the workforce (Wan & Chan, 2012), many
studies have begun to focus on WFB and its related problems, including work
stress. However, evidence from female casino dealers working in Macau is
lacking.
GLASS CEILING EFFECT FOR FEMALES WORKING IN THE
CASINO INDUSTRY
Large
pool females engaged in the casino hotel business manger the external
interfaces of work and careers of home and children. Many females working as
casino dealers in Macau work for long hours because their establishments
operate 24/7. Jobs in casinos are generally demanding and the staff may have
limited prospects and a low job security. Working in shifts is considered the
main challenge for workers in this industry that greatly disrupt their family
and social lives. Many females, especially the Chinese, often have
responsibility in both their jobs and families (Tausig & Fenwick, 2001).
Compared with males, females show a lower level of acceptance, a higher chance
of being assigned to shifting schedules and tend to feel sleepy when working in
a risk-exposed environment.
Marital
status may also affect the WFB of female employees. Previous studies show that
married individuals generally exhibit higher quality of life scores and
improved mental and physical health compared with single individuals.
Shifting
schedules may negatively influence marital relationships because of the family
burdens and complementary duties of females. This setup can also influence the
relationship of other non-married couples. Female employees with a
responsibility to care for their families often struggle in separating their
work from their families because the consistent and unpredictable needs of
their children clash with their work schedules (Forster 2000; Santos &
Cabral-Cardoso, 2009). Therefore, many females lack of interest in developing
their career as frontline workers in hotels. Meanwhile, given that some single
females wish to start a family, working in night shifts or irregular working
hours may negatively affect their social life. This study advances the
understanding on the WFB of female frontline casino hotel employees and
contributes to improving the WFB policies and practices of these organisations.
EFFECT
OF MARITAL STATUS ON WFB
In
general, married females are less satisfied with their WFB compared with single
females. Given their inflexible work schedules and they need to look after
their families, these married females often have limited satisfaction with
their WFB. Some researchers find that the role of females in industrial
societies recently went through a significant change (Hannah, 1966; McGee,
1962; Mckee & Sherriffs, 1959; Rossi, 1996). Innes & Sharp (1962)
mentioned that married females have a mental disorder compared with single
females because they have no choice but to work under pressure just for the
sake of earning a living. Moreover, married females are emotionally unstable in
their jobs and tend to face challenges when trying to achieve WFB. Many studies
indicate that women have different ideas regarding the appropriate amount of
time they need to spend at work and with their families (Voydanoff, 1988;
Gutek, Searle & Klepa, 1999; Milkie & Peltola, 1999).
Married
females with children report a substantially lower WFB whilst their single
counterparts have a considerably high level of WFB (Tausig & Fenwick,
2001). The presence or absence of children in the family may explain the
significant differences in the degree of WFB amongst working females.
Therefore, the different expectations of single and married females towards WFB
should be investigated.
DISCUSSION AND RESULTS
Major
Problems Preventing Females from Achieving WFB
This
research adopted a descriptive approach with a qualitative research design. A
total of 30 female frontline employees working in a casino in Macau were
recruited as samples. This sample included a mixture of single and married
females aged between 18 years and 45 years. Most of the interviewees shared
that they need to have equal time between their family and their work and
remarked that having WFB is good for their health and psychological wellbeing.
They also mentioned that they can provide financial support and take care of
their families simultaneously.
Many
of the interviewees identified their shifting schedules and stressful working
environments as major problems that lead to their dissatisfaction with their
WFB. They felt remorse if their children fell ill or if they were unable to
take care of their families because of their irregular working shifts. They
also felt unhappy, stressed and pressured in their jobs because of their long
working hours, high workload and demanding customers and supervisors. Many of
them complained that they have no choice but to take these irregular,
inflexible shifts six days a week. Therefore, their work schedules clearly
affect their personal lives.
Given
that casino dealing is considered an unskilled job, female workers in such
environment have no choice but to tolerate their working conditions. Many of
the interviewees complained about the unfair policies in their workplace and
shared that their needs were often ignored by their organisations. Most of them
were facing a win-lose situation in both their jobs and families.
Meanwhile,
the single female interviewees believed that the income from their casino
dealing can compensate for their poor WFB. These females generally prioritise
their careers over spending more time with their families.
Many
of these interviewees also complained about their poor working environments.
For instance, the patrons of their casinos are allowed to smoke inside their
establishments. These female employees, especially those working in night
shifts, also face sexual harassment from drunken gamblers. They said that the
support of their colleagues and managers can help them increase their job
satisfaction and achieve WFB.
Differences in the Perceptions of
Single and Married Females
Married
employees shared that salary could not compensate for the negative effects of
their work on their WFB. Despite earning an acceptable amount of income, these
employees had to sacrifice their relationships with their spouses or children.
Meanwhile, single employees believed that money can compensate for their poor
WFB. In terms of career expectations, married females wanted to earn a living
to provide an improved quality of life for their children and their families
whilst single females only focus on themselves and have very few commitments.
Married employees also prefer to focus on their families than on their careers
whilst single females only aim for career achievement.
Nevertheless,
both groups agreed that having a friendly environment, teamwork, organisational
support for family, five working days a week and workload adjustment can
improve their WFB.
The interview
results provide some recommendations for both single and married females. Most
of the interviewees thought that having a favorable working environment could
help them achieve WFB. However, many interviewees complained about their
rotating shifts. Organisations should listen to the concerns of their married
female employees and provide them some flexibility in their work to achieve or
maintain their WFB. In this way, these females can earn a living whilst living
a high-quality life. Having friendly work colleagues can help create a friendly
working environment and facilitate teamwork. Meanwhile, having a good work
supervisor can reduce the stress levels of employees. If organisations provide
their employees with flexible schedules (i.e., extended lunch breaks), then
they can promote their WFB. Most of the interviewees also suggested that their
organisations should adjust their present workload and reduce their working
hours. Five working days is recommended for married females and HR managers can
even organise certain activities where their employees can spend time with
their families. Having a supportive work atmosphere where transparency is
practiced and the concerns of all employees are addressed can also lift the
spirits of employees and help them endure physically and mentally demanding
jobs.
Despite long working hours and
poor working conditions, many married females still want to earn a living and
stay loyal to their organisations. If organisations can provide healthy a
working environment for their female employees that can support their families,
then they can promote the job satisfaction of these employees and consequently
improve the quality of their services, thereby leading to a ‘win-win’ situation
for both parties. HR managers must understand the ‘needs and wants’ of their
female employees and try rotating their shifts. They should also ensure that
each of their employees is shouldering an equal amount of workload. If married
females need to take care of their families, then single females can step in
and provide internal support. HR managers can also organise company events and
activities that support their female employees to increase their sense of
belongingness in their organisations.
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