Social Sustainability and the Employee: Labor, Employment Relations, and the Hospitality Industry

This research monograph delves into the pressing issue of employee-centered social sustainability in the hospitality industry. Through empirical studies and content analysis of CSR reports, it highlights the significant challenges faced by frontline hospitality workers - such as low wages, job insecurity, limited union representation, and employer resistance to unionization.

Offering a thorough, evidence-based examination, the monograph provides a comprehensive analysis of the employee dimension of social sustainability. It explores the critical role of organizational support, the fear of unionizing, and their impact on key outcomes like employee well-being and industry turnover intentions. The work also proposes a tailored framework for addressing employee needs at different stages of their careers, advancing the goal of ＂decent work＂ within the industry.

Ideal for scholars and researchers in workforce studies, hospitality, and tourism, this volume offers valuable insights into the complex dynamics of labor practices and social sustainability. It serves as a vital resource for those seeking to foster employee-centered CSR initiatives. Policymakers, industry professionals, and advocates for improved labor conditions in hospitality will also find this book informative and thought-provoking, with actionable strategies for promoting social responsibility across the sector.

Piotr Zientara is an associate professor of economics at the Faculty of Economics at the University of Gdansk, Poland. His research interests include Corporate Social Responsibility, environmental management and Human Resource Management in hospitality and tourism. He has published in International Journal of Hospitality Management, Journal of Travel Research, Journal of Sustainable Tourism, Tourism Management, British Journal of Industrial Relations, and Journal of Business Ethics. He also authored or co-authored several chapters that were included in monographs edited by leading scholars in the field and published by Routledge and other renowned publishing houses.

Joanna Adamska is an assistant professor at the Faculty of Economics of the University of Gdansk. Her research focuses on the social aspects of sustainable development, exploring social and civic crowdfunding, and delving into the social dimension of ESG considerations. She is an author and co-author of research papers published, inter alia, in the International Journal of Hospitality Management, Journal of Sustainable Tourism, Electronic Markets, Environment, Development & Sustainability, and Economics & Sociology.

Monika Bąk is an associate professor of economics at the Faculty of Economics at the University of Gdansk, the Head of the Department of Transport Economics. She is a social scientist with research interests in transport and mobility, tourism and economic transformation in the Central and Eastern European countries. Her area of expertise covers social, economic and environmental aspects of sustainability from a micro and macroeconomic perspective. She has participated in international research projects within EU Framework Programme and leaded some projects for the European Commission and the European Parliament. She has published, inter alia, in Tourism Management, International Journal of Hospitality Management, Journal of Travel Research, Journal of Sustainable Tourism, and International Journal of Tourism Cities.