Creating a safe haven during the crisis: How organizations can achieve deep compliance with COVID-19 safety measures in the hospitality industry

• Published in: International journal of hospitality management Vol. 92; p. 102662
• Main Authors: Hu, Xiaowen, Yan, Hongmin, Casey, Tristan, Wu, Chia-Huei
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01-01-2021; Published by Elsevier Ltd
• Subjects: COVID-19; Crisis strategy; Deep compliance; Management commitment to safety; COVID-19; Deep compliance; Crisis strategy; Management commitment to safety
• ISSN: 0278-4319; 1873-4693
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijhm.2020.102662

•Organizations in the hospitality industry need to ensure safe operation by facilitating employee compliance with COVID-19 safety measures.•A four-stage deep compliance: heightened risk and health awareness, perceived utility value, behavioral adaptation, and integration.•The deep compliance is driven by management safety practices and organization crisis response strategies prioritizing safety and job security.
The COVID-19 health crisis has engendered a set of additional health and safety regulations and procedures (e.g. social distancing) to the hospitality industry. The purpose of this paper is to explore in-depth how organizations can facilitate employees’ deep compliance with these procedures. Employing an instrumental case-study approach, we collected multi-level interview data and archival data in a small-medium sized restaurant in China. The findings reveal that employees’ deep compliance with safety procedures includes a four-stage psychological process, and this process is underpinned by both management safety practices and organizational crisis strategies. As the hospitality industry starts to exit lockdown and ramp up operations, this study offers theoretical and practical insights on how organizations in hospitality can protect the health and safety of their employees and the broader community.