COVID-19-Induced Redundancy and Socio-Psychological Well-Being of Tourism Employees: Implications for Organizational Recovery in a Resource-Scarce Context

• Published in: Journal of travel research Vol. 62; no. 1; pp. 55 - 74
• Main Authors: Kimbu, Albert N., Adam, Issahaku, Dayour, Frederick, de Jong, Anna
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01-01-2023; SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC
• Subjects: COVID-19; Empirical s; Employee attitude; Psychological aspects; Redundancy; Regression analysis; Tourism; Ghana; COVID-19; post-pandemic recovery; sub-Saharan Africa; employee redundancy; social and psychological well-being
• ISSN: 0047-2875; 1552-6763
• DOI: 10.1177/00472875211054571

Drawing on social and psychological well-being literature underpinned by the concept of resilience, this study examines the impact of COVID-19 induced redundancy on the socio-psychological well-being of redundant employees (laid-off or working reduced hours), and its effect on their commitment to work and support recovery in the tourism industry. Utilizing a quantitative-dominant mixed methods design, 457 questionnaires were administered, and 15 interviews conducted with redundant employees in Ghana between May and August 2020. Results from a binary logistic regression analysis of the survey data supported by qualitative interview analysis indicate that marital status, education, status of dependents, and the types of tourism businesses employed in, significantly influenced psychological well-being while marital status, age, education, and rank in the organization influenced the social well-being of respondents. Meanwhile, psychological well-being significantly influenced future work commitment in the industry. Managerial implications for supporting employee resilience, well-being, and future recovery strategies are critically examined.