An analysis of the relationship between work engagement, work locus of control, passion, and parasitism in coastal hotels

Abstract

The study explores the relationships among work engagement, work locus of control, passion, and perceived parasitism through the job demands-resources model (JD-R). Data were collected from five-star hotel employees in Cesme, Turkey using a structured questionnaire while the research hypotheses were tested by structural equation modelling. The results revealed that hospitality business employees’ perceived community-directed parasitic relations decreased their work engagement while leading them to have an external work locus of control. In contrast, employees with internal work locus of control felt harmonious passion for their work, which increased work engagement. In addition, internal work locus of control led to harmonious and obsessive passion whereas external work locus of control led to obsessive passion. Regarding engagement, parasitic relations can be prevented, and harmonious passion can be created through the fair behaviours of managers, good assignment by the authorities, and the responsibility of employees. This requires feedback and performance monitoring processes based on objective criteria. Increasing the number of engaged employees which in turn improves business performance may also help reduce workforce turnover, which is a significant issue for hospitality businesses.