Work-life balance in tourism

Yvonne Farmer: In my master's thesis, I deal with the work-life balance (WLB) of employees in tourism. The question is: How does the attribution of meaning to WLB intensify among tourism employees in the course of their life experiences?

The relevance of this study arises from the precarious working conditions in the tourism industry. Inadequate working hours, low stability and insecure contracts make it difficult to balance work and private life and lead to high employee turnover in the industry. At the same time, satisfied employees are crucial to the company's success, as their commitment, motivation and passion have a significant impact on service quality. A balanced WLB is therefore seen as an important strategy for retaining employees in the long term, creating a better working environment and promoting employee well-being. Especially since the Covid-19 pandemic, research on WLB in tourism has increased significantly, which further underlines the relevance of the topic.

Yvonne Farmer: Framing theory, which was established in the social sciences by Goffman in 1974, describes how individuals construct perception and meaning and how this influences their evaluations and decisions. A distinction is made between frames and framing: frames are mental templates that simplify complex information from the environment. Framing, on the other hand, is the dynamic process of social meaning construction based on existing frames.

In my work, framing is used to understand the processual development of the attribution of meaning to WLB at the individual level. Furthermore, the frame amplification technique is used as an analytical tool to illustrate intensification in order to show how life experiences and values reinforce the meaning of WLB in tourism. In the interviews, the intensification becomes visible through contrasts, repetitions, metaphors and emotions.

Yvonne Farmer: My research shows that the attribution of meaning to WLB for employees in tourism is a process that develops and intensifies along individual life experiences. Three phases can be identified:

1st phase: Sensitization to the importance of WLB
Certain turning points such as relocation, personal maturation processes (career entry, increasing age), family and partnership, loss events or pandemic experiences lead to employees consciously realizing the importance of a balanced WLB for the first time.

Phase 2: Stabilization of values regarding WLB
These experiences consolidate core values such as self-determination, social participation and relationships, physical and mental well-being, self-care, recognition and support.

3rd phase: Integration of the WLB into job-related decisions
The values ultimately guide actions and influence career decisions, for example in the form of industry changes or the conscious selection of employers that enable a balanced WLB.

The process shows: The attribution of WLB meaning is not a static concept, but a dynamic process that shapes the professional orientation and decisions of employees in tourism.

The work shows that the turning points in the lives of employees are decisive for the beginning of the attribution of meaning to WLB. Tourism companies should actively recognize these turning points and react early with situation-adapted support offers, e.g. through flexible working time models or special arrangements in special life situations.

In addition, there are value-oriented recommendations for action in which the measures are based on the values:

Social participation:

• Days off for private milestones
• Take individual preferred dates into account when planning shifts
• Shared days off for couples or friends in the same company
• Support in reconciling family and work (e.g. special leave, childcare)

Self-determination:

• Flexible working time models (e.g. flexitime, home office, right to have a say in duty rosters)
• Provide employers with targeted training to enable flexibility and participation in tourism
• Individual career and task agreements
• Opportunity to actively help shape work processes
• Provide a quota of flexible days

Self-care:

• Encourage active leisure activities (e.g. paid weekly hour for a walk, yoga, massage)
• Connected days off for regeneration
• Raise awareness of the conscious use of breaks and free time
• Compliance with rest periods
• Attractive retreat areas

Mental & physical well-being:

• Monthly workshops on stress and overload prevention (e.g. duty rosters with sufficient recovery times, avoidance of double shifts and critical shift sequences, good staff deployment planning to avoid overload)
• Relaxation and health offers (e.g. yoga, meditation, sports programs)
• Promotion of healthy workplace design

Recognition & support:

• Establish an appreciative feedback culture (e.g. regular feedback, small gestures of recognition, team discussions)
• Offer joint activities outside of working hours
• Enable supportive communication via digital tools (e.g. flexible shift swapping)
• Provide collection boxes for thank-you messages and praise in the company
• Strengthen support for the private environment (e.g. information flyers for relatives on typical stresses in tourism, digital information events on roster logic and seasonal stress peaks)

Employers should respond to their employees' turning points and individual values in an empathetic, appreciative and supportive manner. In this way, companies can not only increase satisfaction, but also ensure long-term loyalty and motivation.