How to promote employees’ deep compliance with COVID-19 safety measures

A case study in the hospitality industry with co-authors Xiaowen Hu, Hongmin Yan, Tristan Casey and Chia-Huei Wu.

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Abstract: 

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. In this session, we present a study exploring in-depth how organizations can facilitate employees’ deep compliance with these procedures and host an interactive discussion. 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. This study offers practical insights on how organizations in hospitality can protect the health and safety of their employees and the broader community. This session is highly relevant for organizations and managers who are interested in finding ways to promote employees’ deep compliance with COVID-19 safety measures. Anyone interested in workplace safety is welcome to attend. The presentation is based on the publication:

Hu, X., Yan, H., Casey, T., & Wu, C. H. (2020). Creating a safe haven during the crisis: How organizations can achieve deep compliance with COVID-19 safety measures in the hospitality industry. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 92, 102662. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2020.102662

About the speakers:

Xiaowen Hu completed her PhD in Management at University of Western Australia and joined QUT Business School in 2017. Her research program focuses on occupational health and safety, employee wellbeing and development. Her work has appeared in high-quality management journals, including Journal of Organizational Behavior, Journal of Vocational Behavior, and International Journal of Human Resource Management. She has also contributed to safety and wellbeing specialist journals such as Safety Science and Social Indicators Research.

Hongmin Yan (Jess) is a PhD student at UQ Business School. She has a bachelor degree in Economics from Fudan University, China, a master degree in Public Administration from University of Delaware, US, and a master degree in International Business from QUT with distinction. Before moving to Australia, Jess has worked at a KPMG as a senior consultant. Jess’s current PhD focuses on the ethical challenges in the service industry and how organisations manage these challenges. Her research interests include leadership, business ethics, and employee performance.

Tristan Casey is a Lecturer at Griffith University’s Safety Science Innovation Lab and co-founder of ‘The Culture Effect’—a collaboration between Griffith and QUT that provides commercial research services to industry. Tristan is an experienced and endorsed Organisational Psychologist with extensive experience in work health and safety. He has an interest in team work, leadership and organizational culture. Tristan teaches into the Graduate Certificate of Safety Leadership and Bachelor of Social Science at Griffith University. Recently, he completed his second doctorate, this time in safety leadership. Tristan is currently working on research around the management of safety amid COVID19, psychological safety, and safety climate.

 Chia-Huei Wu is Professor in Organisational Psychology at the University of Leeds. He is the director of the Workplace Behaviour Research Centre (WBRC) at the Leeds University Business School. His research interests include proactivity at work, work and personality development, and subjective well-being. Chia-Huei has published his work in leading journals, including Academy of Management Journal, Journal of Applied Psychology, and Journal of Management, among others. He is the author of the book, Employee proactivity in organisations: An attachment perspective, and currently serves as an associate editor for Journal of Management.

Please contact Chia-Huei Wu if you have any queries about this event (c.wu4@leeds.ac.uk).