Who cares about single childless employees in the hotel industry? Creating a workplace culture beyond family-friendly

Abstract

Although numerous studies have explored work–family issues, few have focused on the work–nonwork problems faced by single childless employees. Drawing on theories of social role and social information processing, this study developed a multilevel model to investigate how the hotel-level social inclusion of a singles-friendly culture influenced single childless employees’ work–personal conflicts at the individual level. We conducted a multi-source field study with data collected from 639 single childless employees and their direct supervisors in 29 full-service hotels in China. The results demonstrate that a socially inclusive culture improves employees’ job performance and leisure satisfaction by reducing their work-to-personal conflict. This study provides a comprehensive picture of employees’ interrole conflicts by considering their personal roles. The findings offer insights for managers seeking to create a supportive environment for single childless employees, a group that represents a growing segment of the labor force in the hotel industry.