Development and initial validation of a hospitality employees’ job satisfaction index: Evidence from Australia

Purpose – The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a self-reporting tool: the hospitality employee’ satisfaction index. Design/methodology/approach – The 15-item instrument presented in this study was developed through an examination of the extant literature and seven focus groups representing the hospitality industry. The instrument was piloted online with 1,000 hospitality employees, refined and then distributed online to 9,000 hospitality employees. Findings – Factor analysis extracted three factors (career advancement, control and variety and relationships), and reliability analysis (Cronbach’s alpha) indicated high internal consistency. A stepwise multiple regression revealed that the control and variety factor related most strongly to overall job satisfaction, followed by relationships and career advancement factors, confirming that in the context of the hospitality industry, these factors were important in the measurement of job satisfaction. Control and variety was significantly related to the intention to stay in the job, and career advancement and control and variety were related to the intention to stay in the hospitality industry. Research limitations/implications – The data were gathered in Australia and were tested nationally to support the robustness of the instrument. Therefore, the hospitality industry can use this instrument as a generic index to evaluate the job satisfaction levels of employees. Originality/value – This specifically designed hospitality job satisfaction instrument can be used to evaluate the job satisfaction of employees at all levels and can be used in the development of a benchmark. This index is the first of its kind to be tested in the broader hospitality context, including accommodation, restaurants, coffee shops, fast food, clubs, hotels, convention, sporting venues, catering and institutional catering.