Impacts of Employee Empowerment and Organizational Commitment on Workforce Sustainability

Building and maintaining a sustainable workforce in the hospitality sector, where demand for talent consistently exceeds supply across the globe, has only been exacerbated by COVID-19. The need to sustain this workforce behooves the industry to unpack core drivers of employee commitment in order to retain top talent. This paper explores how dimensions of employee empowerment increase organizational commitment and, in turn, reduce turnover intention—leading to a more sustained workforce. Drawing on the results of 346 surveys within the Canadian lodging industry, structural equation modeling was undertaken to examine the influence of empowerment on organizational commitment and organizational commitments influence on turnover intention. Findings suggest that the development of meaning through employee empowerment, particularly when the ideals and standards between workers and their organization are aligned, creates a strong emotional commitment which appears to strongly reduce an employee’s intention to leave. Feelings of emotional connection or duty towards an organization show clear positive relationships with reduced intentions to leave. For an industry struggling with higher-than-average turnover intention and labour costs, focusing on creating work with meaning, and instilling a sense of belonging in the workforce will enable organizations to reduce their employee’s turnover intentions.