Effects of social job characteristics on gig workers’ well-being: The mediating role of off-the-job embeddedness

IF 9.9 1区管理学 Q1 HOSPITALITY, LEISURE, SPORT & TOURISM

International Journal of Hospitality Management Pub Date : 2025-05-14 DOI:10.1016/j.ijhm.2025.104241

Pearl M.C. Lin , Wai Ching Wilson Au , Tom Baum , Summer Juan Xia

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Abstract

The gig economy, marked by flexible, short-term employment, has transformed the labor market—particularly in the hospitality sectors. This study examines the social job characteristics of gig work and these features’ effects on workers’ well-being and job embeddedness, focusing on food delivery workers in China. We conducted in-depth interviews with 25 food delivery workers to discern the social job attributes of gig work and then empirically investigated the relationships between these attributes, off-the-job embeddedness, and workers’ well-being. Five social job characteristics were identified. Using an instrument developed through qualitative analysis, structural equation modeling results suggested that the relationships between these features and workers’ well-being varied across the dimensions of social job characteristics. Our findings extend traditional job characteristics models and offer practical insights for improving gig workers’ well-being. This study provides actionable recommendations for platform operators and policymakers to enhance the gig work experience.

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社会工作特征对零工员工幸福感的影响：职外嵌入的中介作用

零工经济以灵活的短期就业为特征，已经改变了劳动力市场——尤其是在酒店业。本研究考察了零工的社会工作特征，以及这些特征对工人幸福感和工作嵌入性的影响，研究对象为中国的外卖工人。我们对25名外卖工人进行了深度访谈，以辨别零工的社会工作属性，然后实证调查了这些属性、工作外嵌入性和工人幸福感之间的关系。确定了五种社会工作特征。利用一种通过定性分析开发的工具，结构方程建模结果表明，这些特征与工人幸福感之间的关系在社会工作特征的各个维度上有所不同。我们的研究结果扩展了传统的工作特征模型，并为改善零工工人的福祉提供了实用的见解。该研究为平台运营商和政策制定者提供了可操作的建议，以提高零工工作体验。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

International Journal of Hospitality Management HOSPITALITY, LEISURE, SPORT & TOURISM-

CiteScore

21.20

自引率

9.40%

发文量

218

审稿时长

85 days

期刊介绍： The International Journal of Hospitality Management serves as a platform for discussing significant trends and advancements in various disciplines related to the hospitality industry. The publication covers a wide range of topics, including human resources management, consumer behavior and marketing, business forecasting and applied economics, operational management, strategic management, financial management, planning and design, information technology and e-commerce, training and development, technological developments, and national and international legislation. In addition to covering these topics, the journal features research papers, state-of-the-art reviews, and analyses of business practices within the hospitality industry. It aims to provide readers with valuable insights and knowledge in order to advance research and improve practices in the field. The journal is also indexed and abstracted in various databases, including the Journal of Travel Research, PIRA, Academic Journal Guide, Documentation Touristique, Leisure, Recreation and Tourism Abstracts, Lodging and Restaurant Index, Scopus, CIRET, and the Social Sciences Citation Index. This ensures that the journal's content is widely accessible and discoverable by researchers and practitioners in the hospitality field.