Dirty deeds, done dirt cheap: Creating 'hospitable wages' through the Living Wage Movement

Abstract

Abstract This conceptual article calls for a greater recognition of wages in academic and media discussions of hospitality and tourism employment. The article draws on the New Zealand hospitality and tourism context, but places the discussion in an international perspective as well. The article approaches the topic of low wages in a new way, arguing that rather than being an inevitable outcome of structural factors, improving wages can be an 'engine' for reducing turnover and becoming employers of choice, and significantly improving employees lives. The article conceptualizes a 'hospitable wage', defined as a wage that incorporates genuine care and consideration of well-being for a level of care that hospitality employers would expect their staff to apply to guests. The concept of a hospitable wage is differentiated from the constructs of minimum wage, fair wage and the living wage. The article concludes by proposing that the Living Wage Movement is a practical and pragmatic way to operationalize a hospitable wage and thereby potentially improve conditions for employers and employees alike.