Organizational leisure benefits: a neglected signaling device in hospitality job advertisements?

Abstract With employees’ leisure pursuit increasing, this study assesses the potential of organizational leisure benefits in hospitality job advertisements as a signal for otherwise non-observable attributes, like organizational leisure support and staff appreciation. Drawing upon signaling theory, a fictional job advertisement was created. A total of 210 job seekers were randomly assigned to different treatment versions. Higher perceptions of organizational attractiveness and increased intentions to apply were observed for versions including leisure benefits, confirming their role as a signaling device in the applicant attraction stage. The findings encourage human resource managers to exploit leisure benefits better to attract the brightest talent.