The effect of physical environment of the employee break room on psychological well-being through work engagement in the hospitality industry

Abstract Hospitality employees are suffering from various energy-related symptoms without opportunities to recharge themselves during the workday. In this regard, the employee break room, a sanctuary where employees can take refuge, can be suggested as an effective means to prevent negative consequences and to increase their psychological well-being. By combining Bitner’s servicescape model with job-demand resource model, this study demonstrated the potential effect of the physical environment of the employee break room. Survey data was collected from 311 hospitality employees. The results identified that employees’ perception of the physical environment of the break room promotes their work engagement, directly and indirectly increasing their psychological well-being.