Family supportive and singles-friendly : how an equally supportive working environment impacts unmarried hotel employees

Purpose: This study aims to focus on a relatively unexplored area: single employees’ non-work needs. With social information processing theory as the basis, the authors examine the process whereby a singles-friendly work culture leads to multiple desirable outcomes for single employees. Design/methodology/approach: Data was collected from 472 single employees working in the hospitality sector in China. A model with three mediating paths was tested using Mplus 7.2 software. Findings: The authors found that organization-based self-esteem mediates the relationship between a singles-friendly work culture and emotional exhaustion; procedural justice mediates the relationship between a singles-friendly work culture and organizational commitment and hostility mediate the relationship between a singles-friendly work culture and helping behaviors directed toward coworkers. Practical implications: The present study reminds hotel managers that establishing a singles-friendly work culture is a new strategy to retain and attract talented single employees. Originality/value: Inspired by the work of Casper et al. (2007), the authors examined the importance of equal employment opportunities for single employees, who are the major workforce in the hotel industry but are often ignored in academic research.