The effect of transformational leadership on presenteeism in hotel employees: The mediating role of work-life balance

Although the rapid development of technology has reduced the need for human resources in some business lines, the need for human resources in hotel enterprises still maintains its importance. However, the labor-intensive nature of hotel businesses, the long working hours and shifts, the intense face-to-face relationship between the customer and the employee, and the negative attitudes and behaviors of the managers can cause physical and mental problems on the employees. As a matter of fact, the negativities in the working environment may pave the way for the problem of employees experiencing work-life imbalance and not being able to fulfill their duties fully (presenteeism) despite being at work. In this thesis, it is aimed to examine the mediating role of work-life balance in the effect of transformational leadership on presenteeism behavior of employees in hotel businesses. The research was carried out using the mixed method. In the quantitative part of the research, 442 data were collected from the employees of 4 and 5 star hotels operating in İstanbul, by using survey technique, one of the quantitative research methods. The obtained data were transferred to IBM SPSS 24 and the conceptual model of the research was analyzed with the AMOS 23 program. In the qualitative part of the research, in-depth interviews were conducted with 25 hotel employees who volunteered to participate in the quantitative part of th research and were analyzed with MAXQDA 12. In the quantitative analysis part of the research, confirmatory factor analysis was carried out to test the construct validity of the scales used in the research, and path analysis was performed to test the conceptual model. Research results revealed that transformational leadership positively affects presenteeism and work-life balance, and work-life balance positively affects presenteeism. In addition, it was determined that the effect of transformational leadership on presenteeism was partially mediated by work-life balance. In the results of qualitative research part, it can be shown that the most important factors in the positive effect of transformational leadership on the presenteeism are that the managers establish a business-oriented relationship with the employees and they do not value and trust the employees. Finally, suggestions were made to hotel managers and researchers in line with the results of the research. Key words: Transformational leadership, Work-Life Balance, Presenteeism, Hotel Employee