Guest editorial: Work-life balance: How can quality of life provisions be integrated with the corporate social responsibility initiatives of hospitality firms?

Citation

Teare, R.E. (2022), "Guest editorial: Work-life balance: How can quality of life provisions be integrated with the corporate social responsibility initiatives of hospitality firms?", Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes, Vol. 14 No. 3, pp. 205-206. https://doi.org/10.1108/WHATT-06-2022-164

The well-being of customers and employees during the pandemic has been a re-occurring theme and in this issue, Theme Editors Dimitrios Diamantis and Ruth Puhr consider the ways in which work–life balance and quality of life enhancements for employees in hospitality and tourism settings can be secured from corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives. A key feature of the issue is the broad scope of case study consultation with industry about company specific CSR approaches and I should like to thank them and their writing team for providing a detailed and thought-provoking analysis of this topic.

Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes (WHATT) aims to make a practical and theoretical contribution to hospitality and tourism development and we seek to do this by using a key question to focus attention on an industry issue. If you would like to contribute to our work by serving as a WHATT theme editor, do please contact me.

Richard Teare

Managing Editor, WHATT

Work–life balance: How can quality of life provisions be integrated with the corporate social responsibility initiatives of hospitality firms?

This theme issue explores the extent to which quality of life provisions can be integrated with CSR initiatives in hospitality and tourism settings. The articles were researched and written by second semester Master of Business Administration (MBA) students at Les Roches, Crans Montana campus, Switzerland, and in addition to secondary analysis, they contain case study examples from Radisson, Scandic and Peninsula Hotels; Four Seasons and Hyatt hotels; Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc., Club Med and Alaska Airlines; Shangri-La, B&B and RIU hotel companies; Newbury Hotel Boston, USA; Six Senses and Air Canada.

During their secondary analysis and in company case study research, the MBA group found that the provision for quality of life outcomes has been enhanced in recent years by hospitality and tourism firms and that since the onset of the pandemic, momentum has been building. There is a bigger and more complex question however that relates to work–life balance – a critical component of quality of life outcomes – and whether it is transferable to society as a whole. The aim in this issue then is to explore these links and the concept of the circular economy and how this too impacts on quality of life. We argue that by better understanding these relationships, it is possible to contribute to the longer-term goal of sustainability and sustainable development. In part, this is because work–life provisions are not only applicable at the micro level (firms) but also at the macro level (society), the latter through enhanced focus on circular economic thinking and practice.

Dimitrios Diamantis and Ruth Puhr

Theme Editors

About the Theme Editors:

Dimitrios Diamantis

Dimitrios is an Executive Academic Dean of Les Roches, Global Hospitality Education and has more than 20 years of hospitality research and teaching experience. Dimitrios began his academic career in 1998 as an associate lecturer at Bournemouth University. The following year, he joined the faculty of Les Roches Switzerland, where he supervised the launch of the institution's first MBA programme. In 2007, Dimitrios returned to the UK to teach tourism management at Sheffield Hallam University. He returned to Les Roches, Switzerland, in 2010, where he teaches and oversees the development of Les Roches' current Postgraduate Diploma and MBA programmes (2012–2020). Dimitrios holds a PhD in consumer involvement and ecotourism from Bournemouth University.

Ruth Puhr

Ruth has worked for Les Roches since 2006 initially teaching Arts and Humanities electives before becoming Faculty Development Advisor. She currently oversees Teaching and Learning Development for Les Roches. With a background in Arts Education in the UK, Ruth holds an MA in music and an MSc in information technology and is currently pursuing a doctorate in education at University College London. Her research interests include professional identity and competencies in higher education. Ruth is a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (PFHEA) and serves on the Board of the Swiss Faculty Development Network (SFDN).