The Generation-Based Effects of the Fear of COVID-19 on Deluxe Hotel Employees’ Responses

Purpose: While the COVID-19 pandemic has presented challenges to many organizations, overcoming it has also provided an opportunity to refocus organizational sustainability. This study examined the relationship between the perceived fear of COVID-19 among deluxe hotel employees and their ages, psychological well-being, and turnover intent. It also tested the moderating effect of these employees’ sense of calling on the aforementioned relationship. Design/methodology/approach: The collected data were analyzed using Analysis MOment Structure (AMOS) and the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). The five hypotheses were validated using structural equation modeling and multi-group analysis. Findings: The results showed that the fear of COVID-19 was strong among young employees (Beta = −0.160) and that employees’ psychological well-being (Beta = −0.299) diminished as this fear grew. Psychological well-being negatively influenced turnover intent (Beta = −0.234). Finally, the fear of COVID-19 exerted a minimal effect on the psychological well-being of employees with a strong sense of calling.