Hotel employees’ attitudes towards multitasking: scale development and validity testing

Purpose There is an increasing multitasking expectation from tourism and hospitality managers, including hotel managers. There has been a significant amount of research investigating various aspects of multitasking. Yet, there is no scale to measure the willingness and tendency of hotel employees to engage in multitasking. Design/methodology/approach A rigorous scale development process was followed. After a pre-test with 218 hotel employees, data were collected from 646 employees in tourist destinations in Türkiye, including Kusadasi, Antalya, Ankara, Bodrum, Didim, Istanbul, Fethiye and Marmaris. The nomological validity of the scale was tested by examining multitasking’s effect on role clarity. Findings A multitasking scale with five dimensions (accomplishment, customer satisfaction, difficulty, fear and workload) and 16 items has been developed to determine the multitasking orientations of hotel employees. It was also discovered that multitasking was a good predictor of employee role clarity. Practical implications The scale enables hotel managers to evaluate multitasking ability and willingness during recruitment and address challenges like performance, motivation and stress. It supports HR adjustments to enhance employee and customer satisfaction. Originality/value Existing multitasking scales, primarily focused on media multitasking, are not comprehensive for employees, and no specific scale exists for hotel employees who frequently multitask. This scale offers valuable insights for HRM and service quality improvement. Forced multitasking, driven by fear of career jeopardy, can lead to negative outcomes such as role ambiguity, reduced performance, motivation and job satisfaction.