Synthesizing MeToo: a meta-analysis of workplace sexual harassment in hospitality and tourism

Purpose Despite increasing research attention on hospitality and tourism workplace sexual harassment, there is a lack of holistic understanding of its nomological networks. This meta-analysis aims to synthesize the antecedents and consequences of workplace sexual harassment in the context of tourism and hospitality. Design/methodology/approach A total of 184 effect sizes from 39 independent hospitality and tourism studies ( N = 12,093) were included in this meta-analysis. Comprehensive Meta-Analysis software was used to analyze the results. Findings The results supported victim age and work environment as antecedents of workplace sexual harassment. Workplace sexual harassment affects work-related (job attitudes and job performance) and personal-related outcomes (well-being and reactions). Among these, the work environment had the strongest impact on workplace sexual harassment, and reactions were the most significantly impacted by it. The moderating roles of power distance, female percentage and perpetrator types were also supported. Research limitations/implications This study quantitively summarizes the antecedents and outcomes of workplace sexual harassment in the hospitality and tourism literature while identifying moderators. The findings provide directions for future research to expand the literature on sexual harassment in the hospitality and tourism workplace. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is among the first to conduct a meta-analysis of workplace sexual harassment in the hospitality and tourism industry. The results systematically examine its antecedents, outcomes and potential moderators by reducing individual study’s sampling bias.