The Effect of Task Characteristics On Hospitality Employees' Job Satisfaction and Burnout

This study examined the roles of task characteristics as determinants of various facets of job satisfaction and burnout for employees in the hospitality industry. Several conclusions can be derived from this study. First, task characteristics were found to be relatively powerful determinants of satisfaction with co-workers and satisfaction with supervisors. The major determinants of these two aspects of satisfaction were: feedback received from supervisors and peers and the experienced meaningfulness of the job. These two task characteristics were directly linked to improving satisfaction with coworkers and supervisors and may offer hotel management some concrete suggestions as to how to improve some facets of job satisfaction. Second, task characteristics were also found to affect one type of employee burnout, namely: emotional exhaustion. Once again, the same task factors that were positively related to satisfaction with supervisor and co-workers namely: experienced meaningfulness of the job and feedback received from supervisor and peers were also negatively related to emotional exhaustion.