The Impact of Occupational Stigma on Turnover Intention Among Chinese Hotel Employees: The Mediating Role of Professional Identity and Surface Acting

Abstract

Drawing on Conservation of Resources Theory and Social Identity Theory, this study investigates the relationships among occupational stigma, professional identity, surface acting, and turnover intention among hotel employees in China. Based on survey data from 767 hotel employees, structural equation modeling was employed to test the proposed hypotheses. Results indicate that occupational stigma negatively influences professional identity while positively affecting surface acting and turnover intention. Professional identity is found to reduce turnover intention, whereas surface acting increases it. Mediation analyses further reveal that both professional identity and surface acting mediate the relationship between occupational stigma and turnover intention, with the mediating effect of professional identity being notably stronger. This research contributes to the hospitality literature by deepening the understanding of occupational stigma and its impact on employees’ identity, emotional labor strategies, and turnover intentions, offering important implications for both practitioners and scholars.

Keywords: Occupational Stigma, Professional Identity, Surface Acting, Turnover Intention, Hotel Employees

View PDF