LEADER PERSONALITY AND JOB RETENTION IN THE MALAYSIAN RESTAURANT INDUSTRY: IS JOB SATISFACTION THE MISSING LINK?
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35631/JTHEM.1145041Keywords:
Hospitality Management, Job Retention, Job Satisfaction, Leadership Personality Traits, Restaurant IndustryAbstract
The restaurant business is a demanding, low-margin sector to operate in. Not only must businesses operate under thin profit margins, but they are now facing a continuous labor shortage that could hinder their operations. While various approaches have been taken to address such issues, the owners are unaware of the extent to which certain leader personality characteristics Grounded in Trait Activation Theory and the Five-Factor Model, affect an employee's decision to stay or leave. This research seeks to fill this gap by studying the effect of certain characteristics, including Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Emotional Stability, and Openness of leaders, on restaurant workers. For this purpose, data were collected from 151 respondents working in restaurants in the Dungun district, Terengganu, through a structured online (Google Forms) survey. Based on the results, certain leadership traits have a direct effect on employee retention and satisfaction; while Hayes' PROCESS macro showed that job satisfaction is not a mediator in this context. These empirical discoveries offer actionable recruitment strategies for eateries seeking long-term organizational sustainability.
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