The consequence of waiters' professional identity on passion for work and its effects on employee turnover: a qualitative approach

Purpose- This study aims to develop a comprehensive understanding of the relationship between waiters’ professional identity and its antecedents such as: extroversion, education, brand standard, identity interferences, authenticity and stigma. “Salience” will be used as a moderator of this relationship, in order to explain the prominence of the stimuli. The consequences of professional identity on passion and turnover intention will be analysed. Design/methodology/approach- This study employed a qualitative methodology, which encompassed 3 focus group discussions (18 participants) and 11 in-depth interviews, (total 29 people). Participants will be based on Michelin starred restaurants in London. Founded on analysis of the qualitative data, the antecedents and consequences of professional identity were formulated. Findings- Findings demonstrate that the main factors of the formation of waiters’ professional identity are: extroversion, education, brand standard, identity interferences, authenticity and stigma, its consequences (passion and turnover intention), and salience as a moderator of this relationship to clarify the relevance of the stimuli. These factors have been demonstrated to have an effect on the formation of professional identity. Practical implications- This study is of significance in encouraging additional explorations for scholars and restaurateurs about the function of work in identity formation in connecting to waiters, and offers more practical resolutions for restaurateurs to develop passion for work and reduce turnover intention among the staff. Originality/value- This study is relevant because the repercussion of perceptions, such as identity and identification for emerging exclusive job roles, is still under-examined in certain conditions. Restaurateurs need to work with and comprehend the quality of the individual framework of waiters in job roles because these have a stimulus on the fundamental interests, such as passion for work and turnover of the waiting workforce. Moreover, within the hospitality industry, there has been a predisposition to focus more on chefs than waiting staff