EMPLOYEE RETENTION INTENTION & EMOTIONAL LABOUR: TO CRITICALLY EVALUATE THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN COSTA COFFEE EMPLOYEES’ RETENTION INTENTION AND EMOTIONAL LABOUR IN THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY

Aim - It is acknowledged that emotional labour plays a crucial role in the hospitality industry, in addition to the increasing turnover in the industry. This research aims ‘To critically evaluate the relationship between Costa Coffee employees’ retention intention and emotional labour in the Hospitality Industry.’, defining emotional labour's contribution towards retention intent and the support Costa Coffee employees receive as a result. Design - Eleven comprehensive face-to-face interviews were conducted with seven Costa Coffee employees in a single store. A thematic analysis framework was utilised which enabled the identification of patterns and themes Findings - The influence of emotional labour on stress (identified as the primary contributor to retention intention of Costa Coffee employees) is indefinite across all accounts. Stress was overwhelmingly derived from customer interactions, bridging the direct correlation between stress and emotional labour - said stress is driven by excessive-high expectations of consistent “robot”(ic) service. Support was evident throughout accounts in regards to colleagues, however, in reference to managerial support, a strong disconnect was present Contribution - This research adds to the existing pieces of literature on employee retention intention and emotional labour which can be applied across industries - through presenting participants' views on the experiences and pressures. Limitations - Anonymity of participants stemmed from the differentiations between participants, such as those which have an impact on emotional labour (e.g. personality trait, age) to not contribute to the study, in addition to time limitations (deadline) and sample limitations (unique organisational context)