Fostering disability inclusion in hospitality organisations: Exploring co-workers' role in the social integration of employees with disabilities (EWDs)

Jamin, Aziean Binti (2025) Fostering disability inclusion in hospitality organisations: Exploring co-workers' role in the social integration of employees with disabilities (EWDs).

This integrated thesis fills the gap in the academic literature regarding fostering disability inclusion in employment within the hospitality sector, an emerging area of diversity and inclusion. Despite scholarly attention and ongoing efforts to promote disability inclusion through policies and human resources practices at both national and organisational levels, employees with disabilities (EWDs) continue to experience significant exclusion in terms of engagement and collaboration with co-workers. This exclusion typically stems from persistent barriers in organisational culture and ecosystems, such as a lack of understanding and limited opportunities for meaningful interaction, which hinder their full participation and integration into team activities. The lack of knowledge about the roles of co-workers, who are key stakeholders working directly with EWDs, has contributed to negative treatment, stereotypes, and stigma toward EWDs. This issue has been identified as a major barrier to social integration in disability employment and serves as the motivation for this study. Therefore, this integrated thesis seeks to address these knowledge gaps by focusing on three distinct research objectives, each explored through separate studies. The first objective (Study 1) involves a comprehensive integrative review of existing literature on disability inclusion in hospitality, focusing on tourists and employees with disabilities to assess current interventions and gaps related to disability inclusion. Based on an analysis of 101 empirical disability inclusion articles from top-ranking hospitality journals, the findings highlight a greater emphasis on tourist-related inclusion over employment. It reveals the need for improved employment systems and proactive strategies to promote social sustainability and inclusivity of EWDs. The review also calls for exploring the role of diverse organisational ecosystems within organisations in shaping inclusion outcomes. The second objective (Study 2) addresses the social barriers in disability employment by analysing the psychosocial factors that influence co-workers' behaviour to support EWDs. This study applies the extended theory of planned behaviour and ethics of care theory. It evaluates how positive attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control, anticipated emotions and the moderating effect of past behaviour affect coworkers' intention to support EWDs. The study reveals that while individual responsibility drives supportive behaviour rather than social norms, co-workers' willingness to support EWDs is significantly influenced by their attitudes, perceived behavioural control and anticipated emotions. The moderating effect of past behaviour is the key finding of this research, revealing differences in supportive behaviour between inexperienced and experienced co-workers. The study highlights the importance of co-workers' moral obligations and direct experiences in overcoming stereotypes and enhancing their supportive intentions. The third objective (Study 3) expands on the role of co-workers in fostering disability inclusion by exploring the factors influencing their self-efficacy in supporting EWDs. While the self-efficacy of EWDs is essential for their job performance, it is equally important to understand co-workers' skills and competencies to engage with EWDs. Study 3 draws on theories of self-efficacy theory and ethics of care theory to examine how job resources, such as organisational diversity climate and the perceived usefulness of facilitating technology, impact co-workers' self-efficacy, with a focus on the mediating role of psychological states of anticipated emotions. The findings show that organisational support and technology resources are crucial for fostering co-workers' self-efficacy. Anticipated emotions serve as a mediating factor, reinforcing co-workers' problem-solving coping strategies and resilience in supporting EWDs. Studies 2 and 3 employ a quantitative approach with a survey method. They target nondisabled co-workers in different roles within three major hospitality organisations in Malaysia that have strong disability employment policies and significant experience employing EWDs. These cross-sectional studies encompass 421 respondents from the food service, accommodation, and retail sectors. This research significantly advances existing theoretical frameworks, such as the theory of planned behaviour theory and self-efficacy theory, by integrating principles from the ethics of care theory. It offers novel insights into the factors influencing workplace inclusion for EWDs. The study underscores the critical role of individual characteristics, organisational culture, leadership commitment, and resource availability in shaping coworkers' attitudes and behaviours towards EWDs. These factors, in turn, mediate coworkers' readiness, motivation, and engagement in fostering an inclusive environment and promoting effective collaboration with EWDs. Ultimately, the findings contribute to a deeper understanding of how organisational practices can enhance the well-being and professional development of EWDs in hospitality settings.