How Toxic Workplaces Fuel Emotional Exhaustion and Hurt Productivity in Hospitality and Tourism Organizations

Sakr, Tarek Galal; Hamam, Fathy Elmahgoob; Elbana, Shimaa Shabana Saad Aly; Sallam, Omnia Tarek

doi:10.21608/mfth.2025.437402

How Toxic Workplaces Fuel Emotional Exhaustion and Hurt Productivity in Hospitality and Tourism Organizations

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ Hospitality Management Department, High Institute of Tourism and Hotels at 6th of October City, Egypt

² PhD, Hotel Management, Faculty of Tourism and Hotels, Helwan University, Egypt

³ Tourism Studies Department, Higher Institute for Hotels and Tourism Studies, New Damietta, Egypt

⁴ Hotel Studies Department, Faculty of Tourism and Hotels, Mansoura University, Egypt

10.21608/mfth.2025.437402

Abstract

Job productivity is of paramount importance to the hospitality and tourism sector, critically influencing operational efficiency, customer satisfaction, and overall economic growth. A significant human resource challenge that frequently undermines this productivity is a toxic workplace environment (TWE). This study was therefore conducted to investigate the direct and indirect impacts of TWE on job productivity (JP), explicitly examining emotional exhaustion (EE) as a potential mediating factor in this relationship. Employing a PLS-SEM approach, data were meticulously collected from 457 employees operating within five-star hotels and travel agencies in Greater Cairo, Egypt. The empirical findings consistently reveal a significant negative impact of TWE on JP. Furthermore, the study confirmed that TWE exerts a positive influence on employees' emotional exhaustion. Crucially, emotional exhaustion was found to act as a significant mediating factor in the relationship between TWE and JP, explaining a substantial pathway through which workplace toxicity impedes productivity.

Keywords