Temporary agency work and worker well-being at restaurants – Insights into socially sustainable work

There is a wide range of challenges in temporary agency work, and the general understanding is that, at present, these challenges have not been properly addressed. In part, this is explained by the complexity of the temporary agency employment relationship, which is important when discussing well-being at work, working conditions and the responsibilities and occupational safety and health of agency workers. Currently, agency work poses significant challenges to the human resource management (HRM) of restaurants as well as social responsibility. Meeting these challenges requires adapting to an ever-changing work environment and climate. Unfortunately, the restaurant industry is accustomed to poorly functioning operating models, and the HRM of the entire industry can be considered underdeveloped and ill-suited to current challenges.
This study concludes that, each of the actors of TAW had its own agendas, driven mostly by economic pursuits. Beyond economic factors, other incentives are needed for all actors. They are most easily found between the user company and the employee, as they are inextricably linked. A holistic, wider perspective on well-being at work, which extends beyond work-related factors, is needed to improve well-being at work and workers’ general life situations and satisfaction. In this holistic view, which this study explored, employers need to take into account the cultural and socioeconomic factors in restaurants, differences in relations with temporary agencies and actual workplaces of the workers and the differences in attitudes of various worker groups.