Sustainable human resource management and social harm of deviant tourism employees

ABSTRACT Research on how sustainable human resource management (HRM) can alleviate the social harms of tourism employees is limited. Therefore, this study conceptually examines the influence of sustainable HRM on the social harms of deviant tourism employees by drawing on multiple theoretical perspectives. The findings suggest that social harms of tourism employees are the result of social learning. Additionally, they imitate deviant tourists’ behaviours, and generate social harms for the stakeholders both in and outside the tourism work environment. However, this can be counterbalanced by sustainable HRM practices that shape social learning forces, and directly reduce social harms. Accordingly, our study contributes by developing a multidisciplinary theoretical framework to guide practices and research on critical social issues within the tourism workplace.