Designing for Wellbeing: Worker-Generated Ideas on Adapting Algorithmic Management in the Hospitality Industry

Abstract

Labor shortages have shaped many industries over the past several years, with hospitality experiencing one of the largest rates of attrition. Workers are leaving their jobs for a variety of reasons, ranging from burnout and work intensification to a lack of meaningful employment. While some literature maintains that labor-replacing automation is poised to bridge the shortages, we argue there is an opportunity for technology design to instead improve job quality and retention. Drawing on interviews with unionized guest room attendants, we report on workers’ perceptions of a widely-used algorithmic room assignment system. We then present worker-generated design ideas that adapt this system toward supporting three key facets of wellbeing: self-efficacy, transparency, and workload. We argue for the need to consider these facets of wellbeing through design across the service landscape, particularly as HCI attends to the impacts of AI and automation on frontline work.