Article citation information:
Sürme,
M., Çubuk, B. The effect of working terms and
conditions of airline cabin crew on work-family conflict and life satisfaction.
Scientific Journal of Silesian University
of Technology. Series Transport. 2025, 126,
237-253. ISSN: 0209-3324. DOI: https://doi.org/10.20858/sjsutst.2025.126.15.
Metin SÜRME[1], Burak ÇUBUK[2]
THE EFFECT OF WORKING TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF AIRLINE CABIN CREW ON
WORK-FAMILY CONFLICT AND LIFE SATISFACTION
Summary. As in all
service-oriented sectors, there is competition in the airline transport sector.
During the flight, it is the cabin crew who represent the service quality and
company success. Cabin crew members are regarded as the most important customer
representatives of the company, as they provide face-to-face service to
passengers. This situation means that cabin crew frequently experience
stressful situations that require special effort. In addition, they may stay
away from social relations both in their business life and in their private and
family lives, which may cause them to experience mental and physical fatigue,
disconnect from life and experience work-family conflict. Work-family conflict
is a situation that has negative effects on the individual. The individual
experiencing work-family conflict may be under stress, and this stress may
cause emotional symptoms such as dissatisfaction and unhappiness. In this
context, in order to determine the effect of working terms and conditions of
airline cabin crew on work-family conflict and life satisfaction, a survey was
conducted with 484 cabin crew residing in Istanbul. The data obtained were analyzed using Spss Statistics 21
software. In line with the results obtained, it was concluded that
the relationship between working terms and conditions, work-family
conflict and life satisfaction is positive.
Keywords: airline
cabin crew, work-family conflict, life satisfaction
1. INTRODUCTION
Tourism is a set of activities that
include meeting the needs of people during their temporary accommodation and
travelling outside their residence. Tourism, which is an active service sector,
is developing and expanding rapidly. The tourism movement, which accelerated
with the Industrial Revolution, has shown a significant development in Turkey
after the 1980s. It is at an important point due to
its close relationship with other sectors as well as the employment and income
effects created by the tourism sector (Gökmen, 2019).
The development of the transport sector is very effective in the development of
tourism. In the globalizing world, businesses need to make the best use of the
opportunities available to them in order to increase their competitiveness and
maintain their continuity.
Developing technology in transport
and communication connects the world and eliminates the concept of distance. As
in the world, airline companies have shown a rapid growth with the developing
technology in Turkey as well as in the world. With the increase in both
domestic and international demands, companies are making various investments
and breakthroughs in order to grow and strengthen institutionally (Tektaş & Öz Ceviz, 2021).
The civil aviation sector is
developing day by day and the passenger carrying capacity of airline companies
is increasing. With the development of transportation, the most preferred means
of transport in recent years has been airline transport. This growth in the
aviation sector has generated significant employment opportunities, attracting
individuals seeking careers in cabin crew. Cabin officers start their duties
after a comprehensive training process. They take responsibility for the safe
and secure realization of the flight by using all available resources in the
most efficient way during the flight process. While performing their duties
thousands of feet above the ground, they are prepared for all kinds of
emergencies, giving all their attention and perception to their work and the
entire cabin crew works in harmony with clear communication. It is the
responsibility of the cabin crew to ensure that the flight goes smoothly and
that the services of the airline company they represent are provided to the
passenger in the best way possible. Cabin officers keep their knowledge fresh
by attending professional trainings in certain periods. Since airline transport
is a sector that provides uninterrupted service day and night, irregular
working hours and long flights with accommodation programs affect their
lifestyles (Konak, 2020).
In the light of this information,
this study investigated the effects of working terms and conditions of cabin
crew members, who are an important part of the airline industry, on work-family
conflict and life satisfaction.
2.
TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT
Working conditions can be defined as
the conditions in the workplace that are formed by the interaction of the work,
the working environment and the person doing the work with each other, such as
the physical strength, gender, age and social status of the individual and the
work being easy or difficult, affecting the health status, the suitability of
the working environment to the health conditions, the duration of the work, the
adequacy of the wage received (Sözlük, 2024).
Working conditions, on the other hand, can be defined as a whole formed by
elements such as how much the employee will be paid, working hours, working
time, where the working environment of the employee will be, the work to be
done, the physical characteristics and layout of the working environment,
communication style with other colleagues in the work environment, etc. (Questionpro, 2024).
When the working conditions of
airline flight personnel are analyzed, it is seen that many different factors
come together. It has been observed that both psychological and physical health
of the employees are adversely affected if the working terms and conditions are
poor, while employee productivity increases when the working environment is
perceived positively. Therefore, working terms and conditions are very
important for both employees and organizations affected by the productivity of
employees. The working conditions and working environment, working hours and
working hours of cabin crew are different from other professions. Cabin crew
spend most of their working hours thousands of feet above the ground, under
high pressure, in artificially oxygenated aircraft. Working at high altitude
can cause physiological and psychological effects. In addition, the ergonomic
structure of the aircraft may require cabin crew to cope with many problems during
operation. They are required to use heavy equipment under inclination and
pressure in a narrow, cramped and crowded working environment. When they are
not careful in these conditions, they may experience physical injury. In
addition, pressure difference, time difference, irregular working hours, heat,
humidity and climate difference also affect cabin crew (Zorlu,
2023).
Cabin crew members' duties related
to safety and security can be analyzed under two main headings. The first one
is to make observations to prevent situations that may threaten safety and
security and to provide necessary communication. For example, it is to check
the necessary sections and compartments at certain intervals to ensure that
there is no fire or smoke in the cabin.
The second is to ensure the safety and security of passengers in
emergencies that occur despite the measures taken, and to implement emergency
procedures in the fastest way possible with the least possible damage. For
example, when an emergency occurs, it is to evacuate the passengers and crew on
board the aircraft according to the instructions of the captain pilot within
the periods tested in the aircraft certification (Arıkan,
2020).
2.1.
Life satisfaction
Life is defined as all the time an
individual spends at work and outside of work. Work is the environment in which
a person does what is required of him/her at certain hours of the day in return
for the money he/she needs to earn in order to sustain his/her life. Non-work
time can be divided into two as the time spent on one's own personal pleasures
and the time spent with family, relatives, friends, home, etc. apart from one's
own personal pleasures. Life satisfaction can be defined as the emotional
reactions of the individual to work, personal leisure time outside work and
other time outside work (Dikmen, 1995).
Work life is in a central position
in the lives of most individuals. The individual spends most of his/her life in
the role of employee. In this respect, the effect of working life on life
satisfaction has a very important place. Job satisfaction is considered as a
sub-field of life satisfaction. It is a fact that satisfaction in working life
and general life satisfaction affect each other. Job satisfaction has positive
or negative effects on life satisfaction, and life satisfaction has positive or
negative effects on job satisfaction (Keser, 2005).
Selim (2008) analyzed general life
satisfaction and happiness by using OLM (ordinal logistic model) for the years
1990, 1996 and 2001 of the World Values Survey. It was observed that
high-income level, being married and good health positively affected life
satisfaction and happiness. Some of the results obtained in this study are
similar to typical findings, such as negative age effect, positive effects of income
and health status and negative effect of unemployment. Contrary to
expectations, secondary education has a direct negative effect on life
satisfaction for women and higher education level is insignificant in the life
satisfaction model. By comparing the relationships of happiness and life
satisfaction across different years, this research aims to provide policymakers
and professionals with insights to improve the perceived lives of Turkish
people (Selim, 2008).
Akın and Şentürk
(2012) used the European Quality of Life Survey to estimate the happiness
levels of individuals using OLM. In the study, it was observed that being male,
being in good health and being married had positive effects on happiness
levels. On the other hand, being well-educated was found to have a
negative effect on happiness due to higher expectations. The happiest groups in
the sample were students and pensioners (Akın & Şentürk,
2012).
2.2.
Work-Family conflict
In academic studies, it is stated
that work and family conflict is two-way in the form of work-family and
family-work and is related to each other. The roles that people assume during
their lives can be listed as spouse role, father role, employer role, employee
role, etc. Work-family conflict is the simultaneous conflict of the roles
undertaken by individuals due to work and family demands. In work-family
conflicts, an individual's role prevents him/her from fulfilling the
requirements of the other role due to excessive role load. Obligations in
business life affect obligations in family life, and obligations in family life
affect obligations in business life (Akın & Karakulak,
2019; Aslan, 2022).
In modern societies, the stress
situation arising from work-family conflicts causes negativities such as low
productivity, health problems, wanting to quit work, and this situation
increases business costs. Work-family conflict also affects the status of
employees at work. Irregular working hours may increase work-family conflict by
negatively affecting employees' job satisfaction and performance. For
individuals, work and family are two important elements of their lives. Therefore, simultaneous role conflicts
negatively affect individuals and organizations. While an individual undertakes
many roles related to work and family life throughout his/her life, it is not
possible to fulfil these roles in order. The conflict that starts at this point
creates pressure on the individual. This pressure affects the life satisfaction
and quality of the individual (Fırat & Cula, 2016).
When work life starts to interfere
with family life, commitment to the organization starts to decrease. Attitudes
such as not being valued in work life, humiliation, being despised and looked
down upon, being burdened with excessive workload, and humiliation of employees
reduce commitment to the organization. Unreliable behaviors of managers in the
workplace, not keeping promises, delaying or not making the employee's salary,
salary increase, not promoting the personnel who should be promoted, calling
them to work on their days off, various reasons such as these reduce the trust
of the working individual in the organization (Küçükkoç,
2021).
Due to the patriarchal structure,
working women have more role duties. Women both fulfil their role duties at the
workplace and fulfil the housework that the traditional structure imposes on
women. Household chores, child care, care of family members living with them at
home, problems and care of the spouse are all burdened on women. However, at
the point where she cannot keep up with these responsibilities, she experiences
work-family conflict. As a result of the conflict, she may prefer to quit her
job. Increasing pressure on the employee reduces their performance and
willingness to work at work. In short, conflict reduces the productivity of the employee
and negatively affects the success of the organization (Özgül
et al., 2020; Küçükkoç, 2021).
2.3.
Job satisfaction
In today's world, businesses
competing in global market conditions should seize opportunities by adapting
quickly to changing dynamics. In order for the business to achieve success in
the external environment and leave its competitors behind, it must be able to
manage the dynamics in its internal environment well. The most important
internal factor of an enterprise is its employees. Employees' attitudes towards
work can be positive or negative. The fact that employees are satisfied with
their jobs and have positive attitudes towards work and the business is defined
as job satisfaction, while being dissatisfied with their jobs and having
negative attitudes is defined as job dissatisfaction. Job satisfaction is
analyzed in different ways, such as general satisfaction with work, security
satisfaction, wage satisfaction, satisfaction with social working conditions,
satisfaction with supervision, satisfaction with development opportunities,
etc. Job dissatisfaction, on the other hand, manifests itself in the form of
tardiness, absenteeism, frequent job changes, low performance, etc. In short,
while job satisfaction of the person affects the business positively, job
dissatisfaction affects it negatively. Therefore, businesses that want to
achieve success in the competitive environment of the global world should
invest in their employees and ensure that they develop positive attitudes
towards work and business (Temel Eğinli,
2009).
2.4.
History of civil aviation
Although the history of aviation
started with the controlled flight of the Wright brothers in 1903, Gustav Albin Weisskopf made the first
controlled flight in 1902. Weisskopf is the pioneer
scientist of civil aviation who emigrated from Germany to America. In the books
of aviation history, it is stated that brothers Orville and Wilbur Wright made
the first controlled flight with a heavier-than-air aircraft on 17 December
1903. The Wright brothers built and flew the first fully controlled airplane in
1905. Civil aviation started in the USA in 1911 with mail transport. The first
use of the airplane for military purposes was in 1910 in the USA. In war, the
Kingdom of Italy first used the aircraft in the Tripoli War. The Ottoman Empire
was the first to shoot down an airplane in history. Since the airplanes had 2-3
seats and a narrow range, they were used for mail transport or military use. At
the end of the 1930s, with the developments in the
piston engine, the range, speed and capacity of aircraft increased. Thus, civil
aviation started a rapid development process (Nergiz,
2008; Mackenzie, 2010; Dobson, 2017; Güngör, 2023).
The development of airline transport
in Turkey is in parallel with the development in the world. When the Ottoman
Empire shot down an Italian fighter plane in the Tripoli War in 1912, studies
on military aviation began. After the declaration of the Republic, the
importance of aviation increased and efforts were made to improve the legal and
institutional regulations, as well as the conditions of facilities and
vehicles. With the establishment of the "Turkish Teyyare
Society" in 1925, the institutional foundations of Turkish civil aviation
were laid. ''State Airways Administration'' was established in 1933 under the
Ministry of National Defense. This institution was responsible for establishing
transport and civil airways. Civil air transport started in 1933 with a small
fleet of 5 aircraft under the name of "Turkish Air Mail" (Korul, 2003; Bakırcı,
2012; Deniz, 2016; Yılmaz, 2020).
Nuri Demirag
opened an aircraft factory in Beşiktaş, Istanbul, an
aircraft-engine factory and a sky school in Sivas Divrigi,
and an airport and a flight school in Yeşilköy, Istanbul.
In the 1940s, Turkey ranked third in Europe
in the aviation industry, both in the public and private sectors. Nuri Demirag built the first Turkish type passenger aircraft
with local workers and engineers. The Nu/D-38 type passenger aircraft won the first
place in the "European Class A" category in 1938. Due to the aircraft
and aircraft engines that Turkey received from the USA as part of the economic
aid based on the Marshall Plan, production in THK's
aircraft and engine factories was interrupted, and the engine factory was
converted into a tractor factory in 1952. In the aircraft factory, production
stopped in 1959 and maintenance and repair continued until 1965, but tractor
production started in this factory in 1964 (Korul,
2003; Yurtoğlu, 2016; Yılmaz, 2020).
After the end of the Second World
War, civil aviation activities accelerated in Turkey. Aircraft were modernized
and airport construction was prioritized. New lines were opened and the number
of aircraft increased. While Turkey had 5 aircraft with a capacity of 28 seats
in 1933, in 2023, two major airline companies operate with a fleet of 663
aircraft (629 passenger aircraft and 34 cargo aircraft) and a capacity of
128,895 seats (Böcüoğlu Bodur,
2023). In addition, Turkish Airlines, our flag carrier company, flies to 342
destinations in 129 countries as of today (Yılmaz, 2020).
Regulations made in 2003 have been
the turning point of civil aviation. Since then, the quality of services has
increased and prices have decreased. With these regulations, civil aviation has
gained a competitive market structure. Civil aviation has grown rapidly with
the regional aviation policies and the target of "Every Turkish Citizen
will take a plane at least once in his/her life" initiated in 2003. Air transport
companies, ground handling companies, total number of aircraft, total seat
capacity, total cargo capacity, number of active airports, total number of
aircraft, number of personnel and turnover amounts have shown growth and
development. Despite the crises and adversities experienced, the aviation
sector has developed and grown. The number of domestic airports has increased,
and the local network has expanded. In addition, Istanbul Airport was opened as
the world's largest airport in 2019. This breakthrough is an important step
towards Turkey becoming one of the important countries in aviation
(Yılmaz, 2020).
3.
METHOD OF THE STUDY
A questionnaire was preferred as a
data collection tool in the research. A study was conducted to determine the
effect of working terms and conditions and work-family conflict on life
satisfaction of cabin crew working in airline companies in Turkey. The questionnaire
used in the research consists of four separate sections. In the first section,
there are questions about demographic and descriptive characteristics of the
participants, while in the second section, the "Perception Scale on
Physical Working Conditions" consisting of thirty-two items developed by Öz in 2020 to determine the effect of working terms and
conditions on cabin crew (Öz, 2020). In the
third section, in order to determine the life satisfaction of cabin crew
members, Akdoğan used the six-item ''Life
Satisfaction Scale" (Akdoğan, 2022) and
finally, in the fourth part, the "Work-Family Conflict Scale" (Arıkan, 2020) consisting of ten items in Arıkan's (2020) study was used to measure the
work-family conflict experienced by cabin crew.
The population of this planned
thesis study consists of cabin crew status employees actively working in
airlines residing in Istanbul. The sample of this study will consist of 484
cabin crew members actively working in airlines in 2024. SPSS 21 statistical package
program was used to enter the questionnaires and analyze the data. The data
obtained from the questionnaires were entered into the SPSS 21 program.
Firstly, demographic information was included in the descriptive analysis
method. Then, each scale questions were analyzed separately by exploratory
factor analysis method. Reliability test and normality tests of the factor
sub-dimensions obtained by factor analysis were performed. The obtained data
were subjected to regression analysis. The results are presented in the
findings section. Some of the presented research was carried out as part of the
work (Çubuk, 2024).
4.
FINDINGS OF THE STUDY
4.1.
Information on demographic characteristics of participants
In order to determine the
demographic characteristics of the participants, in the first part of the
questionnaire form, the participants were asked about age, gender, marital
status, educational status, employment status of the spouse, number of
children, from whom support was received in housework-child care issues and
experience in the profession. The data obtained were evaluated by descriptive
analysis method.
Tab. 1
Distribution of demographic
characteristics of the participants
|
Age Distribution |
Frequency |
Percentage % |
|
26-33 |
219 |
45,3 |
|
34-41 |
142 |
29,3 |
|
18-25 |
95 |
19,6 |
|
42-49 |
28 |
5,8 |
|
Gender Distribution |
|
|
|
Female |
340 |
70,2 |
|
Male |
144 |
29,8 |
|
Marital Status Distribution |
|
|
|
Single |
295 |
61,0 |
|
Married |
189 |
39,0 |
|
Education Status Distribution |
|
|
|
License |
430 |
88,8 |
|
Associate Degree |
36 |
7,4 |
|
Master's Degree |
13 |
2,7 |
|
High School |
5 |
1,1 |
|
Spouse Work Distribution |
|
|
|
Not Married |
300 |
62,0 |
|
Works Full Time |
164 |
33,9 |
|
Not working |
17 |
3,5 |
|
Works Part Time |
3 |
0,6 |
|
Number of Children Distribution |
|
|
|
No Child |
349 |
72,1 |
|
1 Child |
75 |
15,5 |
|
2 Children |
55 |
11,4 |
|
3 Children |
5 |
1,0 |
|
Distribution of Receiving Support |
|
|
|
No Support |
345 |
71,3 |
|
Nursery/Kindergarten |
44 |
9,1 |
|
Salaried employee |
34 |
7,0 |
|
Family Elders |
31 |
6,4 |
|
Spouse |
24 |
5,0 |
|
Relatives, Neighbors, Friends |
6 |
1,2 |
|
Occupational Experience Distribution |
|
|
|
4-7Years |
153 |
31,6 |
|
8-11 Years |
149 |
30,8 |
|
1-3 Years |
96 |
19,8 |
|
12-15 Years |
56 |
11,6 |
|
15 Years and Over |
30 |
6,2 |
According to Table 1, 45.2% of the
participants are between the ages of 26-33, 29.3% between the ages of 34-41,
19.6% between the ages of 18-25 and 5.8% between the ages of 42-49. It is seen
that 70.2% of the majority of the participants are women. 29.8% of the
participants are male. When the aviation sector is analyzed, the fact that the
majority of cabin crew members are female is also reflected in the survey
participants. When we look at the marital status of the participants, it is
seen that 61.0% of the participants are single, while 39.0% of the participants
are married. Among the cabin crew members participating in the study, 1.0% are
high school graduates, 7.4% are associate degree graduates, 88.4% are
bachelor's degree graduates and 2.7% are master's degree graduates. As can be
seen in the data, the majority are bachelor's degree graduates. While 62% of
the participants were unmarried, 33.9% of them had a full-time spouse and 0.6%
had a part-time spouse. The rate of those whose spouses do not work is 3.5%. It
is seen that 72.1% of the participants do not have children. However, 15.5%
have 1 child, 11.4% have 2 children and 1.0% have 3 children. While 71.3% of
the participants do not receive support for housework and childcare, 9.1%
receive support from nursery-school, 7.0% receive support from paid employees,
5% receive support from spouses, 6.4% receive support from family elders and
1.2% receive support from relatives-neighbors-friends. Among the cabin crew
members participating in the study, 19.8% have been working in the profession
for 1-3 years, 31.6% for 4-7 years, 30.8% for 8-11 years, 11.6% for 12-15 years
and 6.2% for more than 15 years.
4.2.
Findings related to exploratory factor analysis
Exploratory factor analysis was
conducted to examine whether the definitions expressing the variables in the
hypotheses created within the scope of the purpose of the study were collected
under the designed variables.
The results of the exploratory
factor analysis of the physical working conditions scale are given in Table 2. Barlett's test was significant as a result of factor
analysis. Chi-Square=8853,533, sd=406,
p=0,000) and KMO value was calculated as 0,956. These
data we obtained show the suitability for factor analysis. The total variance
between the factors was found to be 57,774%. Factor loadings were rotated with Varimax method for ease of interpretation.
Tab. 2
Perception scale findings regarding
physical working conditions
|
|
Question Number |
Factor Load |
α |
CR |
AVE |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Perceived
Comfort (PC) |
|
|
0,757 |
0,732 |
0,406 |
|
PC 1 |
1 |
0,626 |
|
|
|
|
PC 2 |
4 |
0,632 |
|
|
|
|
PC 3 |
5 |
0,622 |
|
|
|
|
PC 4 |
10 |
0,669 |
|
|
|
|
Effort
Used (EU) |
|
|
0,914 |
0,863 |
0,321 |
|
EU
1 |
2 |
0,639 |
|
|
|
|
EU
2 |
3 |
0,572 |
|
|
|
|
EU
3 |
6 |
0,649 |
|
|
|
|
EU
4 |
7 |
0,701 |
|
|
|
|
EU
5 |
8 |
0,670 |
|
|
|
|
EU
6 |
9 |
0,655 |
|
|
|
|
EU
7 |
11 |
0,688 |
|
|
|
|
EU
8 |
12 |
0,732 |
|
|
|
|
EU
9 |
14 |
0,684 |
|
|
|
|
EU
10 |
23 |
0,673 |
|
|
|
|
EU
11 |
25 |
0,753 |
|
|
|
|
Health-Stress
(HS) |
|
|
0,936 |
0,891 |
0,290 |
|
HS 1 |
13 |
0,724 |
|
|
|
|
HS 2 |
15 |
0,707 |
|
|
|
|
HS 3 |
16 |
0,723 |
|
|
|
|
HS 4 |
17 |
0,717 |
|
|
|
|
HS 5 |
18 |
0,716 |
|
|
|
|
HS 6 |
19 |
0,711 |
|
|
|
|
HS 7 |
20 |
0,684 |
|
|
|
|
HS 8 |
21 |
0,719 |
|
|
|
|
HS 9 |
22 |
0,749 |
|
|
|
|
HS 10 |
24 |
0,744 |
|
|
|
|
HS 11 |
26 |
0,695 |
|
|
|
|
HS 12 |
27 |
0,689 |
|
|
|
|
HS 13 |
28 |
0,704 |
|
|
|
|
HS
14 |
29 |
0,605 |
|
|
|
(α:
Cronbach's Alpha Caliber, CR: Composite Reliability,
AVE: Average Variance Explained)
Factor
loading shows the
extent to which a factor explains each variable and reveals the relationship
between the factors.
Cronbach's
alpha is a publication
evaluation method in which the amount of commonality or covariance among many
items is compared to the total amount of variance. The minimum acceptable value
for Cronbach's alpha coefficient is 0.70.
CR
(Composite Reliability) is
a value that measures the internal consistency of a factor. It is desirable
that the value is greater than 0.70.
AVE:
Average Variance
determines the extent to which the variances of the items in the study can be
explained by the average construct or latent variables. The AVE value of at
least 0.50 is recommended for adequate evaluation.
The results of exploratory factor
analysis of life satisfaction perception scale are given in Table 3. As a
result of the factor analysis, Barlett's test was
significant. Chi-Square=2039,982, sd=15,
p=0,000) and KMO value was calculated as 0,872. These
data we obtained show the suitability for factor analysis. The total variance
between the factors was found to be 71,065%. Factor loadings were rotated with Varimax method for ease of interpretation.
Tab. 3
Life satisfaction scale findings
|
|
Factor Load |
α |
CR |
AVE |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Perceived Intrinsic
Satisfaction (PIS) |
|
0,867 |
0,874 |
0,699 |
|
PIS1 |
0,878 |
|
|
|
|
PIS2 |
0,836 |
|
|
|
|
PIS3 |
0,793 |
|
|
|
|
Perceived External
Satisfaction (PES) |
|
0,885 |
0,886 |
0,722 |
|
PES1 |
0,860 |
|
|
|
|
PES2 |
0,851 |
|
|
|
|
PES3 |
0,838 |
|
|
|
(α:
Cronbach's Alpha Caliber, CR: Composite Reliability,
AVE: Average Variance Explained).
The results of exploratory factor analysis of
work-family conflict scale are given in Table 4. Barlett's
test was significant. Chi-Square=4084,490, sd=45, p=0,000) and KMO value was
calculated as 0,927. These data we obtained show the suitability for factor
analysis. The total variance between the factors was found to be 66,810%.
Factor loadings were rotated with Varimax method for
ease of interpretation.
Tab. 4
Work-family conflict scale findings
|
|
Factor
Loading |
α |
CR |
AVE |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Work-Family Conflict (WFC) |
|
0,944 |
0,935 |
0,516 |
|
WFC 1 |
0,733 |
|
|
|
|
WFC 2 |
0,840 |
|
|
|
|
WFC 3 |
0,846 |
|
|
|
|
WFC 4 |
0,702 |
|
|
|
|
WFC 5 |
0,804 |
|
|
|
|
WFC 6 |
0,835 |
|
|
|
|
WFC 7 |
0,864 |
|
|
|
|
WFC 8 |
0,789 |
|
|
|
|
WFC 9 |
0,868 |
|
|
|
|
WFC 10 |
0,874 |
|
|
|
(α:
Cronbach's Alpha Caliber, CR: Composite Reliability,
AVE: Average Variance Explained)
4.3.
Results related to regression analysis
Regression analysis is a statistical
tool used to measure the relationship between dependent and independent
variables. In other words, it examines how the dependent variable changes
according to changes in the independent variables. It is also used in modeling
the future relationship between variables (Bulutistan,
2021).
Tab. 5
The Effect of perceived comfort,
effort, health-stress
and work-family conflict on perceived intrinsic satisfaction
|
Dimension |
Standard
Error |
Standardized
Beta |
t |
p |
R |
Adjusted
R2 |
|
Fixed value |
0,175 |
|
4,758 |
0,000 |
0,798 |
0,634 |
|
Perceived Comfort |
0,074 |
0,124 |
2,788 |
0,006 |
|
|
|
Effort Used |
0,081 |
-0,058 |
-1,204 |
0,229 |
|
|
|
Health-Stress |
0,102 |
0,233 |
3,529 |
0,000 |
|
|
|
Work-Family Conflict |
0,047 |
-0,550 |
11,647 |
0,000 |
|
|
Standardized Beta (β) value is the
regression coefficient. in reporting regression
analyses, the β value is given together with the p value.
p, significance value p<0.05,
the relationship is significant. In other words, it is statistically
significant.
The
standard error represents the
average distance that the observed values fall from the regression line. It shows
how inaccurate the regression model is on average using units of the variable.
The t-value is calculated by dividing
the regression coefficients by the standard errors.
According
to Table 5, the R square value of the regression model is 0.634 and the model
is significant (p=0.000 and F=209.886). The R square value shows that it
explains 63% of the variance of perceived intrinsic satisfaction, which is the
dependent variable of the model. It is seen that perceived comfort positively
affects perceived intrinsic satisfaction (β=0,124). Accordingly, as
perceived comfort increases, perceived intrinsic satisfaction increases. The
effect of the effort used on perceived intrinsic satisfaction is not
significant (p<0.05). It is seen that health-stress status positively
affects perceived intrinsic satisfaction (β=0,102). Accordingly, as
health-stress increases, perceived intrinsic satisfaction increases.
Work-family conflict has a negative effect on perceived intrinsic satisfaction
(β=-0,550). Accordingly, as work-family conflict increases, perceived
intrinsic satisfaction decreases.
Tab. 6
The Effect of perceived comfort,
effort, health-stress
and work-family conflict on perceived external satisfaction
|
Dimension |
Standard
Error |
Standardized
Beta |
t |
p |
R |
Adjusted
R2 |
|
Fixed value |
0,185 |
|
-1,632 |
0,000 |
0,820 |
0,670 |
|
Perceived Comfort |
0,078 |
0,007 |
0,164 |
0,869 |
|
|
|
Effort Used |
0,085 |
0,199 |
4,357 |
0,000 |
|
|
|
Health-Stress |
0,108 |
0,124 |
1,974 |
0,049 |
|
|
|
Work-Family Conflict |
0,050 |
-0,582 |
12,996 |
0,000 |
|
|
According to Table 6, the R-squared
value of the regression model is 0.667 and the model is significant. (p=0.000
and F=246.167 R-squared value shows that the model explains 67% of the variance
in perceived external satisfaction, which is the dependent variable of the
model. The effect of perceived comfort on perceived external satisfaction is
not significant (p<0.05). It is seen that the effort used positively affects
the perceived external satisfaction (β= 0,199). Accordingly, as the effort
used increases, perceived intrinsic satisfaction increases. It is seen that
health stress positively affects perceived external satisfaction
(β=0,124). Accordingly, as health-stress increases, perceived external
satisfaction increases. Work-family conflict has a negative effect on perceived
external satisfaction (β=-0,582). Accordingly, as work-family conflict
increases, perceived external satisfaction decreases.
Tab. 7
The Effect of perceived comfort,
effort used, health-stress on work-family conflict
|
Dimension |
Standard
Error |
Standardized
Beta |
t |
p |
R |
Adjusted
R2 |
|
Fixed value |
0,160 |
|
7,308 |
0,000 |
0,812 |
0,658 |
|
Perceived Comfort |
0,071 |
0,044 |
1,021 |
0,308 |
|
|
|
Effort Used |
0,075 |
0,266 |
5,930 |
0,000 |
|
|
|
Health-Stress |
0,071 |
0,968 |
21,038 |
0,000 |
|
|
According to Table 7, the R square
value of the regression model is 0.658 and the model is significant (p=0.000
and F=310.082). R square value shows that the model explains 65% of the
variance of the dependent variable, work-family conflict. The effect of
perceived comfort on work-family conflict is not significant (p<0.05). It is
seen that the effort used positively affects work-family conflict
(β=0,266). Accordingly, as the effort used increases, work-family conflict
increases. It is seen that health stress positively affects work-family
conflict (β=0,968). Accordingly, as health-stress increases, work-family
conflict increases.
5.
CONCLUSION, DISCUSSION AND RECOMMENDATION
With the development of technology
and the increase in the demand for air transportation, the profession of cabin
crew is becoming more and more important due to its advantages such as the
opportunity to discover new places at home and abroad, economic opportunities,
and social image. However, problems arise in the profession. Therefore, issues
such as working conditions, life satisfaction, job satisfaction, organizational
commitment, team harmony, work-family conflict, the history of civil aviation
and developments in the profession are the subject of research.
In this study, a survey was
conducted with the participation of 484 cabin crew members residing in
Istanbul. The effect of working terms and conditions on work-family conflict
and life satisfaction. The effects of the factor sub-dimensions obtained from
the scales used as a result of exploratory factor analysis on life satisfaction
were evaluated.
The scale of perception of physical
working conditions was validated and reliable as 3 sub-dimensions and 29 items,
and as a result of exploratory factor analysis, it was determined that the data
values were within the acceptable range. The sub-dimensions of the perception
scale on physical working conditions were named as "perceived
comfort", "effort used" and "health-stress". The
validity and reliability of the life satisfaction perception scale was made as
2 sub-dimensions and 6 items. Life satisfaction perception scale sub-dimensions
were named as "perceived internal satisfaction" and "perceived
external satisfaction". The validity and reliability of the work-family
conflict scale was made as 1 sub-dimension and 10 items. The sub-dimension of
the work-family conflict scale was named as "work-family conflict".
The results of the multiple
regression analysis to determine the effect of the sub-dimensions of the
perception scale of physical work conditions and the sub-dimension of the
work-family conflict scale on the sub-dimensions of the life satisfaction scale
are as follows.
As a result of the regression
analysis conducted to determine the effect of perceived comfort, effort used,
health-stress and work-family conflict sub-dimensions on intrinsic life
satisfaction, it was seen that the effort used sub-dimension had no significant
effect on perceived intrinsic satisfaction. Other factor sub-dimensions had a
significant and positive effect on perceived intrinsic satisfaction. This means
that as perceived comfort and health-stress increase, perceived intrinsic life
satisfaction will increase and as work-family conflict increases, perceived
intrinsic satisfaction will decrease. There are many studies supporting the results
of the research (Öcal, 2008; Mustafayeva,
2013; Tunç, S. 2019; Gökmen,
2019). On the other hand, Çakıcı et al.
(2013) revealed that workload positively affects life satisfaction in their
research on work-life satisfaction in automotive enterprises. The reason for
this is that the increase in workload reduces the possibility of dismissal,
that is, employees see the workload as a job guarantee.
As a result of the regression
analysis conducted to determine the effect of perceived comfort, utilized
effort, health-stress and work-family conflict sub-dimensions on external life
satisfaction, it was found that perceived comfort factor sub-dimension had no
significant effect on perceived external satisfaction. Other factor
sub-dimensions had a significant and positive effect on perceived external
satisfaction. This means that as the effort and health-stress factor dimensions
increase, perceived external satisfaction will increase and as the work-family
conflict increases, perceived external satisfaction will decrease.
The results of the multiple
regression analysis conducted to determine the effect of the perception of
physical work conditions scale sub-dimensions on the work-family conflict scale
sub-dimension are as follows.
As a result of the multiple regression
analysis conducted to determine the effect of perceived comfort, utilized
effort and health-stress factor sub-dimensions on work-family conflict, it was
seen that perceived comfort factor sub-dimension had no significant effect on
work-family conflict. It was observed that the effort used and health-stress
factor sub-dimensions had a significant and positive effect on work-family
conflict. This means that as the effort used increases, work-family conflict
will also increase. The studies of Akbolat (2020) and
Dinç (2021) on the effect of working terms and
conditions on work-family conflict coincide with the results of this study.
When the results of the research are
evaluated in general, airline companies that want to adapt to the developing
and changing world should attach importance to cabin crew members who provide
them with the greatest advantage in a tough competitive environment. Businesses
that want to create loyal employees or increase organizational commitment in
employees should approach the issues of comfort, effort and health-stress in
the working areas of employees more carefully. They should improve the factors
that negatively affect their lifes satisfaction due to working conditions.
Work-family conflict of employees is a factor affecting their work performance.
Therefore, arrangements should be made for work-family conflict. The
performance of the employee with job and life satisfaction will be more
efficient and effective. It can be said that this will positively affect the
efficiency and performance of the enterprise and increase its competitiveness
and image.
The results of this research have
provided important data for future research. Recommendations for airline
businesses based on the results of the research are listed below.
It is recommended to conduct
research on how to make the airline cabin crew's working areas, which may vary
from aircraft to aircraft, the most efficient for the crew.
During the flight, more practical
places can be determined for the materials to be used in case of emergencies
that may occur. During the flight, the necessary measures can be determined and
implemented to expose the crew to less harmful materials.
It should be ensured that those who
prefer the cabin crew profession have accurate information about the terms and
conditions of the job during the recruitment process so that individuals can
make the right decision.
In order to reduce the level of
work-family conflict of cabin crew, it is suggested that in case of emergencies
(family reasons, health problems, etc.), managers should be given the necessary
leave without fear of dismissal or salary deduction.
Promotion opportunities for cabin
crew can be organized in order to increase their life satisfaction. When the
time comes, cabin crew can take the cabin chief exam. Because the satisfaction
that individuals feel in business life affects the satisfaction in other life
areas.
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[1] Faculty of Tourism, Gaziantep
University, July 15, University Boulevard, 27410 Gaziantep/Türkiye.
Email: surmemetin@gmail.com. ORCID:
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9810-7073
[2] Institute of Social Sciences, Gaziantep University, July 15, University Boulevard, 27410 Gaziantep/Türkiye. Email: burakcubuk1@hotmail.com. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9810-7073