Cultural Upbringings and Jobs

Abstract

This paper looks at the multicultural front-of-house employees at Rusacks Hotel and how work ethics, emotional labour and ties to hierarchy are shaped by culturally embedded moral economies. Based on auto-ethnographic reflection and interviews, it makes the case that conceptions of commitment, limits and professional behaviour are heavily influenced by inherited culture narratives rather than just personal preference. While UK standards emphasise balance, personal development and critical contact with management, precarious experiences in Eastern Europe encourage diligence, obedience and self-sacrifice. These competing viewpoints give light on how employees in the hospitality business negotiate, reinterpret or disobey cultural conventions on a regular basis. By bringing theory and lived experience into the dialogue, the paper demonstrates that work is a culturally rooted habit, and it highlights the importance of management strategies that respect multiple moral worlds rather than enforcing a single normative paradigm.