Purpose

Customer misbehavior has a negative impact on frontline employees. However, the underlying mechanisms from customer misbehavior to employees’ negative outcomes need to be further unfolded and examined. This study aims to propose that employees’ affective rumination and problem-solving pondering could be the explanatory processes of customer misbehavior influencing employee attitudes in which coworker support could be a moderator.

Design/methodology/approach

A mixed-method approach was designed to test this study’s predictions. Study 1 conducted a scenario-based experiment among 215 full-time hospitality employees, and Study 2 used a two-wave, longitudinal survey of 305 participants.

Findings

The results demonstrate the impact of customer misbehavior on work–family conflict and withdrawal behaviors. The mediating role of affective rumination is supported and coworker support moderates the processes.

Practical implications

Customer misbehavior leads to negative outcomes among frontline employees both at work and family domains. Hotel managers should help frontline employees to cope with customer misbehavior by avoiding negative affective spillover and providing support properly.

Originality/value

The studies have unfolded the processes of affective rumination and problem-solving pondering through which customer misbehavior influences work–family conflict and withdrawal behaviors among frontline employees. The surprising findings that coworker support magnified the negative effects have also been discussed.

中文翻译：

---

顾客不当行为对一线员工工作家庭冲突及退缩行为的影响

目的

顾客的不当行为会对一线员工产生负面影响。然而，从客户不当行为到员工负面结果的潜在机制需要进一步展开和研究。本研究旨在提出，员工的情感沉思和解决问题的思考可能是客户不当行为影响员工态度的解释过程，其中同事的支持可以起到调节作用。

设计/方法论/途径

设计了一种混合方法来测试本研究的预测。研究 1 对 215 名全职酒店员工进行了基于情景的实验，研究 2 对 305 名参与者进行了两轮纵向调查。

发现

结果证明了客户不当行为对工作-家庭冲突和退缩行为的影响。情感沉思的中介作用得到支持，同事的支持调节这一过程。

实际影响

客户的不当行为会导致一线员工在工作和家庭领域产生负面后果。酒店管理者应该通过避免负面情绪溢出并提供适当的支持来帮助一线员工应对顾客的不当行为。

原创性/价值

这些研究揭示了情感沉思和解决问题的思考过程，通过这些过程，客户的不当行为会影响一线员工的工作家庭冲突和退缩行为。同事的支持放大了负面影响这一令人惊讶的发现也得到了讨论。