Academy of Management Journal 2011, Vol. 54, No. 2, 312–334.
Academy of Management Journal 2011, Vol. 54, No. 2, 312–334.
DAILY CUSTOMER MISTREATMENT AND EMPLOYEE SABOTAGE AGAINST CUSTOMERS: EXAMINING EMOTION AND RESOURCE PERSPECTIVES
MO WANG HUI LIAO YUJIE ZHAN University of Maryland JUNQI SHI Peking University
Taking emotion and resource perspectives, we examined the daily relationship between customers’ mistreatment of employees and employee sabotage of customers, as well as employees’ individual- and unit-level emotion-based and resource-based moderators for this relationship. Multilevel analyses of daily survey data from 131 call center employees showed that daily customer mistreatment significantly predicted customer-directed sabotage. In addition, supporting the emotion perspective, employees’ negative affectivity exacerbated the effect of customer mistreatment on customerdirected sabotage, whereas employees’ self-efficacy for emotional regulation weakened such effect. Further, supporting the resource perspective, job tenure and service rule commitment both weakened the effect of customer mistreatment.
Customer mistreatment of employees, or lowquality interpersonal treatment employees receive from their customers (Bies, 2001), is a growing problem for service organizations (Caruana, Ramaseshan, & Ewing, 2001; Grandey, Dickter, & Sin, 2004; Harris & Reynolds, 2003). For example, Grandey et al. (2004) reported that call center employees experience customer mistreatment an average of ten times a day. Examples of customer mistreatment include treating the employee in disrespectful, demeaning, unreasonable, or aggressive ways (e.g., Dormann & Zapf, 2004; Grandey et al., 2004; Skarlicki, Van Jaarsveld, & Walker, 2008). Studies have generally found a positive relationship between such mistreatment of employees by customers and employee emotional exhaustion, demonstrating the detrimental effect of customer mistreatment (e.g., Dormann & Zapf, 2004; Grandey et al., 2004; Grandey, Kern, & Frone, 2007). However, to our
DAILY CUSTOMER MISTREATMENT AND EMPLOYEE SABOTAGE AGAINST CUSTOMERS: EXAMINING EMOTION AND RESOURCE PERSPECTIVES
MO WANG HUI LIAO YUJIE ZHAN University of Maryland JUNQI SHI Peking University
Taking emotion and resource perspectives, we examined the daily relationship between customers’ mistreatment of employees and employee sabotage of customers, as well as employees’ individual- and unit-level emotion-based and resource-based moderators for this relationship. Multilevel analyses of daily survey data from 131 call center employees showed that daily customer mistreatment significantly predicted customer-directed sabotage. In addition, supporting the emotion perspective, employees’ negative affectivity exacerbated the effect of customer mistreatment on customerdirected sabotage, whereas employees’ self-efficacy for emotional regulation weakened such effect. Further, supporting the resource perspective, job tenure and service rule commitment both weakened the effect of customer mistreatment.
Customer mistreatment of employees, or lowquality interpersonal treatment employees receive from their customers (Bies, 2001), is a growing problem for service organizations (Caruana, Ramaseshan, & Ewing, 2001; Grandey, Dickter, & Sin, 2004; Harris & Reynolds, 2003). For example, Grandey et al. (2004) reported that call center employees experience customer mistreatment an average of ten times a day. Examples of customer mistreatment include treating the employee in disrespectful, demeaning, unreasonable, or aggressive ways (e.g., Dormann & Zapf, 2004; Grandey et al., 2004; Skarlicki, Van Jaarsveld, & Walker, 2008). Studies have generally found a positive relationship between such mistreatment of employees by customers and employee emotional exhaustion, demonstrating the detrimental effect of customer mistreatment (e.g., Dormann & Zapf, 2004; Grandey et al., 2004; Grandey, Kern, & Frone, 2007). However, to our