A STUDY TO UNDERSTAND THE COSTS AND BENEFITS OF EMPLOYEE INTERACTION WITH THE PUBLIC: EXTENDING THE KNOWLEDGE ON THE TYPOLOGY, CONSEQUENCES, PROCESSES, AND CONTINGENCIES

Abstract

Research on emotional labor and burnout paints public contacts with employees in a negative light, whereas work design studies highlight its positive aspects. The researchers contend that these divergent points of view emerge because various branches of literature take on very specific stances. In this dissertation, a paradigm is developed and tested that uses valence (good or negative) and content (affect-based or task-based) characteristics to classify employees' interactions with the public as either maltreatment, gratitude, problematic requests, or collaboration. Afterwards, they use these metrics to forecast employee happiness (emotional tiredness and work satisfaction) and performance (e.g., completing assigned tasks, being proactive with customers, and being rude to customers), as well as the underlying processes and boundary conditions of these outcomes. The researchers discovered that both good and negative contacts with the public contribute to employee well-being and performance based on multilevel analyses of the service employee-supervisor dyads from different organizations in China. On top of that, the researchers discovered that bad public encounters (such rude or unhelpful consumers) may not necessarily have a negative impact on staff. This research takes a methodical look at the connections between various forms of public engagement and important work-related outcomes, including the patterns, mediating mechanisms, and boundary conditions of these relationships. Implications for customer service performance research and practice are substantial in light of these results.