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“I want to help but customers mistreat me”: the dual moderating role of prosocial motivation on the impact of customer mistreatment

Wenzhu Lu (School of Management, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China)
Jialiang Pei (School of Business Administration, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China)
Xiaolang Liu (School of Management, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, China)
Lixun Zheng (School of Management, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China)
Jianping Zhang (School of Business Administration, Guangdong University of Finance, Guangzhou, China)

International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management

ISSN: 0959-6119

Article publication date: 12 November 2024

97

Abstract

Purpose

Based on the stressor-detachment theory, this study aims to investigate the effect of daily customer mistreatment on proactive service performance and ego depletion, mediated by psychological detachment inhibition during the evening. Additionally, this study endeavors to investigate the dual moderating role of prosocial motivation.

Design/methodology/approach

A time-lagged, diary daily survey involving 74 participants over 8 consecutive workdays was conducted to test the hypotheses.

Findings

The findings indicate that the psychological detachment inhibition during the evening of Day t mediates the impact of Day t’s customer mistreatment on Day t + 1’s proactive service performance and ego depletion. Furthermore, although prosocial motivation was found to intensify the impact of customer mistreatment on psychological detachment inhibition, it alleviated the negative association between psychological detachment inhibition and proactive service performance.

Research limitations/implications

When employees experience customer mistreatment, hospitality managers should not only provide emotional reassurance and resolve any related issues promptly but also encourage employees to engage in activities that distract them and help them to relax and recharge, especially for those who exhibit high prosocial motivation. Moreover, hiring employees with high prosocial motivation is recommended for hospitality organizations to enable them to maintain high service performance.

Originality/value

This study focuses on psychological detachment inhibition during the evening linking within-person design and daily spill-over impact, enriching the mechanisms through which the repercussions of daily customer mistreatment extend beyond the immediate workday and affect individuals’ outcomes. This study also expands upon the existing literature by clarifying the dual aspects – both detrimental and beneficial – of prosocial motivation.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

Funding: This research is funded by the Natural Science Foundation of China youth project (72002072 72202045).

Declarations: The authors declare no competing interests.

Citation

Lu, W., Pei, J., Liu, X., Zheng, L. and Zhang, J. (2024), "“I want to help but customers mistreat me”: the dual moderating role of prosocial motivation on the impact of customer mistreatment", International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-04-2024-0480

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2024, Emerald Publishing Limited

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