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Customer incivility as an identity threat for frontline employees: The mitigating role of organizational rewards

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  • Boukis, Achilleas
  • Koritos, Christos
  • Papastathopoulos, Avraam
  • Buhalis, Dimitrios

Abstract

This work proposes identity theory as a novel theoretical lens for understanding frontline employees' responses to customer incivility in tourism and hospitality. We advance pertinent research by demonstrating that customer incivility constitutes a dual identity threat (individual/collective threat) for frontline employees. Two experimental studies reveal that: customer incivility towards frontline employees' individual identity affects their psychological responses more adversely than their citizenship behavior; non-monetary rewards are more effective at reducing the adverse effects of customer incivility on frontline employees' psychological responses (than monetary rewards); finally, allowing frontline employees to choose the reward they deem most appropriate enhances both their psychological responses and citizenship behavior. Based on these results a four-step process is proposed to help managers dealing with customer incivility.

Suggested Citation

  • Boukis, Achilleas & Koritos, Christos & Papastathopoulos, Avraam & Buhalis, Dimitrios, 2023. "Customer incivility as an identity threat for frontline employees: The mitigating role of organizational rewards," Annals of Tourism Research, Elsevier, vol. 100(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:anture:v:100:y:2023:i:c:s0160738323000282
    DOI: 10.1016/j.annals.2023.103555
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    References listed on IDEAS

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