Reducing turnover intention: Perceived organizational support for frontline employees

Frontline employees are generally under great pressure, and carry out repetitive and mundane daily tasks, leading to burnout and a high turnover intention among them. To identify ways to reduce this turnover intention, this study examines the effect of perceived organizational support (POS) on burnout and turnover intention in the Chinese context and adds to the literature on frontline employee burnout. Using data from a survey of the frontline employees of a gas station in Beijing, we examine the mediating effects of frontline employee burnout on their POS and turnover intention. This study shows that POS has a significant negative impact on burnout and turnover intention, and that job resources cannot substitute POS.     

Burnout processes in non-clinical health service encounters

This study employs Bagozzi's (1992) reformulation of attitude theory (appraisal → emotional response → behavior), to examine the antecedents and outcomes of burnout in a healthcare environment where healthcare workers are engaged in the novel context of non-clinical health service encounters. The findings identify significant relationships between job demand stressors (role overload, role conflict, role ambiguity and interpersonal conflict), symptoms of burnout (emotional exhaustion and depersonalization), affective job outcomes (job satisfaction and organizational commitment) and behavioral job outcomes (service recovery performance and turnover intentions) and extend our understanding of these phenomena in the largely unexplored yet important context of non-clinical health service delivery. The major implication for hospital managers is to ensure that non-clinical healthcare workers have adequate information pertaining to their job-related duties and responsibilities since role ambiguity is the only characteristic of the non-clinical work environment that influences subsequent appraisal (depersonalization), emotional response (organizational commitment) and behavior (service recovery performance) in the conceptualization of appraisal → emotional response → behavior.     

Socio-emotional and operational demands on service employees

Enacting appropriate behaviors often requires service employees to suppress genuine emotions and/or express other emotions, genuine or contrived. Managing emotions to act in a socially appropriate manner constitutes a form of labor: emotional labor. If labor demands exceed the resources of the employee, burnout arises, with negative consequences for overall psychological well-being and job performance. Similarly, task related activities engender role stress, which can also lead to burnout. Both task related role demands and socio-emotional demands are likely to be omnipresent in interpersonal interactions in service settings. Accordingly, this study sets out to investigate the simultaneous impact of these job demands on burnout in front line service professionals. Based on survey data collected from allied health service workers, the study findings strongly suggest that both socio-emotional demands and task related role demands are significant determinants of workplace stress and that their simultaneous effects on employee burnout can be large.     

An Examination of Frontline Cross-functional Integration during Retail Transactions

This research investigates cross-functional integration in contexts where customers interact with multiple frontline functions during a retail transaction. Specifically, this study: (1) proposes and empirically tests a framework for frontline cross-functional integration, (2) shows that joint reward valence alters the effects of other integration mechanisms in ways that can sometimes be detrimental, and (3) demonstrates the effects of cross-functional integration on individual sales performance and job satisfaction. The proposed framework is empirically tested in the automobile sales context with sales and finance as the frontline functions. Results indicate that cross-functional training and cohesion influence quality of communication, which in turns leads to more effective relationships. As joint reward valence increases, the positive impact of cross-functional training on communication quality is enhanced; however, the positive impact of cohesion on communication quality is reduced. Similarly, as joint reward valence increases, relationship effectiveness leads to higher individual sales performance but the positive benefits of relationship effectiveness on job satisfaction diminish. Thus, this study improves the understanding of frontline cross-functional integration and the process by which integration mechanisms influence employee outcomes.     

The Moderating Effect of the Boundary Spanning Role on Perceived Supervisory Support: A Meta-Analytic Review

This article is a meta-analytic study examining the moderating effect the boundary spanning role has on the relationship between perceived supervisory support (PSS) and other important constructs within the marketing domain, including: job satisfaction, organizational commitment, performance, and turnover intentions. There was a positive relationship between PSS and every construct except turnover intentions, which was negative. Along with this, three out of the four relationships were stronger for boundary spanners as compared to non-boundary spanners. Overall, managers aimed at meeting organizational objectives (e.g. performance; turnover) should provide supervisory support to boundary spanning employees.     

Stressors,work engagement and their effects on hotel employee outcomes

Our study aims to revisit the challenge-hindrance stressor framework among customer-contact employees. Specifically, our study links challenge and hindrance stressors to four critical employee outcomes via work engagement (WE). These outcomes are quitting intentions, service recovery performance, creative performance, and job performance. Data came from hotel employees in customer-contact positions in three waves and their direct supervisors in Nigeria. As hypothesised, WE fosters service recovery, creative, and job performances, while it mitigates quitting intentions. Inconsistent with our predictions, hindrance stressors boost WE and challenge stressors exert detrimental effects on WE. Although WE links challenge and hindrance stressors to the aforementioned outcomes, the signs of the mediating effects are not congruent with what is hypothesised in the study. These unexpected findings agree with Bakker and Sanz-Vergel’s [2013] proposition that categorisation of job demands as challenge or hindrance stressors may not always be straightforward.     

Error management culture: impact on cohesion,stress, and turnover intentions

An error management culture involves organizational practices related to communicating about errors, sharing error knowledge, quickly detecting and handling errors, and helping in error situations. Building on error management research, this study examined the influence of organizational error management culture on the turnover intentions of frontline service employees. The study also investigated the underlying mechanism that links this culture with turnover intentions. Data were collected from 345 frontline employees of hotels in Turkey. Structural Equation Modeling results revealed that employee perceptions of organizational error management culture have a direct and significantly negative impact on their turnover intentions. Furthermore, results showed that this relationship is mediated through perceived group cohesion and work stress. Using the job demands-resources model as a theoretical framework, this study revealed that organizational error management culture leads to increased group cohesion; increased group cohesion lowers work stress; and lower work stress lowers turnover intentions. This study contributes to the services management literature by demonstrating how organizational error management culture impacts employee turnover intentions.     

Does gender moderate the effects of role stress in frontline service jobs?

By focusing on gender differences in structural relationships rather than differences in levels of constructs, this study extends Babin and Boles' [Babin B. J., Boles J. S. Employee behavior in a service environment: a model and test of potential differences between men and women. Journal of Marketing 1998;62:77–91.] research examining the effects of role stress on customer-contact employees' various job outcomes to a new context (frontline bank employees in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus). Results indicate that gender has a moderating role on the relationships between role ambiguity and self-efficacy, and role conflict and job satisfaction. Cultural norms may play a role in the way gender moderates these relationships.     

组织政治知觉影响离职倾向的多重中介效应比较分析

采用问卷调查法,以珠三角地区光电制造企业中452名知识型员工为研究对象,探讨了组织政治知觉影响离职倾向的内在心理机制。结构方程建模分析结果表明:组织政治知觉能通过工作满意度、情感承诺和工作倦怠的并行多重中介作用对离职倾向产生影响,在个别中介效应大小方面,工作倦怠最大,工作满意度次之,情感承诺最小。     

Where there is light,there is dark: a dual process model of high-performance work systems in the eyes of employees

High-performance work systems have been widely adopted in the workplace. Previous research on high-performance work systems debated whether the generated effects are mutual gains or conflicting outcomes for employers and employees. Drawing on the job demands and resources model, this conceptual study proposes that high-performance work systems can be both beneficial and harmful by eliciting distinct perceptions in employees. Specifically, perceptions of job resources are the positive and perceptions of job demands are the negative mechanism whereby high-performance work systems affect employee job performance. This research further proposes that servant leadership strengthens the positive impact of high-performance work systems, whereas directive leadership strengthens the negative impact. Overall, this conceptual research provides new insights into the research on high-performance work systems.     

Where there is light,there is dark: a dual process model of high-performance work systems in the eyes of employees

High-performance work systems have been widely adopted in the workplace. Previous research on high-performance work systems debated whether the generated effects are mutual gains or conflicting outcomes for employers and employees. Drawing on the job demands and resources model, this conceptual study proposes that high-performance work systems can be both beneficial and harmful by eliciting distinct perceptions in employees. Specifically, perceptions of job resources are the positive and perceptions of job demands are the negative mechanism whereby high-performance work systems affect employee job performance. This research further proposes that servant leadership strengthens the positive impact of high-performance work systems, whereas directive leadership strengthens the negative impact. Overall, this conceptual research provides new insights into the research on high-performance work systems.     

Supervisor–Subordinate Guanxi and Employee Work Outcomes: The Mediating Role of Job Satisfaction

In this study, we attempt to explain the divergent results found in the relationships between supervisor–subordinate guanxi and employee work outcomes. Specifically, we propose that the relationships between supervisor–subordinate guanxi and participatory management, turnover intentions, and organizational commitment are mediated by job satisfaction. Based on the data collected from a sample of 196 employees of three local manufacturing firms in Zhejiang Province, China, we found that job satisfaction fully mediated the effects of supervisor–subordinate guanxi on participatory management and intentions to leave, but partially mediated the relationship between supervisor–subordinate guanxi and organizational commitment. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.     

The Development of Tertiary Services in the Economy,Labour Market and Employment

The purpose of the present study is to examine the effects of selected antecedents on the service recovery performance of frontline employees using data from frontline bank employees in Turkey. The results of the path analysis indicate that trait competitiveness, intrinsic motivation, and role ambiguity are significant antecedents of frontline employees' service recovery performance. Results also suggest that the significant consequences of service recovery performance are job satisfaction and intention to leave. The results of the other hypothesised linkages demonstrate that intrinsic motivation, emotional exhaustion, and role ambiguity are significantly associated with frontline employees' job satisfaction. In addition, the current empirical findings provide support for the notion that role ambiguity and emotional exhaustion are significant predictors of intention to leave. Limitations of the study, managerial implications, and implications for future research are discussed.     

A meta-analysis of the relationship between perceived organizational support and job outcomes: 20 years of research

Anecdotal comments from practitioners and extant empirical research suggests a tenuous link between perceived organizational support and desired employee outcomes. Accordingly, in this study the authors conduct a meta-analysis examining the effects of perceived organizational support on four employee outcomes: organizational commitment, job satisfaction, performance, and intention to leave. The authors also examine the extent to which these effects are moderated by job type (frontline vs. non-frontline employee). Findings from the study indicate that perceived organizational support has a strong, positive effect on job satisfaction and organizational commitment; a moderate, positive effect on employee performance; and a strong, negative effect on intention to leave. Study findings also indicate that the effects of perceived organizational support are more pronounced for non-frontline employees.     

Employee emotional response toward healthcare organization’s service recovery efforts and its influences on service recovery performance

Previous studies on service recovery performance of frontline employees have focused primarily on the direct relationship with the organizational efforts for service recovery. However, based on the reformulation of attitude theory (appraisal-emotional response-behaviour), we believe that the emotional responses (work engagement and burnout) toward organizational efforts for service recovery of frontline employees mediate the relationship. Thus, the purpose of this study is to examine how healthcare frontline employees show their emotional response toward the organizational efforts for service recovery and it influence on actual recovery performance. This study uses two conflicting emotional responses, burnout and work engagement, to examine how employees react toward organizational efforts, helping better understand employees?? evaluations of the efforts. Research model and hypothesis were tested using a sample of frontline employees who perform none-clinical activities in hospitals. The results showed that teamwork and empowerment have positive effects on work engagement. In addition, customer complaint management, empowerment, and teamwork influenced negatively on burnout. Lastly, work engagement and burnout showed statistically significant impact of service recovery performance of frontline employees. Among the organizational efforts for service recovery, teamwork was the most important factor in improving frontline employees?? work engagement and lessened their burnout, respectively. Interestingly, customer service training had a negative effect on burnout. Besides, by comparing our research model to two alternative models, we confirmed the validity of the research model.     

Exploring the Internal Customer Mind-Set of Marketing Personnel

SUMMARY

With a traditional focus on external customers, marketing personnel could be expected to provide a leadership role in bringing an internal customer focus to the organization. In this study, we focus on the internal customer mind-set (ICMS) of marketing personnel and how this might impact the organization. We present a theoretically driven model that integrates current human resources literature by representing ICMS as a mediator of job satisfaction/organizational commitment and job performance/turnover intentions. The most notable results are found between ICMS and job performance, through both direct and indirect effects. Future research and study limitations are discussed.     

The Customer,Co-Worker,and Management Burnout. Distinction in Service Settings

ABSTRACT

Academic research indicates that distinct types of workplace burnout exist in service settings, including management burnout (MBO), customer burnout (CUBO), and co-worker burnout (CWBO). Each type of burnout can have detrimental influences on important service outcomes. As managers attempt to improve service quality, it is important that they consider the impact of each burnout dimension. The current work extends previous work on the psychological antecedents of burnout by considering the effects of personality traits on these distinct types of burnout and by considering the extent to which each type of burnout influences customer contact behaviors and propensity to leave the service organization. The researchers present the results of an empirical study that included survey data obtained from banking employees. The results support several hypothesized relationships that relate personality traits to each burnout facet, as well as the hypothesized influence of the burnout dimensions on customer contact performance and intentions to leave the service firm. Implications of the findings and suggestions for future research are discussed.     

Antecedents of organizational citizenship behaviours among part-time employees of service organizations in Korea

This study investigates the antecedents of organizational citizenship behaviours by using data consisting of 196 part-time instructors drawn from six sport centres in the Republic of Korea. The results of a structural equation analysis suggest that job satisfaction has a positive effect on organizational and occupational commitment, occupational satisfaction has a positive effect on organizational and occupational commitment, organizational commitment has a positive effect on organizational citizenship behaviours (OCBs) and a negative effect on turnover intentions, and turnover intentions has a negative effect on OCBs. The effect of occupational commitment on both turnover intentions and OCBs was not significant. This research addresses a number of important issues in the management of human resources (i.e. part-time workers) in service organizations; that is, this study examines how part-time employees' satisfaction and commitment with respect to their jobs, occupations or organizations are related to their OCBs; this relationship is arguably one the most important issues facing service organizations today.     

How Customer Requests Influence Frontline Employee Job Outcomes: The Role of Personal Appraisal Tendencies and Situational Customer Demandingness

This study investigates how customer requests, a common phenomenon, influence frontline employee (FLE) job outcomes. We propose and demonstrate that (1) FLEs possess tendencies to appraise customer requests in both positive (i.e., challenge appraisal tendency) and negative (i.e., hindrance appraisal tendency) ways, (2) higher levels of challenge appraisal tendency result in higher levels of FLE performance and lower levels of turnover (mediated through job engagement), (3) higher levels of hindrance appraisal tendency lead to increased FLE turnover (mediated through job stress), (4) the effects of FLE appraisal tendencies on situational engagement and stress are magnified when a specific customer request is deemed to be more (rather than less) demanding, and (5) customer request appraisal tendencies are shaped by the interaction between FLEs’ level of prosocial motivation and intrinsic motivation. These results are very encouraging for managers as they imply that FLE responses to customer requests are not determined by the nature of the requests themselves (which is beyond their control) but, rather, they are a function of how FLEs construe customer requests, a process that can be influenced through organizational human resource practices.     

Between a rock and a hard place: Seizing the opportunity of demanding customers by means of frontline service behaviors

Service businesses are increasingly facing more demanding customers as a result of a shift in power from the service providers' side to the customers' side. Related literature predominantly examines the negative side of this ongoing trend, while overlooking the positive side. The major aim of this paper is to examine how frontline employees — investment account managers — deal with the ongoing increase in customer demandingness. To address this, we draw on adaptability performance theory to test the facilitating effect of frontline employees' post-transaction service behaviors (SBs) — diligence, inducements, information communication, sportsmanship, and empathy — as a means of adaptation to higher levels of customer demand. Findings indicate that frontline employees adapt most of their SBs' intensities to match customers' demands. The results show that some SBs actually increase the effectiveness and efficiency of frontline employees' service performance, leading to an increase in customer value and satisfaction. Customer value is found as a mediator in some of the relationships between SBs and customer satisfaction. Contrary to the conception of the negative outcomes of customer demandingness, service firms need to consider taking advantage of customer demandingness by stressing the role of frontline employees in adapting to customers’ demands.