Workplace romance across different industries with a focus on hospitality and leisure

Workplace romance is not a new phenomenon; yet, not many studies have investigated this matter in organizational behavior research. Leisure and hospitality industry holds the highest rate of workplace romance (57%) among different industries. In this study, following the theory of love, we have defined workplace romance as a romantic relationship among organization employees that is hypothesized to be determined by interpersonal solidarity, interpersonal attraction, physical attraction, motivation, perceived value, and attitude towards workplace romance. Using a sample of 603 employees from 13 industry categories, the proposed hypotheses were tested by employing both variance- and covariance-based structural equation modeling. Furthermore, the moderation impacts of organizational factors of injustice perception, culture and policies, organization size, and autonomy, as well as individual factors of previous experience, gender, and marital status along with the industry factor were tested. The results supported all the hypotheses except the hypothesis concerning the impact of attitude towards workplace romance. Findings also provide some interesting differences among moderating variables.     

Managing work-generated emotions at home: An exploration of the “Bright Side” of emotion regulation

This conceptual paper applies the construct of emotion regulation to the work-family interface in order to further expand our understanding of the positive aspects of emotional labor. Contrary to the predominant view that emotional labor is stressful and produces primarily harmful outcomes, we propose that emotion regulation in work-to-home transitions reduces an individual's work-family conflict, enhances job satisfaction, and improves their spouse's family satisfaction. Indeed, work stress can cause employees to remain preoccupied with work-related thoughts and negative moods when moving from work to family settings. We argue that social display rules positively influence an individual's engagement in emotion regulation to meet family role demands. Drawing on current research on role boundaries, emotion regulation, emotional labor, and work-family conflict, we offer testable propositions to encourage future research on the beneficial aspects of emotion regulation in research on work and family. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed in closing.     

Can emotional intelligence be trained? A meta-analytical investigation

Human resource practitioners place value on selecting and training a more emotionally intelligent workforce. Despite this, research has yet to systematically investigate whether emotional intelligence can in fact be trained. This study addresses this question by conducting a meta-analysis to assess the effect of training on emotional intelligence, and whether effects are moderated by substantive and methodological moderators. We identified a total of 58 published and unpublished studies that included an emotional intelligence training program using either a pre-post or treatment-control design. We calculated Cohen's d to estimate the effect of formal training on emotional intelligence scores. The results showed a moderate positive effect for training, regardless of design. Effect sizes were larger for published studies than dissertations. Effect sizes were relatively robust over gender of participants, and type of EI measure (ability v. mixedmodel). Further, our effect sizes are in line with other meta-analytic studies of competency-based training programs. Implications for practice and future research on EI training are discussed.     

Effect of social support on customer satisfaction and citizenship behavior in online brand communities: The moderating role of support source

Customers often join online brand communities to seek support from others when they encounter product problems. Some customers who receive good social support exhibit customer citizenship behavior. This study develops a theoretical model to investigate how social support influences customer citizenship behavior through customer satisfaction with firms in online brand communities. Moreover, the moderating role of support source (i.e., firms vs. other customers) is measured. The research model is tested by using the Partial Least Squares technique. The results show that informational and emotional support significantly affects the customer citizenship behavior of providing feedback to the firm, recommendations, and helping other customers through customer satisfaction in online brand communities. Moreover, informational and emotional support from firms and other customers exert different effects on customer satisfaction.     

情绪劳动研究的进展与展望

随着服务型社会的到来,雇员应当致力于其工作场所的情绪管理,以符合顾客及机构的期望,这就是所谓的情绪劳动。情绪劳动所关注的是内部调节过程,其目的是为了表达与工作要求相符合的、适当的情感。情绪劳动是影响工作表现及机构目标的一个重要因素,它是工作表现、工作满意度和精神疲劳的一个有力的预测因素。文章对这一研究领域的重要研究成果进行了回顾,详细阐述了情绪劳动的定义、结构、策略、测量方法、前提条件、效果及可能的媒介。本文在综合评述的基础上指出了目前研究的不足之处以及未来的研究方向。     

Rules of engagement: The role of emotional display rules in delivering conservation interpretation in a zoo-based tourism context

The shifting strategic focus of zoos from sites of recreation and entertainment to predominantly visitor conservation education entails a change in the design and delivery of conservation interpretation strategies. As the primary conveyers of conservation messages, zoo guides are expected to display appropriate emotional expression (emotional labour) to establish a connection between the object of interpretation, the conservation message and the visitor. The emotional display responses of guides to role demands may not be consistent with zoo conservation-based objectives beyond delivering a service-based positive visitor experience. We examine organisational expectations for emotional display in directing the delivery of conservation-based visitor outcomes. Findings from 21 semi-structured interviews with managers and guides at an open-range zoo indicate that sources and types of display rules for visitor entertainment remain more clearly communicated than those related to conservation. Theoretical and managerial implications for the delivery of conservation messages are discussed.     

When work and life boundaries are blurred—P2P accommodation hosts’ work-life integration and consequences

Being a peer-to-peer accommodation host (P2P host) has become a popular career choice in China due to its believed advantages in balancing work and life. This option, however, has blurred the boundary between work and life and has been known to elicit a series of negative consequences in both domains. Building on boundary theory and conservation of resources theory, this study proposed and examined how work-life integration can influence P2P hosts’ perceived work-family conflict, role overload, emotional depletion, and social exchanges with customers. Using data collected from 304 P2P hosts in China, the findings of the study found that work-life integration can lead to higher levels of role overload, work-family conflict, and emotional depletion of hosts, which in turn affect their social exchange with customers.     

The future of service: The power of emotion in human-robot interaction

Astoundingly, recent technological advancements have enabled robots to display emotions. Yet, while emotional expression is valued in the field of service, understanding emotions in human-robot interaction remains underexplored. Since emotions are contagious/transmittable, this study utilised Instagram data to uncover how emotional robots influence potential consumers’ affective feelings. By employing machine learning algorithms and sentiment analysis, the findings suggest that the expressions of surprise and happiness are key to creating positive impacts on potential consumers. The cross-disciplinary nature of this study lays the groundwork for next-level social, design, and creative experiences in artificial intelligence research regarding consumer service and experience contexts.     

Explaining the Link Between Emotional Labor and Turnover Intentions: The Role of In-Depth Communication

This study investigates the relationships between three different emotional labor strategies (surface acting, deep acting, and genuine emotions) and turnover intentions and introduces the role of in-depth communication with colleagues as a potential moderator. This study was administered to employees in four Chinese hotel companies. Frontline employees were asked to participate in the survey and 216 valid responses were obtained for data analysis. The results showed that surface acting and deep acting were associated with turnover intentions, and in-depth communication with colleagues moderated the relation between deep acting and turnover intentions. Although there was not a direct effect of genuine emotions on turnover intentions, in-depth communication was a significant moderator of this relation. These findings extend previous literature by demonstrating the role of in-depth communication in shaping employees’ retention.     

情绪劳动研究的进展与展望

随着服务型社会的到来,雇员应当致力于其工作场所的情绪管理,以符合顾客及机构的期望,这就是所谓的情绪劳动。情绪劳动所关注的是内部调节过程,其目的是为了表达与工作要求相符合的、适当的情感。情绪劳动是影响工作表现及机构目标的一个重要因素,它是工作表现、工作满意度和精神疲劳的一个有力的预测因素。文章对这一研究领域的重要研究成果进行了回顾,详细阐述了情绪劳动的定义、结构、策略、测量方法、前提条件、效果及可能的媒介。本文在综合评述的基础上指出了目前研究的不足之处以及未来的研究方向。