Effects of customer entitlement on service workers' physical and psychological well-being: a study of waitstaff employees.
J Occup Health Psychol
; 16(4): 391-405, 2011 Oct.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-21688917
ABSTRACT
This exploratory study examines the nature of customer entitlement and its impact on front-line service employees. In an open-ended qualitative inquiry, 56 individuals with waitstaff experience described the types of behaviors entitled customers engage in and the kinds of service-related "perks" these individuals feel deserving of. Participants explained how they responded to entitled customers, how and when managers became involved, and how their dealings with these patrons influenced their subjective physical and psychological well-being. We found that the behaviors of entitled customers negatively impacted waitstaff employees. Participants reported physiological arousal, negative affect, burnout, and feelings of dehumanization as a result of dealing with these patrons. While respondents drew on a variety of strategies to manage their encounters with entitled customers, they indicated workplace support was often informal and described feeling abandoned by management in dealing with this workplace stressor. Approaching customer entitlement as a form of microaggression, we offer recommendations for practice and suggest new directions for future research.
Texto completo:
1
Colección:
01-internacional
Base de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Satisfacción Personal
/
Estrés Psicológico
/
Salud Laboral
/
Comportamiento del Consumidor
/
Relaciones Interpersonales
Tipo de estudio:
Guideline
/
Qualitative_research
Aspecto:
Determinantes_sociais_saude
Límite:
Adolescent
/
Adult
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
/
Middle aged
País/Región como asunto:
America do norte
Idioma:
En
Revista:
J Occup Health Psychol
Asunto de la revista:
MEDICINA OCUPACIONAL
/
PSICOLOGIA
Año:
2011
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Canadá