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Customer incivility and emotional labor: the mediating role of dualistic work passion and the moderating role of conscientiousness

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Abstract

Customer incivility is common in service-oriented organizations, possibly having a detrimental effect on the jobs of employees who experience it. Based on the affective events theory, this study explored the mechanism of customer incivility on emotional labor. We also explored the mediating role of dualistic work passion and the moderating role of conscientiousness. We surveyed employees from the catering and hospitality industries, collected data at two time points, and performed data analysis using structural equation modeling. The study found that harmonious passion mediated between customer incivility and deep acting, while obsessive passion mediated between customer incivility and surface acting. Conscientiousness not only moderated the relationship between customer incivility and dualistic work passion but also moderated the mediating role of dualistic work passion in the relationship between customer incivility and emotional labor. Our findings enrich related research on customer incivility, and theoretical and practical implications and future research directions are proposed.

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Data availability

The data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the first author.

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Funding

This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (72172032), the Natural Science Foundation of Hebei Province (G2021501006), and the Liaoning Soft Science Foundation Think Tank Expert Project (2022JH4/10100003).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Business Administration, Northeastern University, Shenyang, 110167, Liaoning Province, China

    Jia-Min Li, Xiao-Fei Zhang & Lan-Xia Zhang

  2. School of Management, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, 150001, Heilongjiang Province, China

    Ruo-Xi Zhang

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  1. Jia-Min Li
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Correspondence to Lan-Xia Zhang.

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Appendix

Appendix

Items measuring customer incivility (Source: Walker et al., 2014)

  1. 1.

    Spoke aggressively toward the employee.

  2. 2.

    Used a tone when speaking with the employee.

  3. 3.

    Asked aggressive questions (e.g., “Really?” “Are you kidding?”).

  4. 4.

    Made curt statements toward the employee.

Items measuring harmonious passion (Source: Vallerand et al., 2003)

  1. 1.

    This job allows me to live a variety of experiences.

  2. 2.

    The new things that I discover with this job allow me to appreciate it more.

  3. 3.

    This job allows me to live memorable experiences.

  4. 4.

    This job reflects the qualities I like about myself.

  5. 5.

    This job is in harmony with the other activities in my life.

  6. 6.

    For me it is a passion, that I still manage to control.

  7. 7.

    I am completely taken with this job.

Items measuring obsessive passion (Source: Vallerand et al., 2003)

  1. 1.

    I cannot live without it.

  2. 2.

    The urge is so strong. I can’t help myself from doing this job.

  3. 3.

    I have difficulty imagining my life without this job.

  4. 4.

    I am emotionally dependent on this job.

  5. 5.

    I have a tough time controlling my need to do this job.

  6. 6.

    I have almost an obsessive feeling for this job.

  7. 7.

    My mood depends on me being able to do this job.

Items measuring deep acting (Source: Grandey, 2003)

  1. 1.

    I tried to experience the emotions I had to show to the customer.

  2. 2.

    I worked hard to feel the emotions that I needed to show to this customer.

  3. 3.

    I made a strong effort to feel the emotions that I needed to display toward this customer.

Items measuring surface acting (Source: Grandey, 2003)

  1. 1.

    I just pretended to have the emotions that I needed to display to this customer.

  2. 2.

    I put on a “mask” to display the emotions my manager wants me to display.

  3. 3.

    I put on a “show” or “performance” when interacting with this customer.

Items measuring conscientiousness (Source: Pathki et al., 2021)

  1. 1.

    At work, I get my tasks done right away.

  2. 2.

    I am careful to put things back in their proper place at work.

  3. 3.

    At work, I like order.

  4. 4.

    I am always prepared at work.

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Li, JM., Zhang, XF., Zhang, LX. et al. Customer incivility and emotional labor: the mediating role of dualistic work passion and the moderating role of conscientiousness. Curr Psychol 42, 32324–32337 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-022-04107-6

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