Customer mistreatment is a pervasive issue in service industries, with detrimental effects on employee well-being, job attitudes, and performance. Current research highlights the potential of goal-oriented, promotive coping as an effective strategy for mitigating these negative impacts. However, the heterogeneity in outcomes and limited empirical samples underscore the need for further investigation. This research direction aims to explore how goal-oriented, promotive coping can be optimized across varying workplace contexts and employee characteristics.
While goal-oriented, promotive coping has shown effectiveness, its application is influenced by various moderating factors, such as situational and individual characteristics. Identifying these boundary conditions is critical for developing targeted strategies that enhance the coping mechanisms of employees. This research direction seeks to investigate the role of moderators in the mistreatment-coping relationship to uncover nuanced insights into employee behaviour.
Customer mistreatment is often conceptualized through a singular lens, such as goal failure. Broadening these perspectives to include frameworks like interactional injustice, affective events, or resource depletion can provide a more comprehensive understanding of coping strategies. This research direction encourages exploration of alternative conceptualizations to identify innovative solutions for managing customer mistreatment.
The proposed research directions address critical gaps in understanding coping strategies in response to customer mistreatment. By focusing on optimizing goal-oriented promotive coping, identifying boundary conditions, and expanding conceptual frameworks, future studies can contribute to creating resilient service organizations that prioritize employee well-being and performance in the face of persistent challenges.