Linking 'unit emotion work' to customer satisfaction and loyalty: A multilevel study in the hospitality industry

Abstract

[eng] Emotion work, or the requirement to display certain emotions at the workplace, has been predominantly studied from an individual perspective. However, many services are commonly provided by work-units and teams and, therefore, studying ‘unit emotion work’ and its effects on customers is of research and practical interest. ‘Unit emotion work’ refers to shared perceptions developed by unit members regarding their emotional job requirements. In this article, we first empirically test whether emotion work can be considered as a unit shared property in the hospitality industry. Second, we investigate the multilevel effects of ‘unit emotion work’ on customer satisfaction and loyalty. Survey data were collected from employees of 117 work units and 1069 customers in Spain. We found evidence for shared perceptions of ‘unit emotion work’ in three dimensions (the requirement to display positive emotions, sensitivity requirements towards customers’ emotions, and emotion-rule dissonance). Multilevel analyses showed a significant positive effect of sensitivity requirements on customer loyalty, a significant negative effect of emotion-rule dissonance on customer satisfaction, and a non-significant relationship between requirement of positive emotions and customer outcomes. Our findings provide the first empirical evidence for ‘unit emotion work’ and its impact on customer outcomes in the hospitality industry.