Purpose

This study aims to investigate the effects of workplace racial discrimination among Asian American (AA) employees in the restaurant industry and examines what kinds of employee coping responses can mitigate its detrimental effects on their work behaviors.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper uses an exploratory sequential mixed-methods approach, starting with a qualitative study using the critical incident technique followed by a quantitative between-subjects experiment to examine the impact of employee coping responses to racial discrimination on employee competence and work quality of life (WQOL).

Findings

The study reveals that customer-perpetrated racial discrimination is the most common form of racial discrimination that AA employees face in the restaurant industry. In addition, confrontation is the most effective coping strategy to increase employee’s self-competence. Also, the severity of discrimination moderates the effect of coping strategies on employee’s self-competence. Employees’ self-competence mediates the relationship between their response strategy against discrimination and their WQOL.

Research limitations/implications

The findings of this study suggest that confrontation is an effective coping strategy for targeted employees, compared to support-seeking or avoidance. Confrontation was perceived as competent, compared to other coping strategies, and in turn, enhanced WQOL.

Originality/value

This study expands the scope of racial discrimination research in the hospitality literature for the growing diversified hospitality workforce. In addition, this study provides practical insights into competent ways of coping with racial discrimination.

中文翻译：

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针对亚裔美国员工的种族歧视：员工应对策略对员工能力和工作生活质量的影响

 目的

本研究旨在调查工作场所种族歧视对餐饮业亚裔美国人 (AA) 员工的影响，并探讨什么样的员工应对反应可以减轻其对工作行为的有害影响。

设计/方法论/途径

本文采用探索性序贯混合方法，首先使用关键事件技术进行定性研究，然后进行定量受试者间实验，以检验员工对种族歧视的应对反应对员工能力和工作生活质量的影响（WQOL ）。

 发现

研究表明，顾客实施的种族歧视是 AA 员工在餐饮业面临的最常见的种族歧视形式。此外，对抗是提高员工自我能力最有效的应对策略。此外，歧视的严重程度会减弱应对策略对员工自我能力的影响。员工的自我能力调节了他们针对歧视的应对策略和他们的工作生活质量之间的关系。

研究局限性/影响

这项研究的结果表明，与寻求支持或回避相比，对抗是目标员工的有效应对策略。与其他应对策略相比，对抗被认为是有效的，进而提高了生活质量。

 原创性/价值

这项研究扩大了酒店业文献中种族歧视研究的范围，以适应日益多元化的酒店业劳动力。此外，这项研究还提供了应对种族歧视的有效方法的实用见解。