Purpose

Based on the stressor-detachment theory, this study aims to investigate the effect of daily customer mistreatment on proactive service performance and ego depletion, mediated by psychological detachment inhibition during the evening. Additionally, this study endeavors to investigate the dual moderating role of prosocial motivation.

Design/methodology/approach

A time-lagged, diary daily survey involving 74 participants over 8 consecutive workdays was conducted to test the hypotheses.

Findings

The findings indicate that the psychological detachment inhibition during the evening of Day t mediates the impact of Day t’s customer mistreatment on Day t + 1’s proactive service performance and ego depletion. Furthermore, although prosocial motivation was found to intensify the impact of customer mistreatment on psychological detachment inhibition, it alleviated the negative association between psychological detachment inhibition and proactive service performance.

Research limitations/implications

When employees experience customer mistreatment, hospitality managers should not only provide emotional reassurance and resolve any related issues promptly but also encourage employees to engage in activities that distract them and help them to relax and recharge, especially for those who exhibit high prosocial motivation. Moreover, hiring employees with high prosocial motivation is recommended for hospitality organizations to enable them to maintain high service performance.

Originality/value

This study focuses on psychological detachment inhibition during the evening linking within-person design and daily spill-over impact, enriching the mechanisms through which the repercussions of daily customer mistreatment extend beyond the immediate workday and affect individuals’ outcomes. This study also expands upon the existing literature by clarifying the dual aspects – both detrimental and beneficial – of prosocial motivation.

中文翻译：

---

“我想帮忙，但客户虐待我”：亲社会动机对客户虐待影响的双重调节作用

 目的

本研究基于压力源分离理论，旨在探讨日常客户虐待对主动服务绩效和自我消耗的影响，其介导是夜间心理分离抑制。此外，本研究试图探讨亲社会动机的双重调节作用。

设计/方法/方法

进行了一项延时、日记式的每日调查，涉及 74 名参与者，连续 8 个工作日进行，以检验假设。

 发现

研究结果表明，Day t 晚上的心理分离抑制介导了 Day t 的客户虐待对 Day t + 1 的主动服务表现和自我消耗的影响。此外，尽管发现亲社会动机加剧了客户虐待对心理疏离抑制的影响，但它减轻了心理疏离抑制与主动服务表现之间的负相关。

研究局限性/影响

当员工遭受客户虐待时，酒店经理不仅应该提供情感上的安慰并及时解决任何相关问题，还应该鼓励员工参与分散他们注意力的活动，帮助他们放松和充电，特别是对于那些表现出高度亲社会动机的人。此外，建议酒店组织雇用具有高亲社会动机的员工，以使他们能够保持较高的服务绩效。

 原创性/价值

本研究侧重于晚上的心理疏离抑制，将内部设计和日常溢出影响联系起来，丰富了日常客户虐待的影响延伸到直接工作日之外并影响个人结果的机制。这项研究还通过阐明亲社会动机的双重方面——有害和有益——来扩展现有文献。