Customer abuse to service workers: an analysis of its social creation within the service economy

Abstract

Evidence from a range of sources suggests that customer abuse to service workers is a significant phenomenon. This article argues that a large part of customer abuse is endogenously created within the fabric of the service economy. Thirty book-length ethnographies were coded for relevant data and a fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis was undertaken. The findings show that frequent customer abuse is associated with a configuration of the promotion of customer sovereignty (at organizational, sectoral and national levels), the weak position of labour, the higher social status position of customers vis-à-vis workers and the structuring of service interactions as encounters.

Hearing music in service interactions: A theoretical and empirical analysis

“…There are times when the 'myth' of customer sovereignty is laid bare during the service interaction, what Carlzon (1997) calls 'moments of truth', and enchantment turns sour. As the proximal face of the organisation, service workers can find themselves exposed to the anger of the disenchanted consumer who may meet them only fleetingly (Korczynski and Evans, 2013), anger which workers are expected to 'take' or 'manage' using 'emotional labour' (Hochschild, 1983;Bolton, 2004).…”

Voicing their complaints? The silence of students working in retail and hospitality and sexual harassment from customers

“…In addition, some interviewees expect to be treated disrespectfully by certain customers, because of their relational superiority or 'customer sovereignty' (Korczynski & Ott 2004;Korczynski & Evans 2013), in which customers are encouraged to believe they have elevated social Labour and Industry 311 status and control over service transactions because of their financial power. The importance of customers to the employment relationship in service work accords with Albin's (2011) argument that the employment relationship in this context is triangular, involving workers, managers, and customers, as customers are directly involved in some aspects of the work relationship, such as tipping or performance monitoring, through mystery shoppers or customer feedback surveys.…”

Organizational Governance: A Promising Solution for Varieties of Workplace Bullying

“…(D'Cruz, 2015), the substantive area has insufficient literature on them, with attention here almost exclusively concentrated on customers, that too at the interpersonal level (Bishop & Hoel, 2008;D'Cruz & Noronha, 2014aGlasø, Bele, Nielsen, & Einarsen, 2011;Hogh, Carneiro, Giver, & Rugulies, 2011). Customer bullying is defined as forms of customer behavior which are seen by frontline workers in a wide range of service occupations as aggressive, intimidating or insulting to themselves (Korczynski & Evans, 2013;Yagil, 2008). The entrenchment of customer sovereignty in the service economy as organizations pursue competitive advantage (Korczynski & Evans, 2013) accords customers the freedom to behave as they please with frontline employees (Harris & Reynolds, 2003), thereby legitimizing and normalizing customer bullying (Korczynski & Evans, 2013;Yagil, 2008).…”

“…Customer bullying is defined as forms of customer behavior which are seen by frontline workers in a wide range of service occupations as aggressive, intimidating or insulting to themselves (Korczynski & Evans, 2013;Yagil, 2008). The entrenchment of customer sovereignty in the service economy as organizations pursue competitive advantage (Korczynski & Evans, 2013) accords customers the freedom to behave as they please with frontline employees (Harris & Reynolds, 2003), thereby legitimizing and normalizing customer bullying (Korczynski & Evans, 2013;Yagil, 2008). The relevance of understanding and addressing customer bullying is increasingly emphasized in the contemporary context since there is a growing predominance of service work which privileges triadic employment relationships including not just employers and employees but also customers (Korczynski, 2002).…”