Do illegitimate tasks undermine hospitality employees’ proactive customer service performance? A moderated dual-path model

ABSTRACT

As hospitality firms face labor shortages, employees are asked to perform a greater range of tasks than ever before. However, employees may view certain tasks as outside the acceptable boundaries of their role, and consider them illegitimate. Illegitimate tasks can have a range of negative outcomes, yet we still do not understand how such tasks affect hospitality employees. Drawing on the cognitive-affective processing system framework, we investigate the effects of illegitimate tasks on proactive customer service performance (PCSP) of hospitality employees. In addition, we examine the intervening roles of harmonious work passion and perceived insider status, and the buffering role of traditionality. The results of two studies, using mixed methods, show that illegitimate tasks negatively affected proactive customer service performance (PCSP), and that perceived insider status and harmonious work passion mediate this relationship. Moreover, traditionality moderated these effects. These findings offer several theoretical and practical implications.

由于酒店公司面临劳动力短缺，员工被要求执行比以往更广泛的任务。然而，员工可能会视某些任务超出其角色的可接受范围，并认为这些任务不合规。不合规任务会产生一系列负面结果，但我们对于此类任务如何影响酒店员工仍知之甚少。基于认知—情感个性系统理论，我们调查了不合规任务对酒店员工主动服务顾客绩效（PCSP）的影响。此外，我们还检验了和谐式工作激情和内部人身份认知的中介作用，以及传统性的抑制性调节作用。两项混合研究的结果表明不合规任务对主动服务顾客绩效（PCSP）产生负面影响，内部人身份认知和和谐式工作激情中介了上述关系。另外，传统性缓冲了上述效应。这些研究发现提供了一些理论和实践启示。

KEYWORDS:

• Illegitimate tasks
• perceived insider status
• harmonious work passion
• traditionality
• proactive customer service performance

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Illegitimate tasks scenario

During the morning meeting this morning, your supervisor points out that: 1. the receptionist is required to stay standing even when there are no guests in the hotel lobby. 2. The new system cannot read the previous data due to the upgrade of the company’s information system. The supervisor informs you to reenter the original reports into the new system. 3. In order to meet her personal preferences, the supervisor requires you to use the slide presentation in your work report.

In the afternoon, as your supervisor is in a meeting, she calls and asks you to pick up her dry cleaning and take care of the children who just got out of school. At the same time, you are asked to organize and archive documents that no one will use.

Control group scenario

During the morning meeting this morning, your supervisor points out that: 1. it is necessary to give a clear and reasonable explanation or clarification to guests’ comments and complaints. 2. Meanwhile, employees need to keep the front desk clean and supplies well maintained. 3. For important booking information, the receptionist needs to orally deliver it to the next shift staffs and make notes for matters that need attention. 4. The supervisor also mentioned that the work report can be in the form of an oral report or a slide presentation.

In the afternoon, as the supervisor is in a meeting, she calls to ask you to help her follow up on the arrival and departure of VIPs and to help her complete the department schedule for next month by 5:00 pm.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [71832007, 72262020].