The Causes and Consequences of Service Worker Burnout

Researchers are investigating the potential impact of service worker job burnout and its consequences, including job performance and turnover.  The research team is comprised of researchers from the Fogelman College of Business & Economics in collaboration with researchers from two other universities.

Interactions between customers and frontline service workers generate "moments of truth". The success or failure of these interactions determines the long term existence of an organization.  Since frontline service workers are the face of the organization, they experience a great deal of stress in trying to balance customer demands with those of the organization.

The research project seeks to expand understanding of factors that affect frontline service workers’ job performance and loyalty to their organization. A comprehensive service worker performance model has been developed and is being tested using data from 50 branches of a large bank.

The investigation considers the interplay between two major organizational factors, job demands and job resources, in affecting the emotional drain experienced by frontline service workers and subsequent job outcomes. The project specifically focuses on the role of service workers’ customer orientation as a critical personality resource.  A worker’s customer orientation may serve to buffer the negative effects of job demands which lead to burnout.  Insights from this project should provide clear guidelines for recruitment and training of frontline service workers.

The research team comprises Dr. Emin Babakus (ebabakus@memphis.edu), Professor of Marketing, The University of Memphis, Dr. Nicholas Ashill, Associate Professor of Marketing, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand, and Dr. Ugur Yavas, Professor of Marketing, East Tennessee State University.

Read more about FCBE research