The drivers of service sabotage amongst frontline employees

Abstract

Frontline employees play a crucial role in service industries and the rapid expansion of these industries and their contribution to GDP in developing countries is becoming increasingly important. The "darker side" of service dynamics are the acts of sabotage by employees, which damage the service experience. Despite the growing prevalence of service industries and the acknowledgement that acts of service sabotage exist, to date there has been little published data on the drivers of service sabotage among frontline retail staff. The objective of this research was to explore the drivers of service sabotage amongst frontline employees in a retail context. Eighteen qualitative, semi-structured interviews were conducted, using the long interview method. Respondents included senior management as well as frontline employees. The study established eight drivers of service sabotage in the sample population. The drivers encompass a broad range of factors, both internal and external to the organisation, and provide useful starting points for further improvement in overall service levels. The study includes a discussion of the results and suggestions for management and for future research.