The Effect of Customer Verbal Aggression on Burnout in Frontline Employees in Hotels and Travel Agencies: The Moderating Role of Perceived Supervisor Support

Abstract

This study aimed to assess the effect of customer verbal aggression (CVA) on job burnout (JB) in frontline employee in both hotels and travel agencies, trying to reveal if there is a difference between both sectors in this context. The study additionally tested the moderation role of perceived supervisor support (PSS) in the relation between customer verbal aggression and burnout in hotels and travel agencies. Two versions of the questionnaire were distributed online. The first among hotels employees and the second was addressed to travel agencies employees; 613 were retrieved and analyzed using the version of Spss 23.0. The results showed a significant difference among the level of customer verbal aggression, job burnout, and perceived supervisor support in hotels and travel agencies. Although there was a significant relation between customer verbal aggression and job burnout among frontline employees in both settings, this relationship was moderated by PSS in hotels but not in travel agencies. Eventually, the study concludes with recommendations and practical managerial implications in this regard and it can be considered as a first step for helping practitioners to efficiently manage such a phenomenon.