The dark side of robot usage for hotel employees: An uncertainty management perspective

Abstract

The increasing usage of service robots in hotels has generated discussions about their positive impacts. However, little research has been done on the adverse aspects of robot usage from the perspective of the employees, and few studies have investigated the antecedents of employee robot risk awareness. This study posits that employees are aware of potential threats posed by robots; they observe the organization's investment in robot development and witness customers' satisfaction with robot usage. People with greater robot risk awareness engage in more withdrawal behaviors at work (employee sample in Study 1) and report lower intentions to work in the hospitality industry (student sample in Study 2). Those two relationships are further contingent upon employees' learning goal orientation. The proposed relationships were validated by a survey-based study (612 frontline employees) and two experiments (205 student participants). Based on the research results, hotels are encouraged to emphasize augmentation but not automation.