The paradox of robot social competence: An inverted U-shaped impact on job insecurity and resulting employee responses

Abstract

As service robots are increasingly integrated into the tourism and hospitality industry, employees are engaging in more social collaborations with them, rendering social interactions a crucial aspect of the adaptation process. While current research has examined employee’s perception and turnover intention related to service robots, limited attention has been paid to how the robots’ social characteristics influence employees’ job insecurity and turnover intention. This study investigates the role of social competence, a key characteristic of service robots, in shaping employees’ job insecurity and, in turn, their turnover intention in the tourism and hospitality sector by conducting two online surveys. The findings reveal an inverted U-shaped relationship between service robots’ social competence and job insecurity. Initially, an improvement in robots’ social competence leads to an increase in job insecurity. However, as their social competence continues to advance beyond a certain point, it acts to reduce this sense of insecurity. Furthermore, job insecurity positively influences turnover intention, with employee resistance and acceptance serving as opposing mediators—resistance exacerbates turnover intention, while acceptance reduces it. By uncovering these mechanisms, this study advances the understanding of human-robot collaboration from the perspective of social competence, offering actionable insights for balancing service robots’ social competence to minimize employee turnover and foster smoother integration in service settings.