How Service Sabotage and Rude Customers Disrupt Your Sleep

Research from Boston University indicates that the stress resulting from interactions with rude customers often extends beyond the workplace, negatively impacting employee health and sleep quality.

A study coauthored by Sunny Kim, an assistant professor at the Boston University School of Hospitality Administration and a CISS affiliate, found that specific coping mechanisms used by hospitality workers can backfire.

The research identifies a phenomenon known as service sabotage, where employees cope with disrespectful customers by engaging in quiet retaliation.

These retaliatory actions are typically subtle gestures intended to help the worker regain a sense of control after a negative encounter.

Examples of service sabotage include moving more slowly when a customer asks for a check or a refill, or becoming less attentive to the customer’s needs.

While these actions may feel empowering in the moment, the study found that the strategy often fails to provide genuine relief.

Instead of alleviating stress, service sabotage can trigger rumination, causing workers to replay the incident repeatedly in their minds long after their shift has ended.

This mental cycle of replaying the interaction can follow employees home and disrupt their sleep.

The findings were published in the International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management.

The Impact of Customer Incivility

Customer incivility is described as a prevalent stressor within the hospitality industry that can lead to detrimental consequences for worker well-being.

Hospitality workers are often trained to smile and remain professional even when customers rudely question their competence, complain about wait times they did not cause, or express frustration through non-verbal cues like rolling their eyes.

According to the research, these interactions can shape an employee’s professional identity, self-esteem, and overall job satisfaction.

The study utilized the conservation of resource (COR) theory to examine how customer incivility spills over into an employee’s personal life via service sabotage and negative rumination.

Kim’s research suggests that common workplace advice, such as telling employees to just don’t take it personally, may be the wrong approach to managing these stressors.

By analyzing why these interactions linger, the study aims to provide insights into how managers can better protect their teams from the psychological toll of customer incivility.

The research emphasizes that the way employees react to rude customers directly shapes how they feel and their ability to recover during their off-hours.