The Moderating Role of Customer Orientation in The Impact of Customer Incivility on Turnover Intention

Abstract

Purpose – This study aims to examine the effect of customer incivility on turnover intention within the framework of Conservation of Resources Theory (CRT). Additionally, it seeks to investigate the moderating role of customer orientation in this relationship.
Design/methodology/approach – The study population consists of frontline employees who have direct interactions with customers in hotel and restaurant businesses operating in Erzincan. Data were collected using the convenience sampling method through face-to-face survey technique, resulting in a sample of 220 participants. The data were analyzed using AMOS, SPSS, and PROCESS Macro.
Results – The analysis results indicate that customer incivility significantly and positively affects employees' turnover intention. Moreover, it has been determined that customer orientation mitigates this negative effect and plays a moderating role.
Discussion – This study contributes to the extension of CRT by demonstrating that individual characteristics (customer orientation) can alleviate the negative effects of resource loss. The findings highlight the importance of businesses developing strategies to reduce customer incivility and implementing measures to protect employees from adverse situations.