Front Office Employees Against Customer Misbehavior in Hospitality Businesses

Abstract

Purpose – Customer misbehavior creates serious consequences for employees, businesses, and other customers. In this regard, the aim of this study is to reveal the customer misbehaviors encountered by front office department employees who are in close contact with guests in hospitality businesses, as well as the behaviors and approaches used by employees to deal with these situations.
Design/methodology/approach – In the study, interview method, one of the qualitative research methods, was used. In this context, interviews were conducted with 15 front office department employees working in hospitality businesses. The data obtained were subjected to content analysis. Considering the ease and speed it provides in qualitative research, the analyses were performed using MaxQDA 24 Pro software.
Results – As a result of the research, it was determined that all front office department employees were exposed to different customer misbehaviors. Young male employees, especially those working in the front office department, receiving indecent proposals and signs of sexual harassment in their interactions with customers are factors that should be taken into consideration. Another unique finding of the study is the finding that guests migrating from underdeveloped or developing countries to developed countries (e.g. France, England, etc.) generally draw a negative guest profile. This study also reveals that customer misbehavior causes financial damage to front office employees.
Discussion – This study emphasises that customer misbehavior is not only an issue that needs to be addressed in terms of each individual's coping behavior, but also an issue that needs to be considered as a whole in the solution-finding process of hospitality businesses. Our findings will help hotel managers better understand how to deal with customer misbehavior and help employees better understand the factors that minimise negative consequences for other customers and the business.