Employees’ sabotage formation in upscale hotels based on conservation of resources theory (COR): antecedents and strategies of attachment intervention

Purpose Rooted in conservation of resources (COR) theory (frequently applied to conflict and stress). The purpose of this study is to classify customer stressors into dysfunctional attitude and behavior and proposes strategies, such as parent and colleague attachment, as a resource pool to prevent employees’ sabotage behavior. Design/methodology/approach A two-step method was adopted by the suggestion from Anderson and Gerbing (1998) with an on-site survey carried out within ten upscale hotels. Findings Study results indicated that dysfunctional customers significantly influence service sabotage through job burnout and depression. In addition, attachment was demonstrated as an effective strategy by examining its moderating effects. Research limitations/implications Theoretically, the mechanism of sabotage formation was clarified as external customers’ factors (i.e. dysfunctional attitude and behavior) as well as internal psychological factors (i.e. negative states such as burnout and depression). Practically, the attachment (i.e. colleagues and parents) was identified as an effective moderator for preventing sabotage, although only in the early stage (i.e. depression stage). Originality/value For the first time, the current study attempts to explain the sabotage formation process by using COR with the integration of intervention.