Exploring the Interrelationships between Service Climate, Work Engagement, Work Ethic and Employee Service Behaviour: A Study of the Hotel Industry in Nigeria

Abstract

The aim of this study is to investigate how service climate, work engagement and work ethic relate to employee service behaviour in the hotel industry in Nigeria. The strategic role of people in organisations requires a deeper understanding of the antecedents of employee behaviour. In the new post-COVID-19 workplace, where social norms are being redefined, identifying the predictors of service behaviour is becoming increasingly important. Four research questions address the effects of service climate on employee service behaviour; the mediating and moderating effects of work engagement and work ethic respectively; as well as the mediating effects of service climate between work ethic and employee service behaviour.

Data were collected from 579 employees and 152 supervisors across 53 hotels in Nigeria. The hypothesised relationships were tested using regression techniques. The main findings show positive effects of service climate on employee service behaviour, mediating effects of work engagement and moderating effects of work ethic; and mediating effects of service climate
between work ethic and employee service behaviour. The main contribution to knowledge in the field is the extension of existing theory by investigating the effects of three predictors of multiple-rated service behaviours in a sub-Saharan African context. Results suggest that the service organisation can proactively influence positive employee behaviours by creating a conducive work environment. Furthermore, this research highlights the importance of work
engagement and work ethic in influencing these behaviours. This study incorporated a novel technique in OB methodology by using mixed-effects modelling (MEM) and fixed-effects modelling (FEM) to test the same hypotheses.

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Identifiers

ORCID for Belinda Nwosu: orcid.org/0000-0002-5928-0794

ORCID for Michail Veliziotis: orcid.org/0000-0002-2245-587X

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