[New Publication] Sunny Kim Explores How Hospitality Employees Respond to Customer Incivility
Misun (Sunny) Kim, Assistant Professor at Boston University’s School of Hospitality Administration, has co-authored a new study published in the International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management examining how frontline hospitality employees cope with difficult customer interactions.
The study, “A person-centered analysis of how hospitality employees cope with customer incivility,” takes a closer look at how employees combine different coping strategies rather than relying on a single approach. Using two studies and latent profile analysis, the researchers identified four distinct coping profiles: Problem-Solver, Balancer, Super-Coper, and Drifter.
The findings show that more intense customer incivility makes employees more likely to adopt disengaged or moderate coping approaches, while strong supervisor support encourages more active and effective coping. The research highlights the important role that managers and organizations can play in protecting employee well-being while maintaining service quality. The study offers practical insights for hospitality organizations seeking to strengthen employee resilience, develop targeted coping training, and create supportive work environments in the face of challenging customer interactions.
- Date: Sep 8th, 2026