Effective coping strategies for stressed frontline employees in service occupations: outcomes and drivers

Despite extensive research on the negative outcomes of role ambiguity in boundary-spanning positions, insight into how to prevent frontline employees from experiencing role ambiguity is sparse. This study addresses questions as to how the problem-focused coping strategies used by frontline employees can effectively reduce perceived role ambiguity. The gathered evidence indicates that only action coping is effective, whereas instrumental support seeking in fact enhances perceived role ambiguity. An examination of intrinsic and extrinsic coping resources as drivers of coping has revealed that conscientiousness and supervisor support are helpful coping resources. Contrastively, neuroticism drives insufficient coping and inhibits the effective use of coping resources. We find that managers of service firms should provide training to ensure effective supervisor support; also, in recruitment procedures they should consider potential employees’ personality traits, to reduce and prevent role ambiguity experienced by frontline employees.