Sleepless after sabotage: the hidden costs of coping with customer incivility

Purpose Customer incivility is a prevalent stressor in the hospitality industry, often leading to detrimental consequences. Drawing on the conservation of resource (COR) theory, this study aims to examine the spillover effects of customer incivility on employees’ sleep quality through service sabotage behaviors and negative rumination. In addition, this study investigates whether distancing coping moderates the daily relationship between customer incivility and service sabotage at the cross-level. Design/methodology/approach This study used a time-lagged experience sampling methodology to capture employees’ daily reactions. In total, 671 pre-shift surveys and 667 post-shift surveys were collected from 74 hospitality employees in China. A multilevel linear modeling paradigm was used to test the study hypotheses. Findings The authors find that customer incivility increases service sabotage, which, in turn, negatively affects sleep quality through negative rumination. Moreover, distancing coping amplifies this indirect effect, highlighting its unintended consequences. Practical implications This study reveals the hidden personal costs of service sabotage on employee well-being and highlights that relying solely on distancing is not an effective strategy for coping with incivility. The findings provide valuable guidance for organizations seeking to better support employees who have just experienced customer incivility. Originality/value This study extends COR theory by uncovering a previously overlooked loss spiral that connects workplace stressors (customer incivility), morally discrediting behaviors such as service sabotage, negative rumination and non-work outcomes (sleep quality). It also highlights the understudied role of distance coping, suggesting that it is not an effective emotion-regulation strategy.