The The Impact of Service Robots on Employee Burnout in the Hospitality Industry: An Empirical Study
Keywords:
Keywords: service robots, employee burnout, emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, hospitality industry
Abstract
Abstract: This study aims to investigate the impact of service robots on the well-being of hospitality employees, with a particular focus on key burnout dimensions: Emotional Exhaustion, Depersonalization, and Personal Accomplishment. Empirical data were collected through an online questionnaire, which was completed by 1,234 employees from the hospitality industry across four Southeastern European countries: Croatia, Serbia, Montenegro, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. The results of the Mann-Whitney U-test revealed significant findings. Employees who worked with service robots reported lower levels of Emotional Exhaustion and Depersonalization compared to those who did not. However, they also experienced lower levels of Personal Accomplishment, suggesting a mixed impact of robot integration on employee well-being. These findings highlight the complex relationship between service robot adoption and employee burnout. While robots may reduce emotional strain and detachment, they may also lead to diminished feelings of professional achievement. The results underscore the importance of adopting a balanced approach to robot integration in hospitality settings, ensuring that technological advancements contribute to both operational efficiency and employee well-being. This research provides valuable insights into the broader implications of service robot use in the hospitality industry.
References
References
Bhargava, A., Bester, M. & Bolton, L. (2021). Employees’ Perceptions of the Implementation of Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, and Automation (RAIA) on Job Satisfaction, Job Security, and Employability. Journal of Technology in Behavioral Science, 6, 106–113. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41347-020-00153-8
Chen, C.-C., & Cai, R. (2025). Are robots stealing our jobs? Examining robot-phobia as a job stressor in the hospitality workplace. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 37(1), 94–112. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-09-2023-1454
Chen, M., Wang, X., Law, R., & Zhang, M. (2023). Research on the frontier and prospect of service robots in the tourism and hospitality industry based on international core journals: a review. Behavioral Science, 13(7), 1-21. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs13070560
De Vaus, D. (2013). Surveys in Social Research. London: Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203501054
Fu, S., Zheng, X., & Wong, IA. (2022). The perils of hotel technology: The robot usage resistance model. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 102, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2022.103174
Gutierriz, I., Ferreira, J. J., & Fernandes, P. O. (2023). Digital transformation and the new combinations in tourism: a systematic literature review. Tourism and Hospitality Research, 25(2), 194-213. https://doi.org/10.1177/14673584231198414
He, G., Zheng, X., Li, W., Zheng, L., & He, Y. (2023). The Dark Side of Employee Collaboration with Robots: Exploring Its Impact on Self-Esteem Threat and Burnout. International Journal of Human–Computer Interaction, 41(1), 85–101. https://doi.org/10.1080/10447318.2023.2295691
Horpynich, H., Mistry, T. G., & Doğan, S. (2025). Service robots in hospitality: A cognitive appraisal perspective on job insecurity, turnover intentions, and generational differences. Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Technology, 6(1), 194–212. https://doi.org/10.1108/JHTT-03-2024-0189
Ivanov, S., Gretzel, U., Berezina, K., Sigala, M., & Webster, C. (2019). Progress on robotics in hospitality and tourism: a review of the literature. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Technology, 10(4), 489-521. https://doi.org/10.1108/JHTT-08-2018-0087
Yam, K. C., Tang, P. M., Jackson, J. C., Su, R., & Gray, K. (2023). The rise of robots increases job insecurity and maladaptive workplace behaviors: Multimethod evidence. The Journal of applied psychology, 108(5), 850–870. https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0001045
Liu, X., Zhang, L., & Zhu, T. (2024). Service robots in my workplace: effects of employee-service robot co-work experiences on psychological empowerment. Journal of Hospitality Marketing & Management, 34(2), 175–203. https://doi.org/10.1080/19368623.2024.2402488
Liu, X., Zhang, L., Lin, Z., & Guan, X. (2025). Robots make me feel more like a human! Investigating how employee-robot engagement reduces workplace depersonalization. Tourism Management, 109, 1-44. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2025.105149
Liu, X., Zhang, L., Lin, M.S., & Jia, G. (2025). Paying for robotic errors: exploring the relationship between robot service failure stressors, emotional labor and recovery work engagement. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 37(6), 2023-2048. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-08-2024-1188
Lukić Nikolić, J. (2024). Perceived Effects of Robotic Process Automation on Work Tasks and Processes: A Study of an IT Company in the Republic of Serbia. Journal of Scientific & Industrial Research (JSIR), 83(11), 1236-1245. https://doi.org/10.56042/jsir.v83i11.5466
Lukić Nikolić, J., Labus, P. (2024a). Robotic systems in food and beverage preparation facilities: key implications for leaders and human resources. Economics of Agriculture, 71(1), 59-73. https://doi.org/10.59267/ekoPolj240159L
Lukić Nikolić, J., & Labus, P. (2024b). The Relationship Between Workplace Robots, Employee Exhaustion, and Turnover Intentions in the Age of Industry 5.0: Research from Four Southeastern European Countries. The South East European Journal of Economics and Business, 19(2), 103-118. https://journal.efsa.unsa.ba/index.php/see/article/view/247
Maslach, C., Jackson, S. E. & Leiter, M. P. (1996). Maslach Burnout Inventory Manual. Mountain View, California: CPP.
Nikolova, M., Cnossen, F., & Nikolaev, B. (2024). Robots, meaning, and self-determination. Research Policy, 53(5), 1-23. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2024.104987
Pan, S., Lin, Y., & Wong, J.W. (2025). The dark side of robot usage for hotel employees: An uncertainty management perspective. Tourism Management, 106, 1-12.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2024.104994
Park, S. (2020). Multifaceted trust in tourism service robots. Annals of Tourism Research, 81, 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annals.2020.102888
Parvez, M. O., Öztüren, A., Çobanoğlu, C., Araslı, H., & Eluwole, K. K. (2022). Employees’ perception of robots and robot-induced unemployment in hospitality industry under COVID-19 pandemic. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 107, 103336. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2022.103336
Sarfraz, M., Han, H., Ivascu, L., Ozturk, I., & Raza, M. A. (2024). Service robot performance and hospitality employees’ job loss insecurity and turnover. Innovation: The European Journal of Social Science Research, 1–23. https://doi.org/10.1080/13511610.2024.2417932
Song, Y., Zhang, M., Hu, J., & Cao, X. (2022). Dancing with service robots: the impacts of employee-robot collaboration on hotel employees’ job crafting. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 103, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2022.103220
Taber, K. S. (2018). The Use of Cronbach’s Alpha When Developing and Reporting Research Instruments in Science Education. Research in Science Education, 48, 1273-1296. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11165-016-9602-2
Wang, J., Sun, Y., Zhang, S., & Feng, L. (2024). The effect of service robot use on tourism staff career identity: an experimental study. Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing, 41(9), 1244–1261. https://doi.org/10.1080/10548408.2024.2408335
Xu, J., Hsiao, A., Reid, S., & Ma, E. (2023). Working with service robots? A systematic literature review of hospitality employees’ perspectives. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 113, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2023.103523
Zhang, L.-X., Li, J.-M., Wang, L.-L., Mao, M., & Zhang, R.-X. (2023). How does the usage of robots in hotels affect employees’ turnover intention? A double-edged sword study. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management, 57, 74–83. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhtm.2023.09.004
Bhargava, A., Bester, M. & Bolton, L. (2021). Employees’ Perceptions of the Implementation of Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, and Automation (RAIA) on Job Satisfaction, Job Security, and Employability. Journal of Technology in Behavioral Science, 6, 106–113. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41347-020-00153-8
Chen, C.-C., & Cai, R. (2025). Are robots stealing our jobs? Examining robot-phobia as a job stressor in the hospitality workplace. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 37(1), 94–112. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-09-2023-1454
Chen, M., Wang, X., Law, R., & Zhang, M. (2023). Research on the frontier and prospect of service robots in the tourism and hospitality industry based on international core journals: a review. Behavioral Science, 13(7), 1-21. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs13070560
De Vaus, D. (2013). Surveys in Social Research. London: Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203501054
Fu, S., Zheng, X., & Wong, IA. (2022). The perils of hotel technology: The robot usage resistance model. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 102, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2022.103174
Gutierriz, I., Ferreira, J. J., & Fernandes, P. O. (2023). Digital transformation and the new combinations in tourism: a systematic literature review. Tourism and Hospitality Research, 25(2), 194-213. https://doi.org/10.1177/14673584231198414
He, G., Zheng, X., Li, W., Zheng, L., & He, Y. (2023). The Dark Side of Employee Collaboration with Robots: Exploring Its Impact on Self-Esteem Threat and Burnout. International Journal of Human–Computer Interaction, 41(1), 85–101. https://doi.org/10.1080/10447318.2023.2295691
Horpynich, H., Mistry, T. G., & Doğan, S. (2025). Service robots in hospitality: A cognitive appraisal perspective on job insecurity, turnover intentions, and generational differences. Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Technology, 6(1), 194–212. https://doi.org/10.1108/JHTT-03-2024-0189
Ivanov, S., Gretzel, U., Berezina, K., Sigala, M., & Webster, C. (2019). Progress on robotics in hospitality and tourism: a review of the literature. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Technology, 10(4), 489-521. https://doi.org/10.1108/JHTT-08-2018-0087
Yam, K. C., Tang, P. M., Jackson, J. C., Su, R., & Gray, K. (2023). The rise of robots increases job insecurity and maladaptive workplace behaviors: Multimethod evidence. The Journal of applied psychology, 108(5), 850–870. https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0001045
Liu, X., Zhang, L., & Zhu, T. (2024). Service robots in my workplace: effects of employee-service robot co-work experiences on psychological empowerment. Journal of Hospitality Marketing & Management, 34(2), 175–203. https://doi.org/10.1080/19368623.2024.2402488
Liu, X., Zhang, L., Lin, Z., & Guan, X. (2025). Robots make me feel more like a human! Investigating how employee-robot engagement reduces workplace depersonalization. Tourism Management, 109, 1-44. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2025.105149
Liu, X., Zhang, L., Lin, M.S., & Jia, G. (2025). Paying for robotic errors: exploring the relationship between robot service failure stressors, emotional labor and recovery work engagement. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 37(6), 2023-2048. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-08-2024-1188
Lukić Nikolić, J. (2024). Perceived Effects of Robotic Process Automation on Work Tasks and Processes: A Study of an IT Company in the Republic of Serbia. Journal of Scientific & Industrial Research (JSIR), 83(11), 1236-1245. https://doi.org/10.56042/jsir.v83i11.5466
Lukić Nikolić, J., Labus, P. (2024a). Robotic systems in food and beverage preparation facilities: key implications for leaders and human resources. Economics of Agriculture, 71(1), 59-73. https://doi.org/10.59267/ekoPolj240159L
Lukić Nikolić, J., & Labus, P. (2024b). The Relationship Between Workplace Robots, Employee Exhaustion, and Turnover Intentions in the Age of Industry 5.0: Research from Four Southeastern European Countries. The South East European Journal of Economics and Business, 19(2), 103-118. https://journal.efsa.unsa.ba/index.php/see/article/view/247
Maslach, C., Jackson, S. E. & Leiter, M. P. (1996). Maslach Burnout Inventory Manual. Mountain View, California: CPP.
Nikolova, M., Cnossen, F., & Nikolaev, B. (2024). Robots, meaning, and self-determination. Research Policy, 53(5), 1-23. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2024.104987
Pan, S., Lin, Y., & Wong, J.W. (2025). The dark side of robot usage for hotel employees: An uncertainty management perspective. Tourism Management, 106, 1-12.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2024.104994
Park, S. (2020). Multifaceted trust in tourism service robots. Annals of Tourism Research, 81, 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annals.2020.102888
Parvez, M. O., Öztüren, A., Çobanoğlu, C., Araslı, H., & Eluwole, K. K. (2022). Employees’ perception of robots and robot-induced unemployment in hospitality industry under COVID-19 pandemic. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 107, 103336. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2022.103336
Sarfraz, M., Han, H., Ivascu, L., Ozturk, I., & Raza, M. A. (2024). Service robot performance and hospitality employees’ job loss insecurity and turnover. Innovation: The European Journal of Social Science Research, 1–23. https://doi.org/10.1080/13511610.2024.2417932
Song, Y., Zhang, M., Hu, J., & Cao, X. (2022). Dancing with service robots: the impacts of employee-robot collaboration on hotel employees’ job crafting. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 103, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2022.103220
Taber, K. S. (2018). The Use of Cronbach’s Alpha When Developing and Reporting Research Instruments in Science Education. Research in Science Education, 48, 1273-1296. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11165-016-9602-2
Wang, J., Sun, Y., Zhang, S., & Feng, L. (2024). The effect of service robot use on tourism staff career identity: an experimental study. Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing, 41(9), 1244–1261. https://doi.org/10.1080/10548408.2024.2408335
Xu, J., Hsiao, A., Reid, S., & Ma, E. (2023). Working with service robots? A systematic literature review of hospitality employees’ perspectives. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 113, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2023.103523
Zhang, L.-X., Li, J.-M., Wang, L.-L., Mao, M., & Zhang, R.-X. (2023). How does the usage of robots in hotels affect employees’ turnover intention? A double-edged sword study. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management, 57, 74–83. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhtm.2023.09.004