The Hidden Costs of Pro-Customer Rule Breaking: How It Fuels Employee Expediency

Abstract

While prior research has emphasized the beneficial effects of pro-customer rule breaking (PCRB) on service outcomes, its impact on the employees themselves has received limited attention. However, engaging in PCRB may have unintended negative consequences for employees. We propose that, due to its inherently conflicting nature, PCRB may undermine moral self-regulation and thereby lead to employee expediency. Drawing on self-regulation failure theory, we develop a three-path model—moral decoupling, psychological entitlement, and self-regulatory resource depletion—to explain why and how PCRB increases subsequent employee expediency. We tested our theoretical model using an experience sampling method. Data were collected from 104 frontline service employees in a hotel group over 5 consecutive workdays, resulting in 537 daily observations. The results provided overall support for our model. We conclude by discussing the theoretical and practical implications of these findings.