A Comparative Analysis of Frontline Employee Wellness Benefits and Customer Responsiveness: A Social Exchange Theory Perspective

Given the importance of frontline employees (FLEs) for organizations and consumers, it is important to motivate them to achieve optimal performance. One way to motivate FLEs is through employer-provided wellness benefits, which might increase FLEs’ responsiveness to customer needs. Building on social exchange theory, this research simultaneously examines five wellness benefits to identify factors that can enhance FLEs’ feelings of being valued and an induce a sense of indebtedness, which in turn can have downstream effects on customer responsiveness. The results of five studies, including a pilot study, preliminary sales study, field studies, and an internal meta-analysis, demonstrate how food and social benefits exert the strongest effects, with food yielding stronger direct effects on customer responsiveness and both food and social benefits showing indirect effects through value and indebtedness feelings. The next-strongest effects are from mindfulness benefits. Physical and health wellness benefits exert the weakest downstream consequences. Importantly, if FLEs are in a supportive work environment, the effects of food and social benefits are enhanced. Conversely, job stressors and motivational constructs do not significantly impact the effects of employer-provided wellness benefits. By adopting the provided recommendations, retailers and service providers can institute effective and optimal wellness programs to enhance their FLEs’ customer-facing behaviors.