Supervisor Communication Practices and Service Employee Job Outcomes

Abstract

On the basis of findings from the communications, marketing, and management literatures, the relations between four supervisor communication practices and service employee job performance, job satisfaction, and facets of ambiguity are examined. The results indicate that supervisor communication practices are differently associated with service employee job outcomes; frequency of supervisor-service employee communication is associated with employee job satisfaction, indirect communication content is associated with reduced employee ambiguity regarding the supervisor, and bidirectional communication is associated with employee job performance and multiple sources of employee ambiguity. Service employee ambiguity regarding customers is negatively related to job performance and satisfaction, whereas ambiguity regarding ethical situations is negatively associated with job satisfaction alone.