Robots at the Table: Unveiling Employee Experiences of Robot Integration in Malaysia’s Hospitality Industry
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14764/10.ASEAS-0140Keywords:
Automation, Employee Experience;, Employment Relations, Hospitality Labor, Service RobotsAbstract
This study examines how frontline restaurant employees in Malaysia experience and interpret the integration of service robots within a labor-scarce hospitality sector characterized by reliance on a migrant workforce and high-touch service traditions. Drawing on survey data from 142 employees across 22 robot-integrated restaurants, complemented by open-ended survey comments, the study identifies an ‘anxiety paradox’: while employees appreciate robots as supportive tools that alleviate workload pressures, higher Performance Expectancy of service robots is associated with lower Job Satisfaction, suggesting that perceived capability can heighten concerns about human substitutability and the future value of service labor. Organizational support partially mitigates these tensions, underscoring the importance of workplace conditions in shaping technology-labor relations. By foregrounding employee perspectives, the study contributes to debates in labor process theory and socio-technical systems, demonstrating how automation in Southeast Asian hospitality sectors reshapes employee experiences of job security, satisfaction, and worker identity.
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