Service Climate and Empowerment for Customer Service Quality among Vietnamese Employees at Restaurants

This study examines the relationship between service climate, empowerment, and organizational citizenship behavior among Vietnamese employees at restaurants in urban areas of South Korea. Moreover, the mediating role of empowerment between service climate and organizational citizenship behavior is investigated. From a sample of 209 Vietnamese respondents working in Asian ethnic restaurants, the findings indicate that work facilitation is the most influential service climate that affects empowerment. However, two service climate factors—managerial support and customer orientation—are not statistically significant. Moreover, organizational citizenship behavior among employees is enhanced not only by service climate but also by empowerment. This study provides empirical evidence of employee perceptions of service climate and of the influence of service climate on employee empowerment and organizational citizenship behavior for customer service quality. This study expands the knowledge regarding foreign employees at restaurants and provides important theoretical and practical implications for creating a sustainable work environment and empowering employees who strive for an excellent quality of customer service in the context of the restaurant industry.