Service employees' job insecurity in the era of AI: buffering roles of mindfulness and self-efficacy

Purpose This study aims to examine how the awareness of smart technology, artificial intelligence, robotics and algorithms (STARA) affects service employees' turnover intentions and when this relationship can be buffered. We assessed the mediating relationship between STARA awareness, job insecurity and turnover intention and the moderating effects of mindfulness and self-efficacy. Design/methodology/approach To reduce common method variance and make stronger causal inferences, we administered surveys to 318 South Korean service employees in three waves, each spaced three months apart. We tested our hypotheses using Mplus macro and bootstrapping (N = 5,000). Findings As predicted, we found a mediating relationship between STARA awareness, job insecurity and turnover intention. We observed a three-way interaction effect of STARA awareness, mindfulness and self-efficacy on job insecurity. When mindfulness and self-efficacy were high, the positive association between STARA awareness and job insecurity and the positive effect of STARA awareness on turnover intention through job insecurity were the least pronounced. Originality/value Our study elucidates the buffering roles of personal traits in the context of STARA by demonstrating mindfulness and self-efficacy as synergistic psychological resources that mitigate the deleterious effects of STARA on job insecurity and turnover intention.