A Study on the Employees' Perception of Robots on Unemployment and Turnover Intention: Focused on Korean Deluxe Hotels

Purpose: This study aims to investigate the impact of employees' perception of robots (perceived advantages and disadvantages of robots, previous experience with robots, social skills of robots, and robots awareness) on robot-induced unemployment and to examine the relationship between robots awareness and turnover intention in Korean deluxe hotels. Design/methodology/approach: A survey was conducted with 400 employees working alongside robots in deluxe hotels. Based on the collected data, exploratory factor analysis, correlation analysis, simple regression analysis, and multiple regression analysis were performed to analyze how various perceptions of robots affect unemployment and turnover intention. Findings: This study revealed that hotel employees' perceptions of robot adoption significantly impact robots-induced unemployment and turnover intention. In particular, robot awareness acted as a key factor in promoting voluntary turnover intention, with employees expressing anxiety about the possibility of robots replacing their jobs and considering new employment opportunities. Additionally, as the social skills of robots improved, concerns about job displacement increased. On the other hand, previous experience with robots did not significantly affect unemployment or turnover intention. This study empirically analyzed the psychological and emotional responses of employees to robot adoption. Research limitations/implications: The findings of this study are limited to employees in deluxe hotels. Future research should validate these results across other industries. The implications suggest that the hotel industry needs to enhance positive perceptions of robots and develop HR strategies to alleviate concerns about employment instability and turnover due to the introduction of robots. Originality/value: This study provides key insights by analyzing the multifaceted impact of hotel employees' perceptions of robots on robot-induced unemployment and turnover intention. It differentiates itself from previous research by identifying robots awareness as a significant predictor of voluntary turnover intention. These findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the psychological and social effects of robot adoption on the employment environment.