Managing customers as employees of the firm: New challenges for human resources management

Authors: Halbesleben J.R.B.; Buckley M.R.

Source: Personnel Review, Volume 33, Number 3, 2004 , pp. 351-372(22)

Publisher: Emerald Group Publishing Limited

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Abstract:

This paper discusses the role that customers play as human resources in service-based organizations. These involve situations where a customer replaces a more traditional employee (ATMs, self-serve gas stations), or situations where the customer serves as a strategic partner by providing resources, particularly information, that are critical for the performance of the service exchange (consulting, health care, physical fitness training). After discussing the conditions under which a customer acts as a "partial employee" of a firm, we turn to a discussion of how human resource functions apply to partial employees. Research propositions are offered to guide future research in customer labor contributions.

Keywords: Human Resource Management; Customer Service Management; Service Operations; Customers

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/00483480410528878

Publication date: 2004-03-01