Similarity-attraction theory perspective on service employees and service robots’ interactions

Building on the similarity-attraction theory and congruity theory, this research explores how a service robot’s ethnic appearance (i.e., congruent vs. incongruent with mainstream ethnicity) and accent (i.e., non-standard vs. standard) influence employees’ expected enjoyable interactions and expected service robot helping behavior, leading positive word-of-mouth to work with robots. We tested hypotheses using a scenario-based 2 × 2 between-subjects experimental design with Chinese restaurant employees (Study 1) and UK hotel employees (Study 2). Both studies reveal that the congruity of robots’ appearance with the mainstream population leads to employees’ expected enjoyable interaction and service robot helping behavior. Enjoyable interaction has positive effects on employees’ word-of-mouth. The moderating effect of service robot accents was supported by the Chinese sample, but not by the UK sample. This research contributes to a deeper understanding of human-robot interactions and highlights the importance of involving employees’ perceptions of appearance and functional features when designing service robots.