Service Robots Reduce Employee Loneliness in Tourism and Hospitality Sector

Strategic Insights -

Research conducted by investigators from Zhengzhou University in China reveals that service robots can reduce workplace loneliness among employees in the tourism and hospitality sector. The study, which included a scenario-based online experiment and a field experiment, found that the social presence of robots can decrease loneliness among employees, with employee-robot rapport and interpersonal closeness serving as partial mediators. The research also identified the need for human interaction as a moderating factor in the relationships between robot social presence and employee-robot rapport and interpersonal closeness.

Key Takeaways:

  • The study found that service robots can reduce workplace loneliness among employees in the tourism and hospitality sector.
  • The social presence of robots decreases loneliness among employees, with employee-robot rapport and interpersonal closeness serving as partial mediators.
  • The need for human interaction moderates the relationships between robot social presence and employee-robot rapport and interpersonal closeness, as well as the mediating effects.
  • The research clarifies the mechanisms and boundary conditions of the impact of service robots on employee loneliness.
  • The study contributes to the literature on service robots and extends social presence theory.
  • The research provides insights for robotics management and human resource management in the tourism and hospitality sector.
  • The study was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities, China Postdoctoral Science Foundation, Guangzhou Philosophy and Social Sciences 14th Five-Year Plan Funds, Shenzhen Philosophy and Social Sciences Funds, Jinan University Shenzhen Campus Funding Program, Jinan University Shenzhen Tourism College's Health Tourism Research Center, and Hong Kong Scholars Program.
  • The study's authors include Shujie Fang, Xin Liu, Zhibin Lin, and Lu Zhang.

Statistics:

  • 109: The volume and issue number of the Tourism Management journal where the research was published.
  • 2025: The year the study was conducted and published.
  • 49: The page number of the Leisure & Travel Week where the news report was published.

Sources:

  • NewsRx. Investigators from Zhengzhou University Report New Data on Robotics (No Man Is an Island: Will Service Robots Reduce Employee Loneliness?). Leisure & Travel Week. August 9, 2025; p 49.
  • Fang, S., Liu, X., Lin, Z., & Zhang, L. (2025). No Man Is an Island: Will Service Robots Reduce Employee Loneliness? Tourism Management, 109.