The moderating role of emotional state in the effect of perceived quality of food service provided by businesses on employee socialization

This research examines the effects of food services provided in workplaces on the socialization levels of employees and whether positive and negative emotions play a moderating role in this relationship. In the study conducted with the participation of 326 employees receiving service from a food factory in Ankara Başkent OSB, the average age of the participants was 36.48, the majority of them were male (81.3%) and blue-collar employees. The three basic dimensions of perceived food quality in the research were considered as attractiveness of the food, hygiene and service standards. The socialization levels of the employees and their positive and negative emotional states were measured with scales whose validity and reliability were previously proven. The conformity of the data to normal distribution was verified by examining the skewness and kurtosis values, and correlation and hierarchical regression methods were applied for the analyses. The findings revealed that the attractiveness of the food and service standards had significant and positive effects on the socialization levels of employees (p<0.05), while the hygiene factor did not have a significant effect. In addition, the hypotheses that positive and negative emotions played a moderating role in this relationship were not supported (p>0.05). This situation shows that the effects of employees' emotional states may vary depending on the context and individual differences. The results of the study emphasize that the aesthetic appeal and service standards of food services offered in workplaces strengthen the social interactions of employees, while indicating that hygiene, although an individual priority, has a limited direct effect in this context. It is recommended that employers evaluate food services not only as a side benefit but also as a strategic tool that increases employee loyalty and satisfaction. In this context, improvements in the aesthetics and service quality of food services can strengthen employees' job satisfaction and social ties. The study makes an important contribution to the literature that examines the effects of food services on individual well-being and organizational success.