Abstract
Purpose: This study investigates how intense dissatisfaction among frontline employees in the luxury retail sector leads to negative brand-oriented behaviours, conceptualized as employee brand hate.
Design/methodology/approach: A database of 2,721 negative employee reviews from Glassdoor.com was analysed using opinion mining, semi-supervised machine learning techniques and regression analysis.
Findings: The analysis of employee-generated content identified ten key drivers of negative word-of-mouth. These drivers were further examined through category ranking and comparative analyses across variables such as employee seniority and department.
Practical implications: Key issues identified from the employees' perspective provide actionable strategic priorities for mitigating brand hate and strengthening internal brand perceptions.
Originality/value: This study extends the brand hate literature by examining employee-driven negative brand-oriented behaviours in the luxury retail sector.