Double Jeopardy: Moderators and Mediators of Non-Native Speaker Status on Stress And Performance

We integrate arguments from the diversity, stress, and linguistics bodies of literature to specify the relationship between non-native speaker status and stress at work, and subsequent customer service performance. In two field studies, we find that non-native speakers who are also either female or older report the highest level of stress. In our first study, we also uncover a curvilinear mediated relationship with customer service performance via felt stress, such that performance improves as stress increases from low to moderate, then plateaus. Moderated mediation analyses in our first study further reveal that felt stress functions as a mediator of the effects of non-native speaker status on performance, but only for female or older employees. In our second study, we delineate three mediating mechanisms of the relationship between non-native speaker status and stress, finding that perceived discrimination based on accent or ethnicity as well as language anxiety each help explain why certain non-native speakers may experience more stress than native speakers. In particular, non-native speakers in general report higher levels of perceived discrimination based on accent or ethnicity, resulting in more stress. Further, female non-native speakers report more discrimination based on accent, leading to more stress. Finally, older female non-native speakers report more language anxiety, also leading to more stress. We conclude with a discussion of theoretical and practical implications.