• Journal of Wellbeing Management and Applied Psychology
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.1-10
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• 2021

Purpose: The study sought to uncover the effect of emotional labour strategies (surface acting and deep acting) on job satisfaction and emotional exhaustion. The study also purposed to analyse the moderating effect of organisational support (supervisory support and co-worker support) and the role of gender on emotional labour connotations. Research design, data and methodology: A conceptual framework was developed using extant literature which led to the examination of deep acting and surface acting, which are the two main strategies of emotional labour. The outcome variables were emotional exhaustion and job satisfaction. Data was collected from front line employees of banks and was analysed using SEM-AMOS version 21. Results: It was revealed, in this study, that surface acting is inversely related to job satisfaction and positively related to emotional exhaustion, whereas deep acting was positively related to job satisfaction and inversely related to emotional exhaustion. The roles of gender and organisational support were also confirmed. Conclusions: The study therefore concluded that deep acting is the most ideal strategy of emotional labour as it leads to job satisfaction and reduced emotional exhaustion. Surface acting is a harmful emotional labour strategy.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.19-28
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• 2017

Background: Conservation of resources theory assumes loss of resources as a cause of job strain. In hospital work, conflicts with supervisors are tested to predict lower resources, that is, supervisory social support, participation possibilities, and appreciation. All three resources are expected to predict, in turn, experienced stress (job strain) and lower job satisfaction, lower affective commitment, and a higher resigned attitude towards the job (job attitudes). Methods: The sample included 1,073 employees from 14 Swiss hospitals (n = 604 nurses, n = 81 physicians, n = 135 medical therapists, and n = 253 technical and administrative staff). Of the total sample, 83.1% were female and 38.9% worked full-time. The median tenure was between 7 years and 10 years. Constructs were assessed by online questionnaires. Structural equation modeling was used to test mediation. Results: Structural equation modeling confirmed the negative association of conflict with supervisors and job resources. Tests of indirect paths to resources as a link between conflicts with supervisors and job attitudes were significant. For nurses, social support, participation and appreciation showed a significant indirect path, while among medical technicians the indirect paths included social support and appreciation, and among physicians only appreciation showed a significant indirect path. In medical therapists no indirect path was significant. Job resources did not mediate the link between conflict with supervisors and stress in any occupational group. Conclusion: Conflicts with supervisors are likely to reduce job resources and in turn to lower job attitudes. Work design in hospitals should, therefore, address interpersonal working conditions and conflict management in leadership development.