The Effect of Emotional Labor on Burnout: The Moderating Role of Psychological Capital

Abstract

In the current study we sought to examine the relationships among emotional labor, psychological capital (PsyCap), and burnout. Given that a fairly large percentage of the United States labor force is employed in jobs that require employees to manage their emotional displays, it is imperative that we examine the consequences of emotional display management at work. Previous research strongly supports a positive relationship between emotional labor and burnout. Therefore, in the current study, self-report measures of the three study variables were used to test to see whether the presence of PsyCap, a positive personal resource, had the ability to weaken the relationship between emotional labor and burnout among a sample of working professionals. It was found that emotional labor positively correlated with overall burnout, emotional exhaustion, and depersonalization. Additionally, PsyCap negatively correlated with overall burnout, emotional exhaustion, and depersonalization, and positively correlated with personal accomplishment. Lastly, emotional labor negatively correlated with PsyCap. Results also showed that PsyCap moderated the relationship between emotional labor and the emotional exhaustion component of burnout. Limitations and future directions are discussed.