Linking Personality, Emotional Labor and Employee Well-being: The Role of Job Autonomy

Abstract

This study aimed to examine the cause and consequence of emotional labor strategies based on the emotional labor framework. To investigate the boundary condition of the current research model, the study proposed that job autonomy would moderate the effects of emotional labor on employees' well-being. To achieve the purpose of the study, it was first tested whether neuroticism and extroversion of employees predicted the focal outcomes (i.e., burnout and work engagement) via distinct emotional labor strategies. Second, the moderation effects of job autonomy were tested for each emotional labor strategy in predicting the focal outcomes. Third, the conditional indirect effects of job autonomy on the mediation process were examined. The results revealed that surface acting partially mediated the relationship between neuroticism and burnout, whereas deep acting fully mediated the relationship between extraversion and work engagement. Regarding the moderating effects of job autonomy, it significantly moderated the relationship between surface acting and burnout and between deep acting and work engagement. In addition, from the moderated mediation effects, the conditional indirect effects of job autonomy were significant. Finally, theoretical and practical implications are discussed and limitations and future research directions were suggested.