Driving it Home: How Workplace Emotional Labor Harms Employee Home Life

The relationship between teacher emotional labor and work/family conflict: The mediating role of teacher-colleague relations

Teaching, as a high-pressure profession, encompasses significant emotional labor that inevitably spills over into teachers' personal lives. It is imperative to acknowledge and address the influence of emotional labor in the workplace on teachers' work/family conflict. Using the conservation of resources theory, this research engaged 690 primary and secondary teachers, employing Teacher Emotional Labor Strategies Scale, Teacher-colleague Relations Scale, and Work/family Scale (work-family conflict, and family-work conflict) to examine how teacher emotional labor influence their work/family conflict and the mediating role of teacher-colleague relations. The results of structural equation modeling showed that (1) surface acting was a significant predictor of work/family conflict, but deep acting and the expression of naturally felt emotion were not. (2) teacher-colleague relations mediated the relationship between surface acting and work/family conflict. These findings highlight the role of teachers' emotional labor strategies and teacher-colleague relations in reducing teachers' work/family conflict and promoting teachers' well-being. Implications for the improvement of teacher regulation ability and school environment are identified.

Emotional labor and absenteeism among early childhood educators: The mediating roles of negative affect and psychological meaningfulness

Teacher absenteeism is one of the key factors that has been fingered as the bane of quality early childhood education in low- and middle-income countries. Failing to report to school as scheduled is considered symptomatic of emotional dysregulation. However, limited research has explored emotional labor as a possible predictor of teacher absenteeism. Therefore, this study, using the conservation of resources theory, examines the influence of emotional labor (i.e., surface and deep acting) on absenteeism, and the mediating roles of negative affect and psychological meaningfulness. Our study used cross-sectional data from 574 preschool teachers in Ghana and structural equation modeling (SEM) to test the hypotheses. The results reveal that surface acting increases absenteeism. Further, negative affect and psychological meaningfulness partially mediated surface acting and absenteeism relationship, but psychological meaningfulness fully mediated deep acting and absenteeism relationship. This study supports the theoretical assumption that teacher absence from school is a resource-based process that is associated with surface acting directly and indirectly via negative affect and psychological meaningfulness. Theoretical and practical implications of our findings are discussed.

Emotional labor as emotion regulation investigated with ecological momentary assessment - a scoping review

BACKGROUND

This scoping review's aim is to provide a comprehensive overview of ecological momentary assessment (EMA)- based research on emotional labor (EL) as emotion regulation (ER). This includes an examination of the theoretical foundation this research builds on, how the hypothesized relationships are investigated using EMA methods as well as the studies' findings themselves. We built on the work of Grandey and Melloy (J Occup Health Psychol 22:407-22, 2004), who broadly distinguished between the two regulatory strategies of deep acting (DA) and surface acting (SA), embedded in a hierarchical model of emotional labor, as a guiding theory for structuring this review.

METHODS

To be included, studies had to use EMA to measure SA or DA, with no restrictions regarding population and date of publication. The electronic databases CINAHL, PsycArticles, PsycINFO, PSYNDEX, Embase, PubMed, and Web of Science were searched. Studies were included if they met the above criteria and were written in English or German. Out of 237 publications, 12 were chosen for this review.

RESULTS

All studies were based on emotional labor theories, with Arlie Hochschild's theory being the most popular, followed by Alicia Grandey's emotional labor theory and its modifications (Grandey AA. Emotion Regulation in the Workplace: A New Way to Conceptualize Emotional Labor; Grandey AA. When "the show must go on": Surface acting and deep acting as determinants of emotional exhaustion and peer-rated service delivery. 2003). The methodological quality of the studies varied greatly. The results of the studies indicate that SA is influenced by negative events, trait SA, service innovation and certain emotions, while DA is influenced by positive events and emotional intelligence. Emotional labor benefits the organization, e.g., by improving customer conflict handling, but also causes harm by increasing employee withdrawal behavior. For the employee, emotional labor results in more harm than benefits.

CONCLUSIONS

The research area is still in its early stages and the findings are mostly consistent, but the small number of studies needs to be replicated to increase the reliability of the results. The lack of evidence for ertain hypotheses highlights the presence of unresolved relationships that require further exploration. We are only at the beginning of investigating emotional labor using ecological momentary assessment, and conducting more high-quality studies will significantly enhance our comprehension of emotional labor.

Promoting Women's Well-Being: A Systematic Review of Protective Factors for Work-Family Conflict

Work-family conflict is a prominent issue, especially in our society, where people are expected to fulfil many roles simultaneously. Work and family life demands significantly impact an individual's overall well-being, especially for women, since they typically balance caregiving for children and elderly relatives with careers. Therefore, highlighting which factors might protect women from experiencing work-family conflict is essential to enhance women's and their family's well-being. Thus, the main aim of the present study was to systematically review previous research on women's coping strategies and protective factors which can reduce the negative effects of work-family conflict. Following the PRISMA guidelines, we conducted a literature search of three databases (PubMed, PsycINFO, and Scopus). After the screening and the eligibility phases, we included a final set of 13 studies. Most of these studies adopted a cross-sectional design (N = 10), and a few adopted a longitudinal one (N = 3). Results highlighted the role of different personal (e.g., hardiness, self-esteem, locus of control) and relational factors (e.g., family and work support) that significantly reduce the negative effects of work-family conflict in women's lives. Findings, practical implications, and future research directions are discussed.

The Effects of Emotional Labor on Work Strain and Nonwork Strain Among Dancers: A Person-Centered Approach

Introduction

Emotional labor is an important research area, but four key gaps remain regarding outcomes of nonwork strains, explanatory frameworks beyond the conservation of resources theory, adoption of person-centered approaches, and subjects of performers.

Methods

By surveying 183 Chinese dance students, we employed cluster analysis to examine the adoption of emotional labor strategies (ie, surface acting, deep acting, and expression of naturally felt emotions) and to explore the outcomes on work strain (ie, emotional exhaustion and reduced flow experience) and nonwork strain (ie, depression and anxiety) with introducing the allostatic load theory as an analytical basis.

Results

Four types of emotional workers were identified, namely, flexible regulators (33.33%), authentic regulators (15.85%), display rules compliers (39.34%), and non-regulators (11.48%). Authentic regulators had the lowest emotional exhaustion. Non-regulators had the lowest flow. No differences emerged in depression or anxiety across clusters.

Discussion

Findings partially align with past research showing risks of surface acting in terms of emotional exhaustion. However, all three strategies enhanced flow states. Moreover, dancers' work strains did not extend to psychological problems, unlike other professions. Possible explanations include training in emotional regulation and flow states in performing. Practical implications exist for training emotional regulation and fostering flow at work.

The effects of workplace friendship network centrality on deep acting

We integrated social network theory with conservation of resource theory to predict that workplace friendship network centrality provides service employees with critical psychological resources that foster deep acting: positive affect and positive self-perception. In Study 1, we conducted a survey (N = 105) in a Korean banking firm, revealing that these resources mediate the relationship between workplace friendship network centrality and deep acting. Studies 2 and 3, both experimental studies, investigated the hypothesized causal relationships. In Study 2 (N = 151), we found that workplace friendship network centrality increases the intention toward deep acting. Further, Study 3 (N = 140) confirmed the direct effects of friendship network centrality on positive affect and self-perception. By providing insights into the structural antecedents of emotional labor, we inform managers in service organizations of the value of creating avenues for their employees to form and maintain friendships within the organization.

Early childhood educators' emotional labor and burnout in an emerging economy: The mediating roles of affective states

The costs and benefits of preschool teachers' emotional labor on the quality of education manifest in how emotional labor relates to well-being. Building on the theoretical foundation of conservation of resources theory (COR), this study explores the influence of emotional labor on burnout and the intervening roles of affective states (i.e., positive and negative affect). Our hypotheses were tested using cross-sectional data from 574 preschool teachers in Ghana. The results suggest that surface acting induces emotional exhaustion whilst diminishing personal accomplishment, but deep acting reduces depersonalization. Further, negative affect mediated surface acting and dimensions of burnout relationships. Also, positive affect mediated surface acting and deep acting, and personal accomplishment links. Theoretical and practical implications as well as directions for further research have been discussed.

Why and when surface acting interferes with family functioning: The role of psychological detachment and family-supportive supervisor behaviors

Emotional labor is a well-documented work stressor that may have important implications for preschool teachers. Integrating conservation of resources theory and the stressors-detachment model, this study seeks to develop a moderated mediation model in which two forms of surface acting (i.e., faked positive emotions and suppressed negative emotions) would be indirectly associated with poor family functioning via psychological detachment, and the indirect association would be moderated by family-supportive supervisor behaviors. This study was investigated among 411 preschool teachers in Chinese society. Results revealed that both faked positive emotions and suppressed negative emotions led to impaired family functioning, and lack of psychological detachment mediated the detrimental effects. The moderated mediation analyses further showed that the mediated path became weaker for preschool teachers received more family-supportive supervisor behaviors. These findings deepen our practical and theoretical understanding of why and when surface acting impacts preschool teachers' family lives.

The Effect of Emotional Labor on the Physical and Mental Health of Health Professionals: Emotional Exhaustion Has a Mediating Effect

(1) Background: Workers who perform emotional labor for an extended period are prone to emotional exhaustion; in particular, when the work exceeds the range of one's emotional resources, it will produce job burnout. This study investigated the effects of emotional labor and emotional exhaustion on the physical and mental health of health professionals. (2) Methods: This study was cross-sectional and the sampling criteria were health professionals from August 2020 to July 2021, including rehabilitators, nutritionists, clinical psychologists, radiologists, respiratory therapists, pharmacists, medical examiners and audiologists. A questionnaire was used to collect data on participants' emotional labor, emotional exhaustion, physical health and mental health. A total of 120 valid questionnaires were obtained. (3) Results: Significant positive correlations were found between emotional labor and emotional exhaustion, physical and mental health and anxiety. A hierarchical regression analysis found that the effect of emotional labor on physical and mental health increased the predictive power to 59.7% through emotional exhaustion, and emotional exhaustion had a mediating effect on the relationship between emotional labor and physical and mental health. (4) Conclusions: This study provides a reference for managers of medical institutions to care for employees' work stress and physical and mental health, which will help institutions build a friendly and healthy workplace.

Behavior change versus stability during the college-to-work transition: Life course and the "stickiness" of alcohol misuse at career entry

To what extent and under what conditions do college graduates disengage from employment-incompatible behaviors during the college-to-work transition? Drawing from the life course perspective, we proposed a model highlighting considerable stability of employment-incompatible behaviors during initial months of organizational socialization. Our model predicted that maturing out of such behaviors, which is expected by employers and beneficial to career adjustment, would be more likely to occur given a conducive transition context. Using a large dataset tracking graduates from their last semester in college to up to approximately 1.5 years after graduation and with alcohol use as our empirical referent, we demonstrated that a pattern of high-risk drinking behavior may remain even after the transition into full-time employment. We further showed that lower levels of perceived cohort drinking norms and higher levels of mentoring were associated with a higher probability of maturing out, manifesting in a transition from a high-risk drinking profile before graduation to a moderate drinking profile after starting full-time employment. Finally, we found that maturing out was associated with lagged outcomes including lower levels of sleep problems and depression and fewer work days lost to absenteeism, thus underscoring the consequential nature of behavior profile shifts during the college-to-work transition.

Spillover of Workplace Bullying Into Family Incivility: Testing a Mediated Moderation Model in a Time-Lagged Study

Utilizing temporally segregated field data from a sample of nurses (n = 251), the present study examined the relationship between workplace bullying and family incivility. We drew on spillover theory and the emotions literature to answer our research questions. We hypothesized that emotions would serve as an explanatory mechanism for the relationship between workplace bullying and family incivility. We further tested the moderating role of neuroticism on the relationship between emotions and family incivility. Our results indicated that workplace bullying triggered negative emotions, which in turn caused family incivility. Moreover, neuroticism moderated the positive relationship between emotions and family incivility.

Emotional labor: A comprehensive literature review

BACKGROUND: Despite the obvious importance of emotional labor for employees, organizations, and customers, a lack of coherence and clarity around the construct has impeded its development. OBJECTIVE: Our study aims to provide a comprehensive review of emotional labor spanning about 40 years. METHODS: Our study used a qualitative literature review method along with a theoretically derived path diagram of key emotional labor constructs. We also used meta-analysis to explore the relationship between emotional labor and outcomes in different national contexts. RESULTS: We expect our research to expand the field in five different ways. First, we review contemporary theoretical conceptualizations of emotional labor and its dimensions. Second, we summarize seven existing measures of emotional labor in light of their contents. Third, we map the theoretical and nomological network of emotional labor about its antecedents, outcomes, moderators, mediators. Fourth, we use meta-analysis to explore the relationship between emotional labor and other variables in different contexts. Finally, we conclude by showing a detailed future research agenda to bring the field forward from different perspectives, including theoretical and empirical advancement. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, our review provides a whole picture of where the literature has been and where it should go.

Contesting “Authenticity” in Authentic Leadership through a Mad Studies Lens

A Mad Studies/social model of mental distress lens was used to critique authentic leadership. We deconstructed the dilemma of authenticity and leadership by exploring how authentic leadership (dis)allows the inclusion of people with mental illness. We found that their minds are treated as disruptive and rarely ever read as authentic. For followers to view “mentally ill” leaders as authentic requires candidness, disability disclosure, and emulating norms typical to their ingroup membership. We conclude this paper by challenging HRD to rethink its stance on disruptive leadership as symptomatic of mental illness. Employees with mental health marginality can develop an authentic identity in the workplace through authenticity building experiences such as connecting mad leaders to peer-support training, offering specialized leadership development, and co-producing a mental health awareness curriculum that challenges unhealthy workplace discourses that stigmatize mad leaders and workers.

Data and Organization Studies: Aesthetics, emotions, discourse and our everyday encounters with data

Despite the growing “data imperative” and “fetishization of data” across organizational contexts, critical scholars have adhered to a set of normative understandings for how people experience and engage with data and datafication in and around organizations: namely, as numbers and statistics that are “captured”, interpreted, and operationalized. In reality, however, data and datafication are experienced within organizational life in a multiplicity of ways that often have very little to do with numbers and statistics. In this essay, we shift our attention to these less overt and less examined ways in which data and datafication shape organizational life—specifically, the aesthetic, emotional, and discursive aspects of our everyday encounters with it. By attending to the multiple, complex, and nuanced entanglements of data and organization, organizational scholars will be better equipped to navigate the increasingly fraught terrain between technocratic data worship and anti-science politics that characterize the current political moment. In doing so, we hope to contribute to a more politicized, historicized, and democratized data studies that can support movements for social, economic, and ecological justice.

Emotional Labor in Health Care: The Moderating Roles of Personality and the Mediating Role of Sleep on Job Performance and Satisfaction

The objective of this study is to investigate the effects of emotional labor on job performance and satisfaction, as well as to examine the mediating effect of sleep problems and the moderating effects of personality traits. A time-lagged study was conducted on 864 health professionals. Scales for emotional labor, sleep, personality traits, and job satisfaction were used and job performance data was obtained from records maintained by human resources. Structural equation modeling was performed to investigate the relations. Sleep problems only partially mediated the relationship between surface acting and job satisfaction but completely mediated the relationship between surface acting and job performance. Several personality traits were shown to moderate the relationship between surface acting and sleep problems. The effects were stronger for people with low agreeableness and high neuroticism. The relationship between high levels of deep acting and low levels of sleep problems was more pronounced in individuals with low extraversion. Supervisors should be conscious of emotional labor in the work context and provide necessary deep acting training to facilitate emotional regulation.

Emotional Labour and Work-Family Conflict in Voice-to-Voice and Face-to-Face Customer Relations: A Multi-Group Study in Service Workers

Professions that involve interaction with customers entail great emotional effort: workers are required to show emotions different from their true feeling and they experienced emotional dissonance and verbal aggression from customers. These job demands can generate discomfort and the effects of emotional labour can "expand" in other life domains. The study investigated the relationship among emotional dissonance, customer verbal aggression, affective discomfort at work and work-family conflict, considering differences between two groups of service workers: call centre agents (CA; N = 507, voice-to-voice relation with customers) and supermarket cashiers (SC; N = 444, face-to-face relation with customers). Results showed that emotional dissonance and customer verbal aggression had a positive relationship with work-family conflict, the mediational role of affective discomfort emerged in both groups; different effects of job demands in subsamples appeared. Suggestions for organisations and work processes emerged in order to identify practical implications useful to support employees in coping with emotional labour and to promote well-being and work-family balance.

The Relationship Between Work Engagement and Work–Life Balance in Organizations: A Review of the Empirical Research

Employers increasingly attempt to create the right environments where employees experience work–life balance. At the same time, organizations concerned with their organizational-level outcomes encourage improving employee work engagement. The question becomes, how do employee work–life balance and work engagement relate to one another? A similar question concerns human resource development (HRD) practitioners who seek to help both employees with balancing their work and life and employers with their organizational goals. A body of literature has examined the relationship between work–life balance and work engagement, which we review in this article. We identify and synthesize the findings of 37 articles empirically investigating the relationship between work–life balance and work engagement. The findings showed the various antecedents, mediators, and moderators that depict the relationships between work engagement and work–life balance. Furthermore, we provide insight into HRD scholarship regarding how to clarify the direction of causality between two concepts, which has been largely left inconclusive. Finally, our article proposes insightful directions for future research and practice in the field of HRD.

Workplace Surface Acting and Employee Insomnia: A Moderated Mediation Model of Psychological Detachment and Dispositional Mindfulness

This study adopted a process-oriented approach to explore the mediating and moderating mechanisms surrounding the association between surface acting at work and sleep quality. Drawing on the stressor-detachment and transactional stress models, the current study proposed a moderated mediation model to examine whether surface acting would be associated indirectly with employee insomnia via lack of psychological detachment, and whether this indirect linkage is moderated by dispositional mindfulness. The study was conducted among 516 full-time employed hospital nurses in China over a one-year period. Results revealed that suppressed negative emotions, but not faked positive emotions, had a significant influence on employee insomnia over time, and lack of psychological detachment mediated the effect of suppressing negative emotions on insomnia. Tests of moderated mediation indicated that the mediated path was weaker for employees with higher levels of dispositional mindfulness. These findings advance our understanding of how and when surface acting negatively influences employee sleep, as well as point to implications for individual and organizational interventions.

A Comparison of Frequency- and Agreement-Based Response Formats in the Measurement of Burnout and Engagement

The present research compares and contrasts frequency versus agreement response formats, two approaches to measuring job burnout and work engagement. Construct-based and measurement-based arguments for the superiority of the frequency response format in measuring burnout/engagement are provided, demonstrating that frequency-based measurements will explain relatively more variance in outcome variables. Fair comparison, time order counterbalance, and multiple measuring waves justify the comparison and reduce common method errors of self-report measures. Sample 1 (N = 242) was composed of employees from multiple organizations, while the participants in Sample 2 (N = 281) were employees from one company. Relative importance analysis showed that frequency outperforms the agreement response format in measuring burnout and engagement in both samples. These findings suggest that the frequency response format provides a more valuable method of detecting the dynamic nature of burnout/engagement, which offers methodological guidance for future research involving dynamic constructs. These findings can lead to improvements in the measurement of the dynamic experiences of burnout and engagement. This is one of the first studies to provide evidence whether the dynamic nature of the constructs would have any bearing on the response formats.

Contrasting Experimentally Device-Manipulated and Device-Free Smiles

Researchers in psychology have long been interested in not only studying smiles, but in examining the downstream effects of experimentally manipulated smiles. To experimentally manipulate smiles unobtrusively, participants typically hold devices (e.g., pens or chopsticks) in their mouths in a manner that activates the muscles involved in smiling. Surprisingly, despite decades of research using these methods, no study has tested to what degree these methods activate the same muscles as more natural, device-free smiles. Our study fills this gap in the literature by contrasting the magnitude of muscle activation in device-free smiles against the popular chopstick/pen manipulation. We also contrast these methods against the Smile Stick, a new device specifically designed to manipulate smiles in a comfortable and hygienic fashion. One hundred fifty-nine participants each participated in three facial expression manipulations that were held for 1 min: smile manipulation via Smile Stick, smile manipulation via chopsticks, and device-free smile. Facial electromyography was used to measure the intensity of the activation of the two main types of muscles involved in genuine, Duchenne smiling: the orbicularis oculi (a muscle group around the eyes) and the zygomaticus major (a muscle group in the cheeks). Furthermore, following each manipulation, participants rated their experience of the manipulation (i.e., comfort, fatigue, and difficulty), experienced affect (positive and negative), and levels of arousal. Results indicated that the Smile Stick and chopsticks performed equally across all measurements. Device-free smiles were rated as most comfortable but also the most fatiguing, and procured the greatest levels of positive affect and lowest levels of negative affect. Furthermore, device-free smiles resulted in significantly higher levels of both zygomaticus major (by ∼40%) and orbicularis oculi (by ∼15%) muscle activation than either the Smile Stick or chopsticks. The two devices were not different from each other in muscle activation. This study reveals that while device-free smiling procures the greatest changes in muscle activation and affect change, smiling muscle groups are activated by device manipulations, and expected changes in affect do occur, albeit to a lesser degree than device-free smiling. It also indicates that the Smile Stick is an acceptable and comparable alternative to disposable chopsticks.

Recovery experiences buffer against adverse well-being effects of workplace surface acting: A two-wave study of hospital nurses

AIMS

To test the direct effects of different surface acting strategies and the interactive effects of surface acting and recovery experiences on nurses' well-being.

DESIGN

A two-wave study design.

METHODS

Chinese hospital nurses (N = 372; 47.3% of initial sample) reported on their levels of surface acting, recovery experiences and well-being using a paper and pencil survey in November 2017 and November 2018.

FINDINGS

Surface acting has long-term effects on nurses' well-being. Compared with positive expression, negative suppression generally tends to show more negative effects. Recovery experiences play a buffering role in the surface acting - nurses' well-being relationship.

CONCLUSION

These findings offer initial evidence for long-term effects of surface acting and show how hospital nurses can avoid adverse effects of surface acting through fostering recovery experiences.

IMPACT

Surface acting is a chronic stressor, having long-term effects on nurses' well-being. In contrast to positive expression, negative suppression has more detrimental impacts. Recovery experiences play a protective role by alleviating the adverse effects of surface acting. Managers and individuals are advised to differentiate distinct surface acting strategies. Managers should try best to facilitate employee recovery. Hospital nurses are well recommended to train themselves by adopting several recovery programmes.

How Workplace Bullying Jeopardizes Employees' Life Satisfaction: The Roles of Job Anxiety and Insomnia

Drawing on conservation of resources (COR) theory, this study examined the underlying mechanism through which workplace bullying (WB) affects employees' life satisfaction via job-related anxiety and insomnia. Time-lagged data were collected at two points in time from 211 doctor interns working in various hospitals in Pakistan. Our results fully supported a proposed serial multiple-mediator model. Workplace bullying was indirectly related to life satisfaction via job-related anxiety and insomnia. This study provides evidence of a spillover effect as to how workplace bullying increases employees' job-related anxiety which in turn leads to insomnia resulting in reduced employees' life satisfaction. The present study extends research on workplace bullying to display its theoretical as well as empirical effects on life satisfaction. It demonstrates that workplace bullying as an occupational and psychological stressor has multiple effects on employees' life satisfaction through a serial mediation model in the context of a developing country. It further explains that workplace bullying not only affects an employee's workplace behaviors but also extends to the employee's overall life satisfaction.

A two-wave panel study on teachers' emotions and emotional-labour strategies

The aim of this study was to examine the reciprocal relations between discrete emotions that teachers typically experience while teaching and interacting with students (i.e., joy, love, anger, and hopelessness) and emotional labour strategies (i.e., deep acting and two forms of surface acting-hiding feelings and faking emotions) over time. To address these research aims, two-wave panel design and cross-lagged structural equation modeling were implemented. An initial sample of 2,022 teachers filled in questionnaires with a time lag of 6 months. The results showed that teachers' emotions and emotional labour are related to each other over time. Love positively predicted deep acting and anger positively predicted hiding feelings and faking emotion over time. The opposite direction of association was also established-deep acting positively predicted joy, whereas hiding feelings positively predicted hopelessness. The results highlight the importance of taking a discrete approach to emotions and triadic approach to emotional labour when examining their reciprocal relations and may have important practical implications in promoting teachers' emotional well-being.

Emotional Labor: Regulating Emotions for a Wage

Many employees perform emotional labor, regulating their emotions to meet organizationally mandated display rules (e.g., “service with a smile”), which has both professional and personal implications. Emotion regulation in a work context is important to enhance customers’ mood and service satisfaction, but putting on that smile to perform one’s work role can have surprising costs depending on how the emotions are regulated. When employees try to change their feelings to appear sincere (i.e., deep acting), performance is enhanced, yet employees must often “fake it” (i.e., surface act), which has consequences to their well-being. We discuss how these concepts are similar and distinct from emotion-regulation strategies while also reviewing work factors that help optimize emotional labor’s impact on performance and well-being. Finally, we note recent studies that have expanded the concept of emotional labor and the methods used to capture this workplace experience.

Surface Acting, Emotional Exhaustion, and Employee Sabotage to Customers: Moderating Roles of Quality of Social Exchanges

Using the conservation of resources theory and social exchange theory as our conceptual frameworks, the current study examined how employee surface acting relates to their sabotage to customers through the mediating role of emotional exhaustion and explored the moderating roles of coworker exchange (CWX) and leader-member exchange (LMX). We collected two-wave time-lagged data from 540 clinical nurses and found that emotional exhaustion mediated the positive relationship between surface acting and employee sabotage to customers. In addition, we found that CWX buffered the positive effect of surface acting on emotional exhaustion, while LMX buffered the positive effect of emotional exhaustion on employee sabotage to customers, such that the effects were weaker when CWX and LMX were higher, respectively. These findings shed light on the effect of surface acting on employee harmful behaviors, the potential underlying mechanism, and boundary conditions to mitigate the negative consequences of surface acting.

It Doesn't End There: Workplace Bullying, Work-to-Family Conflict, and Employee Well-Being in Korea

Workplace bullying entails negative consequences on workers' life. Yet, there is lack of research on workplace bullying in an Asian context. Moreover, less is known about the potential mechanisms linking workplace bullying and employee well-being. This study examined the associations between workplace bullying and Korean employees' well-being (quality of life, occupational health) and whether the associations were mediated by work-to-family conflict. Cross-sectional data came from 307 workers in South Korea who were employed in healthcare, education, and banking industries. Analyses adjusted for industry, age, gender, education, marital status, and work hours. Employees who had more exposure to workplace bullying reported lower levels of quality of life and occupational health. These associations were mediated by work-to-family conflict, such that more exposure to workplace bullying was associated with greater work-to-family conflict, which, in turn, was associated with lower levels of quality of life and occupational health. These mediating pathways were consistent across the three industries. Korean employees who experience more workplace bullying may bring unfinished work stress to the home (thus greater work-to-family conflict), which impairs their well-being. Future research may need to consider the role of work-to-family conflict when targeting to reduce the negative consequences of workplace bullying.