Ethical Leadership as the Reliever of Frontline Service Employees' Emotional Exhaustion: A Moderated Mediation Model

Leader's ethical behavior: A precursor to employees' well-being through emotions management

Contemporary research in leadership demonstrates that the ethical behaviors of leaders are vital to enhancing employee well-being. Despite this, research is scant on the connection between leaders' ethical practices and the well-being of their employees via employee emotions. Relying on affective events theory, this study, directly and indirectly, examined the relationships between leaders' ethical behaviors and employees' well-being (via employee emotions). Furthermore, it investigated employee core self-evaluations as a substitute for the ethical behaviors of leaders that mitigate the influence of leaders' ethical behaviors. A sample of 398 faculties from 20 public universities in Pakistan was chosen using the simple random sampling approach, and then SPSS Process Macro was applied to the sample. Study results indicate that leaders' ethical behaviors facilitate employees to manage their emotions, and effective management of emotions improves their well-being. The research also revealed that employees' core self-evaluation swapped with the ethical behaviors of leaders. The theoretical model, therefore, confirms the significance of EBOL as a strategic resource and employees' CSE as an interpersonal resource, which accentuates one another to manage employees' emotions and promote their well-being. The study offers practical management ramifications and adds to our understanding of EBOL, employee emotions, and well-being.

Depression and Smartphone Addiction Among College Students: The Mediating Effect of Emotional Exhaustion

Objective

Multiple studies claim that depression was a triggering factor for smartphone addiction among college students. But we still know very little about the underlying mechanisms of smartphone addiction. The aim was to shed light on the underlying mechanisms of smartphone addiction from the perspective of depression and emotional exhaustion, to provide alternative paths for university administrators to address smartphone addiction among college students.

Methods

A total of 2764 Chinese college students participated in the survey. They independently filled out self-assessment questionnaires including the Cell Phone Addiction Scale, Beck Depression Inventory II, and Emotional Exhaustion Scale. Subsequently, mediation analysis was conducted using the PROCESS macro developed by Hayes (v 4.0; Model 4).

Results

Statistical analysis showed that depression was positively correlated with emotional exhaustion and smartphone addiction, emotional exhaustion was positively correlated with smartphone addiction, all of which were statistically significant. In addition, the effect of depression on smartphone addiction among college students was partially mediated by emotional exhaustion.

Conclusion

The impact of depression and emotional exhaustion on smartphone addiction had been preliminarily explored, which had certain value for further understanding of smartphone addiction among college students. This study could provide references for universities to develop intervention measures for smartphone addiction.

COVID-19 safety leadership, perceived severity, and emotional exhaustion: Does safety culture matter?

INTRODUCTION

Emotional exhaustion is a major health-related issue that employees face, especially during crises such as pandemics. This study seeks to understand how safety leadership applied to the COVID-19 pandemic relates to emotional exhaustion, and to examine its mechanisms (i.e., perceived severity) along with its boundary condition (i.e., safety culture).

METHOD

A time lag study was conducted to collect data from 229 employees working in the service industry in Morocco. Data were analyzed through the Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) technique using SmartPLS 4.

RESULTS

The results demonstrate that safety leadership is negatively related to emotional exhaustion. Additionally, they suggest that the relationship between COVID-19 safety leadership and perceived severity depends on the level of the moderating variable (i.e., safety culture). Specifically, the relationship is positive when safety culture is low, but is negative when safety culture is high.

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

The results of this study are important as they extend our knowledge of the nature of safety leadership and emotional exhaustion, and offer managers practical implications that can help to optimize safety leadership practices.

High-Performance Work Systems and Coping Strategies in Regulating Burnout and Safety Workarounds in the Healthcare Sector

The healthcare sector is essential for any country because it indirectly affects its economy. The productivity of land will increase if there is a healthy workforce, and it will enhance its economy, which will, in return, lead to the human welfare of the country. The present quantitative study has investigated the relationship between high-performance work systems (HPWS) on safety workarounds through the role of burnout as mediation, and explored coping strategies as a moderator between burnout and safety workarounds. These constructs play a vital role in efficiently managing different organizational activities to generate better productivity and employee performance, and educate employees about rules that can be used and adopted to ensure a healthy work-life. The data were collected from 550 nurses through a questionnaire in the healthcare sector of Lahore, Punjab (Pakistan). AMOS and SPSS were used to test the direct relationships between the constructs, and analyze the moderation of coping strategies and the mediation effect of burnout. The results have demonstrated the strong moderated mediation of coping strategies and burnout between existing HPWS and safety workarounds. The study of coping strategies would help managers and employees handle job stress and alleviate burnout in the healthcare sector through safety workarounds to increase effectiveness and efficiency.

Impact of COVID-19 Risk Perception on Emotional Exhaustion among Chinese Hospitality Employees: The Mediating Effect of Job Insecurity

This study aims to investigate the levels of COVID-19 risk perception (CVRP), job insecurity (JI), and emotional exhaustion (EE) among Chinese hospitality employees to examine the mediating effect of JI on the relationship between CVRP and EE. The moderating role of employee mindfulness (MF) and perceived employability (PE) have also be examined. Data were collected from 652 hospitality employees in Shandong and Jiangsu Province, China. We used structural equation modeling (SEM) to test the hypothesized relationship among the variables. Significant relationships were found between hospitality employees' CVRP and EE (β = 0.103, p < 0.01), CVRP and JI (β = 0.168, p < 0.001), and JI and EE (β = 0.378, p < 0.001). According to the results, the higher level of the CVRP of hospitality employees, the higher level of the EE. In addition, results showed mediating effects of JI on the relationship between CVRP and EE. This study also found that MF buffered the positive relationship between CVRP and EE. Therefore, in the era of COVID-19, an effective support system at the organizational level is necessary to reduce JI and EE of hospitality employees.

Ethical behaviors by leaders act as a stimulant to the wellbeing of employees by restraining workplace embitterment

Prior studies have revealed that leaders' ethical behaviors significantly influence employees' wellbeing. However, it's unclear how to increase the positive impact of leaders' ethical behaviors on employees' wellbeing by overseeing the negative workplace emotion. So, this study examines the salient concern of leaders' ethical behaviors that affect employees' negative emotions (workplace embitterment) and, consequently, their wellbeing according to appraisal theories of emotions. The study also investigates the active role of followers' core self-evaluation in moderating the impact of leaders' ethical behaviors on followers' emotions and wellbeing via the mediational chain. Data is collected in two-time intervals with 6 weeks interims through a structured questionnaire from 398 academics of public sector universities in Pakistan. The structured equation modeling and Process Macro 2017 are the tools for data analysis. Findings of this study show that (1) ethical behaviors by leaders have a negative impact on employee workplace embitterment, (2) workplace embitterment completely mediates the association between ethical behaviors of leaders and employee wellbeing, and (3) when leaders do not exhibit ethical behaviors, workplace embitterment is lessened showing high core self-evaluations by employees. In addition, the study findings also reveal that employees' core self-evaluation moderates the effect of leaders' ethical behaviors through workplace embitterment. This study validates the significant role of a leader's ethical behaviors in nourishing employee wellbeing by preventing negative emotions. The study is also significant as it examines how followers' attribute core self-evaluation: (1) can be a substitute for leaders' ethical behaviors and (2) can actively modify the effect of leaders' ethical behaviors on followers' negative emotions and then wellbeing. The study also discussed its contributions in theory and to organizations.

Effects of Leader Conscientiousness and Ethical Leadership on Employee Turnover Intention: The Mediating Role of Individual Ethical Climate and Emotional Exhaustion

Employees working under conscientious leadership perceive their leaders as ethical leaders. This study investigates the conscientiousness of leaders as an essential trait of ethical leadership and the relationship between ethical leadership and employee-turnover intention. Additionally, we study the potential mediating roles of the individual-level ethical climate (self-interest, friendship, and personal morality) as well as the level of employees’ emotional exhaustion that contribute to the decision-making process of turnover intention. Building on social learning and social exchange theories, outcomes from nine industrial manufacturing organizations comprising 260 subordinates’ responses show that leaders’ conscientiousness is positively related to ethical leadership and negatively associated with employees’ turnover intention. Consistent with this hypotheses, results found that, in an individual-level ethical climate, employees experience diminished emotional exhaustion. The relationships are found to mediate between ethical leadership and turnover intention in manufacturing organizations. Additionally, it was also found that individual-level ethical climates cause a relatively positive impact on employees’ emotional exhaustion leading them to lower turnover intention.

Struggling to Stay Engaged During Adversity: A Daily Investigation of Frontline Service Employees' Job Insecurity and the Moderating Role of Ethical Leader Behavior

Drawing on conservation of resources theory, this study examined the moderating role of ethical leader behavior in the effects of daily perceived job insecurity on work outcomes the next day (i.e., work engagement and customer-directed helping) through occupational regret the next morning among frontline service employees working in adverse work situations (i.e., the coronavirus disease pandemic). Using experience sampling method, data were collected from 135 frontline service employees across five consecutive workdays. The results showed that daily perceived job insecurity had a negative indirect effect on work engagement and customer-directed helping the next day through (increased) occupational regret the next day in the morning. In addition, ethical leader behavior moderated the negative indirect effect of daily perceived job insecurity on next-day work engagement and customer-directed helping through next-morning occupational regret. Specifically, these negative effects were especially stronger among employees who had observed low levels of ethical leader behavior the previous day. The theoretical implications of the present findings for researchers and their practical implications for managers are discussed.

Ethical Leadership and Followers' Emotional Exhaustion: Exploring the Roles of Three Types of Emotional Labor toward Leaders in South Korea

Employees' emotional exhaustion caused by their leaders has significant consequences for both individuals and organizations. Identifying the roles of intra-organizational emotional labor is important to prevent employees' emotional exhaustion. This study examined the relationships between ethical leadership, followers' emotional labor toward leaders, and emotional exhaustion using Hobfoll's conservation of resources theory. Data collected from 259 employees working in South Korea were analyzed using regression and SEM. The results indicate that ethical leadership was negatively related to followers' emotional exhaustion. It is demonstrated that ethical leadership has a significant indirect relationship with followers' emotional exhaustion through three types of emotional labor strategies; genuine display, faked display, and suppressed display. Through genuine display and suppressed display, ethical leadership had an indirect and negative relationship with followers' emotional exhaustion, whereas ethical leadership and followers' emotional exhaustion showed a positive indirect relationship through faked display. We discuss the implications and limitations of this research and future research directions.

Managing Physician Fatigue

Physician fatigue, also known as burnout, is a highly prevalent but often underrecognized result of workplace stressors. The consequences of burnout can include poor work-life integration, isolation, depression, and suicide. As a result, an organization may experience high physician turnover, patient safety issues, malpractice suits, and financial losses. Physicians should be encouraged to play a role in their wellness by taking mental time away from work, pursuing hobbies, attending wellness programs, and ensuring quality time with family. Ultimately, it is an organization that must acknowledge physician burnout, identify risk factors, and invest in targeted interventions to prevent this immense threat to their stability.

Can Ethical Leadership Improve Employees' Well-Being at Work? Another Side of Ethical Leadership Based on Organizational Citizenship Anxiety

Most of the previous literature has focused on the positive effects of ethical leadership on organizations and employees, but some studies have unexpectedly found that ethical leadership is negatively related to employees' well-being at work. Based on the theory of workplace anxiety, this research explored whether ethical leadership can reduce employees' well-being at work by causing them to feel anxious about organizational citizenship behavior and whether organizational concern motivation moderates this mechanism. We collected 227 three-stage time-crossed data samples from 12 institutions in Hainan China, then tested our research hypotheses to confirm that ethical leadership has a negative impact on employees' well-being at work under certain conditions. We found that: (1) ethical leadership is significantly and positively correlated with the organizational citizenship anxiety perceived by employees, (2) organizational citizenship anxiety perceived by employees plays a completely mediating role between ethical leadership and employee well-being at work, and (3) organizational concern motivation not only negatively moderates the negative correlation between employees' organizational citizenship anxiety and well-being at work, but also further moderates the indirect negative effect of ethical leadership on employee well-being at work through organizational citizenship anxiety.

Leader Humility, and Subordinates' Organizational Citizenship Behavior and Withdrawal Behavior: Exploring the Mediating Mechanisms of Subordinates' Psychological Capital

As a bottom-up leadership style, leader humility has received considerable attention from researchers. Among the abundant studies revealing the positive impact of leader humility on employees' work attitude and behaviors, there is less knowledge on how leader humility influences subordinates' organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) and withdrawal behavior. On the basis of the social information processing theory, this study proposed a cross-level mediation model and examined the direct impact of leader humility on subordinates' OCB and withdrawal behavior. We also further explored the underlying psychological mechanism and examined the mediating effect of psychological capital on these relationships. Using a two-wave panel design and 274 employees' questionnaire data, the empirical analysis found that: (1) leader humility was positively related to subordinates' OCB and negatively related to subordinates' withdrawal behavior; (2) leader humility was positively related to subordinates' psychological capital; and (3) psychological capital played a cross-level mediating role in the leader humility-subordinates' OCB relationship and the leader humility-subordinates' withdrawal behavior relationship. Theoretical and practical implications, limitations, and suggestions for future research are also discussed.

The Role of Sense of Power in Alleviating Emotional Exhaustion in Frontline Managers: A Dual Mediation Model

Frontline managers have many responsibilities and often suffer from emotional exhaustion. Drawing on the job demands-resources model, this research proposes and examines a cognitive-affective dual mediation model to explain how frontline managers' sense of power affects their emotional exhaustion through managerial self-efficacy (cognitive path) and affective commitment (affective path). A cross-sectional study design was employed, and the theoretical model was tested using a three-wave survey among 227 on-the-job Master of Business Administration (MBA) students (52.86% male) in China, who serve as frontline managers in different kinds of organization. The regression and bootstrapping analysis results showed that the frontline managers' sense of power was significantly negatively related to emotional exhaustion. In other words, the more powerful they felt, the less exhausted they felt. Furthermore, having a sense of power enhanced managerial self-efficacy, which mitigated emotional exhaustion. Sense of power also boosted frontline managers' affective commitment, alleviating emotional exhaustion. We conclude with a discussion of this study's theoretical and practical contributions and future research directions.