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Does Emotional Labor Trigger Turnover Intention? The Moderating Effect of Fear of COVID-19

Author

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  • Tingting Zhu

    (School of Business, Anhui University of Technology, Ma’anshan 243032, China)

  • Sung Kyu Park

    (Department of International Trade, Changwon National University, Changwon 51140, Republic of Korea)

  • Ruonan Tu

    (Department of International Trade, Changwon National University, Changwon 51140, Republic of Korea)

  • Yi Ding

    (School of Digital Economy and Trade, Wenzhou Polytechnic, Wenzhou 325035, China)

Abstract

Turnover is a costly and time-consuming expense, especially for service industry businesses. To date, little is known about whether and how emotional labor may activate employee turnover intention in the service industry. In order to solve the above problems and fill the gaps, this study aimed to verify how emotional labor can trigger turnover intention during the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on job characteristics theory and job demands–resources theory, this study examined whether emotional display rules and emotional labor strategies affect turnover intention brought on by emotional exhaustion and job dissatisfaction, with fear of COVID-19 as a moderator. After testing our hypotheses using a sample of 623 individuals from China’s service industry, this study found that emotional display rules (positive and negative display rules) are significantly related to emotional labor strategies (deep acting, expression of naturally felt emotions, and surface acting). In particular, positive display rules have a positive impact on deep acting and the expression of naturally felt emotions and are more closely related to the expression of naturally felt emotions. Negative display rules negatively affect surface acting. Moreover, emotional labor strategies correlate significantly with emotional exhaustion, job satisfaction/dissatisfaction, and subsequent turnover intention. Thus, deep acting and the expression of naturally felt emotions are related to low emotional exhaustion and high job satisfaction, while surface acting is related to high emotional exhaustion and low job satisfaction. Emotional exhaustion has a negative effect on job satisfaction and a positive effect on turnover intention. Job satisfaction significantly weakens turnover intention. In addition, fear of COVID-19 has a moderating effect on the relationship between job satisfaction and turnover intention. The group with a high fear of COVID-19 has higher turnover intention even in job satisfaction situations than the group with a low fear of COVID-19. This work advances emotional labor research by combining two dimensions of emotional display rules and three dimensions of emotional labor strategies into a framework, investigating the mechanism through which emotional labor influences turnover intention, and revealing the moderating effect of fear of COVID-19 in the process.

Suggested Citation

  • Tingting Zhu & Sung Kyu Park & Ruonan Tu & Yi Ding, 2023. "Does Emotional Labor Trigger Turnover Intention? The Moderating Effect of Fear of COVID-19," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(21), pages 1-25, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:21:p:15336-:d:1268249
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Mavis Agyemang Opoku & Hyejung Yoon & Seung-Wan Kang & Myoungsoon You, 2021. "How to Mitigate the Negative Effect of Emotional Exhaustion among Healthcare Workers: The Role of Safety Climate and Compensation," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(12), pages 1-15, June.
    2. Robert Stewart, 2011. "You Support Diversity, But Are You Ethical? Examining the Interactive Effects of Diversity and Ethical Climate Perceptions on Turnover Intentions," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 99(3), pages 453-465, March.
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    4. Robert Stewart & Sabrina Volpone & Derek Avery & Patrick McKay, 2011. "You Support Diversity, But Are You Ethical? Examining the Interactive Effects of Diversity and Ethical Climate Perceptions on Turnover Intentions," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 100(4), pages 581-593, June.
    5. Gabriele Giorgi & Luigi Isaia Lecca & Federico Alessio & Georgia Libera Finstad & Giorgia Bondanini & Lucrezia Ginevra Lulli & Giulio Arcangeli & Nicola Mucci, 2020. "COVID-19-Related Mental Health Effects in the Workplace: A Narrative Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(21), pages 1-22, October.
    6. Razan Ibrahim Awwad & Hasan Yousef Aljuhmani & Sameer Hamdan, 2022. "Examining the Relationships Between Frontline Bank Employees’ Job Demands and Job Satisfaction: A Mediated Moderation Model," SAGE Open, , vol. 12(1), pages 21582440221, February.
    7. Nemanja Berber & Dimitrije Gašić & Ivana Katić & Jelena Borocki, 2022. "The Mediating Role of Job Satisfaction in the Relationship between FWAs and Turnover Intentions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(8), pages 1-14, April.
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