IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v15y2023i21p15336-d1268249.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

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

Author

Listed:
  • 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
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/21/15336/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/21/15336/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. 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.
    2. 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.
    3. 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.
    4. 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.
    5. 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.
    6. 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.
    7. Wei Wan & Ryan D. Duffy, 2022. "Decent Work and Turnover Intention Among New Generation Employees: The Mediating Role of Job Satisfaction and the Moderating Role of Job Autonomy," SAGE Open, , vol. 12(2), pages 21582440221, April.
    8. Robert Stewart, 2011. "Erratum to: 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 717-717, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Thomas Köllen & Andri Koch & Andreas Hack, 2020. "Nationalism at Work: Introducing the “Nationality-Based Organizational Climate Inventory” and Assessing Its Impact on the Turnover Intention of Foreign Employees," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 60(1), pages 97-122, February.
    2. Qinghua Zhu & Hang Yin & Junjun Liu & Kee‐hung Lai, 2014. "How is Employee Perception of Organizational Efforts in Corporate Social Responsibility Related to Their Satisfaction and Loyalty Towards Developing Harmonious Society in Chinese Enterprises?," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 21(1), pages 28-40, January.
    3. Elizabeth Sheedy & Patrick Garcia & Denise Jepsen, 2021. "The Role of Risk Climate and Ethical Self-interest Climate in Predicting Unethical Pro-organisational Behaviour," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 173(2), pages 281-300, October.
    4. M. Guerci & Giovanni Radaelli & Elena Siletti & Stefano Cirella & A. Rami Shani, 2015. "The Impact of Human Resource Management Practices and Corporate Sustainability on Organizational Ethical Climates: An Employee Perspective," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 126(2), pages 325-342, January.
    5. Tanja Rabl & María del Triana, 2014. "Organizational Value for Age Diversity and Potential Applicants’ Organizational Attraction: Individual Attitudes Matter," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 121(3), pages 403-417, May.
    6. Stacy H. Lee & Jung Ha-Brookshire, 2017. "Ethical Climate and Job Attitude in Fashion Retail Employees’ Turnover Intention, and Perceived Organizational Sustainability Performance: A Cross-Sectional Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(3), pages 1-19, March.
    7. Victoria-Sophie Osburg & Vignesh Yoganathan & Boris Bartikowski & Hongfei Liu & Micha Strack, 2020. "Effects of Ethical Certification and Ethical eWoM on Talent Attraction," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 164(3), pages 535-548, July.
    8. Sebastian Cortes-Mejia & Andres Felipe Cortes & Pol Herrmann, 2022. "Sharing Strategic Decisions: CEO Humility, TMT Decentralization, and Ethical Culture," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 178(1), pages 241-260, June.
    9. E. Buttner & Kevin Lowe & Lenora Billings-Harris, 2012. "An Empirical Test of Diversity Climate Dimensionality and Relative Effects on Employee of Color Outcomes," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 110(3), pages 247-258, October.
    10. Chou, Chia-Jung, 2014. "Hotels' environmental policies and employee personal environmental beliefs: Interactions and outcomes," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 40(C), pages 436-446.
    11. Robert A. Giacalone & Carole L. Jurkiewicz & Mark Promislo, 2016. "Ethics and Well-Being: The Paradoxical Implications of Individual Differences in Ethical Orientation," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 137(3), pages 491-506, September.
    12. Jennifer Kunz, 2020. "Corporate Social Responsibility and Employees Motivation—Broadening the Perspective," Schmalenbach Business Review, Springer;Schmalenbach-Gesellschaft, vol. 72(2), pages 159-191, April.
    13. Schminke, Marshall & Caldwell, James & Ambrose, Maureen L. & McMahon, Sean R., 2014. "Better than ever? Employee reactions to ethical failures in organizations, and the ethical recovery paradox," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 123(2), pages 206-219.
    14. Hannah Meacham & Jillian Cavanagh & Timothy Bartram & Jennifer Laing, 2019. "Ethical Management in the Hotel Sector: Creating an Authentic Work Experience for Workers with Intellectual Disabilities," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 155(3), pages 823-835, March.
    15. Chu-Mei Liu & Chou-Kang Chiu, 2020. "Modeling turnover intention and job performance: the moderation of perceived benevolent climate," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 14(3), pages 611-631, June.
    16. Yau-De Wang & Conna Yang, 2016. "How Appealing are Monetary Rewards in the Workplace? A Study of Ethical Leadership, Love of Money, Happiness, and Turnover Intention," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 129(3), pages 1277-1290, December.
    17. Jim DeConinck & Mary Beth DeConinck & Debasish Banerjee, 2013. "Outcomes of an Ethical Work Climate among Salespeople," International Journal of Business Administration, International Journal of Business Administration, Sciedu Press, vol. 4(4), pages 1-8, July.
    18. Vasconcelos Anselmo Ferreira, 2017. "Organizational Diversity Commitment: A Web-Based Investigation," Management & Marketing, Sciendo, vol. 12(3), pages 474-499, September.
    19. Ana Isabel Segovia-San-Juan & Irene Saavedra & Victoria Fernández-de-Tejada, 2017. "Analyzing Disability in Socially Responsible Companies," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 130(2), pages 617-645, January.
    20. E. Holly Buttner & Kevin B. Lowe, 2017. "Addressing Internal Stakeholders’ Concerns: The Interactive Effect of Perceived Pay Equity and Diversity Climate on Turnover Intentions," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 143(3), pages 621-633, July.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:21:p:15336-:d:1268249. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.