Emotional regulation and wellbeing of Pakistani emergency rescue workers

This chapter summarizes the key findings from a 2023 study on examining the relationship between emergency rescue workers’ surface acting and turnover intentions through emotional exhaustion, with a sample of 256 emergency rescue workers in Pakistan. We argue that task significance serves as an important factor to water down the strenuous relationship between the surface acting and emotional exhaustion; it helps shape Pakistani rescue workers’ ability for emotional regulation. However, lack of job control acts as a negative instrument to further intensify the emotional exhaustion, leading to turnover intentions. The study findings suggest that emotional labors such as frontline health and emergency rescue workers should be aware of their surface acting that would most likely amplify their emotional exhaustion. In contrast, this group of workforces should be continuously reinforced by their task significance to save people’s lives, as it was found to significantly enhance one’s ability to regulate emotion and reduce the exhaustion level. We discuss the long-term effect of emotional exhaustion on wellbeing and develop feasible strategies to protect and preserve this cohort of the essential workforce in our society.