Workplace affective commitment, emotional labor and burnout : a multiple mediator model

The objective of this study was to investigate the mediating effects of emotional labor strategies on the relationships between multiple targets of workplace affective commitment and burnout components. A total of 370 service employees from Canada completed a questionnaire. Hierarchical regression analyses were performed and the significance of indirect effects was computed using bias-corrected bootstrap 95% confidence intervals. Results revealed that: (a) indirect effects were almost absent in the prediction of emotional exhaustion, (b) surface acting significantly mediated the relations between affective commitment and cynicism, and (c) expression of naturally felt emotions significantly mediated the relation between affective commitment and feelings of professional inefficacy. These findings suggest that specific emotional labor strategies may represent psychological mechanisms intervening in the relationship between affective commitment and burnout development or alleviation. Further research is needed to fully understand how each emotional labor strategy impact on relevant individual and organizational outcomes.