Emotion work as a source of employee well- and ill-being: the moderating role of service interaction type

Abstract

This study presents a framework for classifying service occupations based on the type of interaction between employees and customers to clarify the mixed relationships between emotion work and well-being. Drawing on the challenge-hindrance stressor literature, we propose that positive emotion requirements are a challenge stressor for almost all service providers, while negative emotion requirements and emotion-rule dissonance are only challenge stressors in certain service contexts. Data from 33 independent samples comprising 7,075 employees showed that all emotion work variables were positively related to emotional exhaustion. In line with expectations, only positive emotion requirements were consistently and positively linked to personal accomplishment. Service interaction type measured by expert ratings was used to test under what circumstances negative emotion requirements and emotion-rule dissonance are challenge stressors with positive consequences. Results revealed that negative emotion requirements were positively related to personal accomplishment when interactions were highly complex and employees were highly required to identify with customers. When interactions were standardized and of low complexity, when service providers were substitutable, and when there was no need to identify, there were negative relationships. For emotion-rule dissonance, positive relationships emerged when employees engaged in standardized interactions, were substitutable, but needed to identify with customers.