How to mitigate the negative effect of emotional exhaustion among healthcare workers: The role of safety climate and compensation

Abstract

This study examines the relationship between emotional exhaustion and job satisfaction. We further propose a safety climate and compensation as contextual variables that weaken the effect of emotional exhaustion. Survey data collected from 694 employees of a public hospital provided support for the hypothesized research model. The hierarchical multiple regression results reveal that high emotional exhaustion is negatively related to job satisfaction. In addition, the results suggest that compensation and a safety climate are moderating variables that mitigate the negative effects of emotional exhaustion. The theoretical implications and future directions are discussed.