Emotional labour, emotional exhaustion, job satisfaction and organisational citizenship behaviour among Korean fitness employees

Abstract

This study investigated the relationship between emotional labour strategies, emotional exhaustion, job satisfaction and organisational citizenship behaviour among Korean fitness employees. Three hundred and sixty-six (n=366) fitness employees participated in a self-administered survey aimed at measuring the impact of surface acting and deep acting emotional labour strategies on these factors. The results indicated that only surface acting significantly predicted emotional exhaustion whereas job satisfaction was predicted by both surface acting and deep acting. Additionally, emotional exhaustion and job satisfaction had a significant relationship with organisational citizenship behaviour. Finally, it was found that emotional exhaustion fully mediated the relationship between surface acting and organisational citizenship behaviour, whereas job satisfaction partially mediates the relationship between both surface acting and organisational citizenship behaviour, and deep acting and organisational citizenship behaviour. The results suggest that fitness organisations need to pay attention to the emotional labour strategies that employees use to enhance their occupational well-being, as well as organisational outcomes.

Keywords: Emotion; Emotional regulation; Extra-role behaviour; Fitness industry; Service sector