Service with a Smile: The Differential Effects of Emotional Labor on Boundary Spanners in the Banking Industry

Abstract

The study uncovered the effect of emotional labor strategies on job satisfaction and emotional exhaustion. A conceptual framework was developed using extant literature which led to the examination of Deep Acting and Surface Acting, which are the two main strategies of emotional labor. Data was collected from front line employees of banks in Zimbabwe using a structured questionnaire, and was analyzed using SPSS. The results revealed that Deep Acting leads to job satisfaction and reduced emotional exhaustion. Surface Acting was found to be inversely related to Job Satisfaction and positively related to Emotional Exhaustion.

Keywords:

• Emotional labor
• emotional exhaustion
• job satisfaction
• deep acting
• surface acting