Abstract

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.

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