Sales People as Emotional Laborers: Psychological And Behavioral Outcomes

Abstract

Ever since Hochschild (1983) introduced the concept of emotional labor in the workplace, it has constantly interested researchers due to its impact on employees’ well-being as well as organizational outcomes. However, a thorough understanding of emotional labor and its relationship with various outcomes in sales people is not yet realized. In a systemic approach to the concept using quantitative methods is still necessary. The present study treats emotional labor as two factors (e.g. emotive dissonance and emotive effort). The psychological and behavioral outcomes of each sub-construct of emotional labor are investigated within a parsimonious framework. The findings suggest that emotional dissonance affected job satisfaction, while emotive effort had a significant influence on emotional exhaustion and job performance.