Curing the Negative Effect of Emotional Labor on Employees’ Work-Life Balance and Well-Being: The Role of Internal Marketing in the Healthcare Industry
(A2019-9158)

AUTHORS

Verena Hofmann, Innsbruck, School of Management; Nicola E. Stokburger-Sauer, Innsbruck, School of Management; Juliane Schuerer, Innsbruck, School of Management

KEYWORDS

Emotional Labor; Organizational Commitment; Internal Marketing

ABSTRACT

Although emotional labor, organizational commitment and internal marketing gain considerable interest in research and practice, current literature has neglected to investigate their interconnections. Referring to emotional labor theory, the authors examine the impact of emotional labor on organizational commitment by accounting for employee-related variables such as work-life balance. Importantly, the effect of internal marketing on employees’ well-being and work-life balance is investigated. Two empirical studies in the healthcare industry are conducted. The first study shows that employees’ work-life balance mediates the effect of emotional dissonance on organizational commitment. The second study confirms this effect for employees’ work-life balance and well-being. Importantly, internal marketing positively impacts on these two variables. This study helps to understand the relevance of employees’ needs for employee retention in the firm and the role of internal marketing.