Applying an Intersectional Understanding of Extra Work Behavior and Emotional Exhaustion in Local Public Service

Abstract

Most diversity management studies focus on the organizational outcomes or individual outcomes that analyze race, gender, and age in the public workforce as separate categories. Less attention, however, has been paid to whether intersectionality shapes employees’ daily workplace experiences. This study theoretically unpacks how the intersection of multiple identities increases the transaction costs inherent to underrepresentation by looking at employee engagement in uncompensated extra-role behaviors and emotional exhaustion. Using a structural equation modelling approach with rich survey data from the Los Angeles city government, the authors find that the extra work experiences of minority employees are not homogenous within racial, gender, or generational groups. Among Black employees, it is women who bear the brunt of extra work burden. Further, among Black women, it is older generations who disproportionately engage in extra work and suffer from emotional exhaustion. Taking an intersectional approach is critical to understanding heterogeneity within groups to (a) help identify the personnel most vulnerable to disproportionate burdens on the job, and (b) subsequently implement the human resource management practices to better support a diverse workforce.