Abstract
In a survey of local officials in Los Angeles County we test individual-level job-related assessments as a function of a public employee’s induced recall of discrete citizen engagement and one’s intrinsic prosocial motivation through a randomized survey experiment. We explore whether tangible retentions of public service influence the relationship between self-concepts—such as reported prosociality—and job-related assessments. We find that the relationship between self-reports of prosociality and pay satisfaction are contingent upon those concepts being decontextualized, whereas discrete recall bias appears not to affect emotional burnout. In other words, subjects seem to accept the emotional labor of engagement as part of their jobs. However, contextualizing engagement may make them more cognizant of its unremunerated dimensions; and, positive reinforcement of engagement provides encouragement to further engagement. Our findings make the case that emotional labor involves a skill set that employees implicitly recognize merits remuneration and that reinforcing positive engagement outcomes inspires employee motivation.
Highlights
In a survey of local officials in Los Angeles County we test individual-level job-related assessments as a function of a public employee’s induced recall of discrete citizen engagement and one’s intrinsic prosocial motivation through a randomized survey experiment
We explore the relationship between direct interactions with the public and employee job assessments of emotional burnout, willingness toward future engagement (WFE), and pay satisfaction
We propose that individuals who are more prosocially motivated will be less prone to emotional burnout in public service as a function of their other-regarding motives; they will be theoretically more willing to engage with citizens as a function of that prosociality; and, lastly, they will be less susceptible to negative assessments of pay satisfaction
Summary
In a survey of local officials in Los Angeles County we test individual-level job-related assessments as a function of a public employee’s induced recall of discrete citizen engagement and one’s intrinsic prosocial motivation through a randomized survey experiment. We find that the relationship between self-reports of prosociality and pay satisfaction are contingent upon those concepts being decontextualized, whereas discrete recall bias appears not to affect emotional burnout. Public employees regularly interact with members of the public through citizen engagement, consultation, and service provision efforts. We explore the relationship between direct interactions with the public and employee job assessments of emotional burnout, willingness toward future engagement (WFE), and pay satisfaction. We propose that individuals who are more prosocially motivated will be less prone to emotional burnout in public service as a function of their other-regarding motives; they will be theoretically more willing to engage with citizens as a function of that prosociality; and, lastly, they will be less susceptible to negative assessments of pay satisfaction. We inquire as to the potential moderating impact of an employee’s recall of either negative or positive direct citizen engagements on the relationship between prosociality and job-related assessments (JRAs). Emotional labor is the effort on the part of the public employee that goes into producing the appropriate emotional response during interactions with the public
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