Examining Emotional Labor in COVID-19 through the Lens of Self-Efficacy

Lixia Yao,Jie Gao

doi:10.3390/su132413674

Abstract

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has dealt a significant blow to the restaurant industry, with many restaurants suspending operations or closing altogether. This study was aimed to investigate the effects of emotional labor on employees’ well-being and the mediating role of self-efficacy in the context of chain restaurants. Data were collected in 2020 through an online survey in China, and results revealed that emotional labor had a significant impact on well-being that was measured in life and job satisfaction. Self-efficacy not only had a significant positive impact on employees’ job- and life-related well-being but also played a fully mediating role between deep acting and life satisfaction, with a partial mediating role between deep acting and job satisfaction. Job-related well-being also played a fully mediating role between deep acting and life satisfaction, with a partial mediating role between deep acting and job satisfaction. It is important for restaurant employees to develop deep acting skills and improve self-efficacy and job satisfaction Restaurant managers must establish a healthy working environment by providing better job support and creating a more relaxed working atmosphere.

Highlights

The world has been rocked by the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, which continues to wreak havoc worldwide
Based on the study’s aim and objectives, an electronic survey was developed to collect data on (1) emotional labor, the instrument of which was developed by Gandey and Dfendorff [55]; (2) self-efficacy, the instrument of which was Schwarzer and Jerusalem’s Perceived Self-Efficacy Scale [56]; (3) job satisfaction, the instrument of which was developed based on Sharma et al.’s work [57]; (4) life satisfaction, the instrument of which was built by Diener et al [58]; and (5) participants’ socio-demographic profile, including gender, age, years of work experience, marital status, working category, and education level (Table 1)
The authors of this study investigated the relationship between emotional labor and well-being among chain restaurant staff who have been hit hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic and explored the mechanisms of job- and life-related well-being

Summary

Introduction

The world has been rocked by the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, which continues to wreak havoc worldwide. This ongoing global health crisis and the commensurate worldwide efforts to contain the virus’ transmission by “flattening the curve” has dealt a huge blow to the restaurant industry, wherein a large number of restaurants have suspended services or even permanently closed. Service employees are commonly referred to as “emotional labor”, because they frequently endure negative experiences with rude customers. They are forced to comply with emotional expression regulations established by service-oriented organizations [1]. Due to fears of losing their salaries and jobs and even being infected with COVID-19, restaurants’

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