HRM Attributions and Emotional Exhaustion: The Mediating Roles of Job Involvement and Work Intensity

Abstract

Although some research suggests that perceptions of HRM practices are associated with lower levels of emotional exhaustion, other research shows just the opposite. In the present study, we reconcile these discrepant findings by incorporating the role of HRM attributions. Our model posits that when employees perceive that their organization’s HRM practices are intended to improve performance, emotional exhaustion is lower, whereas when employees believe that their organization’s HRM practices are intended to reduce costs, emotional exhaustion is higher. The model also examines the underlying mechanisms that explain the perceptions of HRM-emotional exhaustion chain by positing that job involvement mediates the former, and work intensity mediates the latter relationship. An analysis of survey data using parallel mediation analysis collected from employees of a consultancy organization at two time periods (n=180) supported this theoretical model.