"Self-Efficacy, Emotional Labor, and Job Satisfaction: A Study of Public Service Workers in Taiwan (WITHDRAWN)"

Abstract

While early research established a strong link between emotional labor and job strain, a growing number of studies showed that managing work-related emotions can evoke feelings of job satisfaction. On the basis of the literature, this paper examines the perplexing relationship between emotional labor and job satisfaction as well as the mediating and moderating roles of self-efficacy. The results of regression analyses from a dataset of 315 motor vehicles office employees in Taiwan supported the concept that different forms of emotional labor have distinct patterns of relationships with job satisfaction. Furthermore, self-efficacy mediated the positive effect of emotional labor and alleviated its negative impact on job satisfaction. These findings remind us that, while emotional labor can be taxing, we cannot underestimate the potential for job satisfaction to increase, rather than decrease, through effective management of such labor.