The Effect of Hospital Nurses’ Emotional Labor on Job Engagement and Turnover Intention

Abstract

Objectives The purpose of this study is to analyze whether emotional labor experienced by nurses in their work affects turnover intention through job engagement. Methods Data were collected by a self-entry method using structured questionnaire for 243 nurses who worked at hospitals in Busan. Structural equation and moderating regression model were applied for the analysis. Results Firstly, in emotional labor, which is an independent variable, emotional disharmony had a negative (-) effect on job engagement and a positive (+) influence on turnover intention. Secondly, it was found that job engagement, which is a mediating variable, had a negative (-) influence on turnover intention. Third, job engagement had partially mediating effect on causal relation between emotional disharmony (which is a subordinate variable of emotional labor) and turnover intention. Conclusions Based on the results of this study, it is suggested that preparation of a scheme to raise job enthusiasm and lower intention to change jobs is required by recognizing emotional disharmony experienced by nurses and paying continuous attention to their work environment. Key words: Emotional labor, Emotional disharmony, Job engagement, Turnover intention