The Effects of COVID19 Disgust Experiences on Job Satisfaction: A Mediating Role of the Emotional Dissonance and the Moderating Role of Perceived Labor Protection System

Abstract

With the COVID-19 pandemic increasing dislike for others, emotional management of essential workers who perform jobs where face-to-face work is unavoidable is becoming an important task for organizational and personnel management. This is because the disgust experienced by customers due to COVID-19 can cause negative emotions and affect job attitudes. This study has focused on the organizational management of COVID-19 disgust in a situation where the COVID-19 pandemic is prolonged and the possibility of repeated occurrence is predicted. This study analyzed the impact of COVID-19 disgust experienced from customers on job satisfaction through emotional dissonance for essential home visit workers (N=419) who had no choice but to perform face-to-face work even during the COVID-19 period. In addition, we empirically analyzed how the indirect effect of the COVID-19 abhorrence experience, which hinders job satisfaction through emotional dissonance, has a moderating effect regulated by the emotional labor protection system. As a result of the analysis, it was found that the experience of disgust to COVID-19 caused emotional dissonance and had a negative impact on job satisfaction, and it was confirmed that this relationship could be alleviated more than when the level of the emotional labor protection system was high. Overall, the results of this study have implications on the importance of managerial considerations for the essential workers facing customer’s bad behaviors.