The Influence of Emotional Labor on Job Stress and Satisfaction Among Flight Attendants in Full-Service Airlines Based in Thailand
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14456/abacj.2022.41Keywords:
emotional labor, surface acting, deep acting, job stress, job satisfactionAbstract
As frontline employees who interact directly with customers, flight attendants are expected to display proper emotional expression, as required by their jobs. The emotional expression of employees to meet the demand of their jobs is referred to as emotional labor and may affect their job stress and job satisfaction. Thus, the objectives of this study were to examine: 1) the levels of emotional labor, job stress, and job satisfaction among flight attendants working in full-service airlines based in Bangkok, Thailand; and 2) the influence of two forms of emotional labor, namely surface acting and deep acting, on employees’ job stress and job satisfaction. This study encompassed descriptive research utilizing a survey questionnaire. The online questionnaire was distributed to the flight attendants of Thai full-service airlines with a total of 416 valid responses being collected. The results revealed significant influences of emotional labor on both job stress and job satisfaction, including the finding that 1) surface acting has a negative effect on job stress, while deep acting can lead to reducing job stress; and 2) surface acting can lower job satisfaction, while deep acting has a positive effect on job satisfaction. This study contributes to a better understanding of the roles of emotional labor regarding the job stress and job satisfaction of full-service airline flight attendants. Human resource management in airlines should consider effective ways to enhance deep acting among front-line employees as the findings show that this can lead to lower job stress and increased job satisfaction.
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