The effect of emotional labor on burnout in the service sector

This study examines emotional labor's effect on service sector burnout. The study consists of three parts. In the first part of the study, the theoretical framework is presented under the headings of emotional labor and burnout. In the second part, the background of the research is given, in which the problem, questions, model and hypotheses are explained. In the third part of the study, analyzes and findings are mentioned. Finally, the discussion and conclusion are included within the framework of the results obtained. In this context, quantitative research methods were used for the study. The data needed for the study were collected by questionnaire method. The study was conducted on 306 participants from various occupational groups operating in the service, private, or public sectors. Within the scope of the research, independent samples t-test, ANOVA, correlation, and regression analyzes were used to test the hypotheses and determine the effect levels between them. The research examined the effect of emotional labor behavior and its sub-dimensions (surface act, deep act, natural emotion) on burnout levels in the service sector and the variables' relationship with each other. According to the research findings, there was no significant relationship between the total emotional labor score and the total burnout score. In contrast, a significant relationship was found between the sub-dimensions of emotional labor and burnout. While a robust positive relationship existed between surface acting and burnout, a moderate and negative relationship was found between deep acting and burnout. A high level of negative correlation was found between natural emotional behavior and burnout. In addition, it was found that surface acting had a moderate positive effect on burnout, while deep acting had a low adverse impact on burnout. It has been concluded that natural emotional behavior has a high negative impact on burnout. The findings are discussed in detail in the discussion section.