The impact of workload on the emotional labor experiences of employees in private healthcare services

Emotional labor is known to be a significant source of stress for working individuals, and its association with negative outcomes has been confirmed by numerous studies in the literature. The healthcare sector is considered one of the industries where emotional labor is especially prominent. However, while many studies in the literature focus on the outcomes of emotional labor, it can be observed that there is a limited number of studies on its antecedents—factors that may contribute to the formation of emotional labor. This limitation is particularly evident in the field of healthcare services. Inspired by this gap in the literature, the present study focuses on the concept of emotional labor among healthcare workers, examining it alongside workload, which could be considered a significant factor in the healthcare field. The study aims to investigate the relationships among excessive workload, emotional labor, and its subdimensions (surface acting, deep acting, and genuine expression) in healthcare workers. Additionally, it seeks to analyze the effects of demographic and professional characteristics on these variables. For this purpose, a quantitative research design was implemented, and primary data were collected through an online survey method based on Likert scale measures, using a convenience sampling approach. The study accessed healthcare workers actively serving in the private healthcare sector, resulting in valid data from 391 participants. The obtained data were analyzed using SPSS software. Correlation and regression analyses were conducted to examine the relationships between excessive workload and emotional labor, including its subdimensions, and parametric difference analyses were applied to determine whether demographic and professional characteristics showed significant differences concerning these variables. According to the findings derived from statistical analyses, variables such as gender, marital status, professional seniority, type of work, career choice, unit preference, and satisfaction with the work environment showed significant differences in participants' perceptions of workload and emotional labor. The results from the correlation analysis indicated that excessive workload negatively impacts different types of behavior within the scope of employees' emotional labor. Significant negative and moderate correlations were found between excessive workload and emotional labor (r=-0.461, p=0.000), surface acting (r=-0.410, p=0.000), deep acting (r=-0.381, p=0.000), and genuine expression (r=-0.390, p=0.000). It was understood that as healthcare workers' workload increases, they may be less inclined towards engaging in emotional labor and its dimensions. Regression analyses also showed that excessive workload negatively affects employees' emotional labor and its dimensions and that it moderately explains these effects. These findings underscore the importance of policies and practices aimed at reducing workload perceptions and providing emotional support to improve working conditions and increase employee satisfaction in healthcare settings.