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Self-control and emotional exhaustion: mediating role of effort-reward imbalance and emotional demands

Padma Tripathi (Department of HR & OB, Jaipuria Institute of Management Lucknow, Lucknow, India)
Ankit (XLRI – Xavier School of Management, Delhi-NCR, India)
Pushpendra Priyadarshi (Department of Human Resource Management, Indian Institute of Management Lucknow, Lucknow, India)

International Journal of Organizational Analysis

ISSN: 1934-8835

Article publication date: 8 September 2023

Issue publication date: 15 August 2024

388

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to study the relationship between trait self-control (TSC) and emotional exhaustion, and to examine the mediating role of effort–reward imbalance (ERI) and emotional demands.

Design/methodology/approach

A quantitative study was conducted using data from 441 employees working in different organizations in the information technology sector in India. PROCESS macro with a bootstrap sample size of 5,000 was used for mediation analysis.

Findings

TSC demonstrated a significant negative relationship with emotional exhaustion. Results indicated the crucial role played by ERI and emotional demands in influencing the emotional exhaustion of employees with higher TSC.

Originality/value

This study adds substantially to our knowledge of the role of TSC in employee experiences of emotional exhaustion. Results suggest how employees’ ERI perceptions and experiences of emotional demands determine whether higher TSC would reduce experiences of exhaustion. This adds to the knowledge of positive outcomes of self-control while throwing some light on why the use of self-control does not always incur a psychological cost, as suggested by some studies. The findings suggest that self-control is an individual resource that has the ability to alleviate emotional exhaustion through its influence on employees‘ effort–reward perceptions and experiences of emotional demands.

Keywords

Citation

Tripathi, P., , A. and Priyadarshi, P. (2024), "Self-control and emotional exhaustion: mediating role of effort-reward imbalance and emotional demands", International Journal of Organizational Analysis, Vol. 32 No. 8, pp. 1464-1482. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOA-03-2023-3690

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2023, Emerald Publishing Limited

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