Is Deep Acting Prevalent in Socially Responsible Companies? The Effects of CSR Perception on Emotional Labor Strategies

Abstract

This study examines the relationship between corporate social responsibility (CSR) perception and emotional labor strategies, and the effects of the interaction between CSR perception and moral identification on emotional labor strategies via affective organizational commitment. Our data from 352 frontline employees in the service industry show the main effect of CSR perception on emotional labor strategies. We find that CSR perception is positively (negatively) related to deep acting (surface acting). Affective organizational commitment mediates the relationship between CSR perception and surface acting but not between CSR perception and deep acting. Moral identification moderates the effects of CSR perception on surface acting through affective organizational commitment. This paper reveals that the employees’ views on their organization’s social responsiveness and morality affect their emotional labor strategies.

Corporate Social Responsibility and the Reciprocity Between Employee Perception, Perceived External Prestige, and Employees’ Emotional Labor

“…Second, the current study extends the CSR literature by responding to the call for investigation by Oh et al 20 and Glavas 2 by including actual human perspectives (ie, emotional labor) in the existing CSR mechanism to identify the pathways of CSR activities and choice of emotional labor strategy. As per our understanding, the current study is the first attempt to develop and evaluate different routes to emotional labor via the perception of CSR (internal and external), which has received less empirical attention in the past.…”

“…A fundamental basis of our study model is that CSR is a potential contributor to employee emotional labor. 20 The initiator of the term “emotional labor”, defined as the “management of feeling to create a publicly observable facial and bodily display”. 56 According to the Morris and Feldman 57 definition, it is an individual’s deliberate and directed efforts by expressing emotions required to be exhibited at work.…”

“… 19 Further, scholars stressed on the mechanism to link CSR with desired employee outcomes (ie, attitudes and behaviors) and emotional labor. 20 This study addresses the problem of internal and external CSR concerning deep acting, surface acting, and employees’ perception of external prestige. Moreover, we focus on the problems of employee perception on internal CSR towards the perception of perceived organizational support; and perceived external prestige and organizational support’s mediation to deep and surface acting.…”

“… 26 , 27 Therefore, less has been known about its interaction with organizational factors. 20 , 28 Moreover, studies regarding the predictors of emotional labor and various mechanisms of these relationships are needed to understand the psychological and behavioral demands of employees. Specifically, these mechanisms needed to be uncovered in Asian countries, where people deal with more emotions due to the collectivist culture and expectations from their organizations to work for their welfare.…”

“… 28 Furthermore, it is also endorsed in the literature that further research using data from subjects with different cultural orientation is thus required to confirm the external validity for the results of the aforementioned variables. 20 Therefore, the current study, specifically in an Asian context, incorporates classifications often used in organizational level CSR research that distinguish social responsibility relevant to its focus (internal and external), 29 in proposing diverse routes that link various CSR practices (ie, internal and external) to employees’ choice of emotional labor strategy (ie, via perceived organizational support and perceived external prestige). Furthermore, front-line employees’ issues are mostly occurring in the services sector because services sector employees have more interaction with customers than the manufacturing sector.…”