The role of chronological age and work experience on emotional labor: The mediating effect of emotional intelligence

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate how chronological age and work experience affect emotional labor strategies (i.e. deep acting and surface acting) through emotional intelligence (EI).

Design/methodology/approach

Structural equation modeling analysis provided support for the hypotheses based on a sample of 256 flight attendants working for four South Korean airlines.

Findings

The results showed that chronological age has a positive effect on both surface and deep acting. The study also found that work experience has a negative influence on surface acting, whereas it has a non-significant effect on deep acting. In addition, the investigation suggests that EI mediates the relationship between work experience and deep acting.

Originality/value

The current study will add to the growing body of research on emotional labor by examining the effect of chronological age and work experience on emotional labor strategies through EI.

Citation

Hur, W.-M., Moon, T.-W. and Han, S.-J. (2014), "The role of chronological age and work experience on emotional labor: The mediating effect of emotional intelligence", Career Development International, Vol. 19 No. 7, pp. 734-754. https://doi.org/10.1108/CDI-12-2013-0162