Emotional labour, job satisfaction and organizational commitment amongst clinical nurses: a questionnaire survey.
BACKGROUND
According to Hochschild's (1983. The Managed Heart. Berkeley: University of California Press) classification of emotional labour, nursing staff express high emotional labour. This paper investigates how nursing staff influence job satisfaction and organizational commitment when they perform emotional labour.


OBJECTIVE
This paper examines the relationship between emotional labour, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment from the perspective of nursing staff.


METHODS
A questionnaire survey was carried out to explore these interrelationships.


METHODS
Teaching hospital in Taiwan.


METHODS
Questionnaires were distributed to 500 nursing staff; 295 valid questionnaires were collected and analysed-a 59% response rate.


METHODS
The questionnaires contained items on emotional labour, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment as well as some basic socio-demographics. In addition, descriptive statistics, correlation and linear structure relation (LISREL) were computed.


RESULTS
Emotional display rule (EDR) was significantly and negatively related to job satisfaction. Surface acting (SA) was not significantly related to job satisfaction but demonstrated a significantly negative relationship with organizational commitment. Deep acting (DA) significantly and positively correlated with job satisfaction but demonstrated no significance with organizational commitment. The variety of emotions required (VER) was not significantly related to job satisfaction; frequency and duration of interaction (FDI) and negatively related to job satisfaction; and job satisfaction significantly and positively correlated with organizational commitment.


CONCLUSIONS
We found that some dimensions of emotional labour significantly relate to job satisfaction. Job satisfaction positively affects organizational commitment and has an intervening effect on DA and organizational commitment.
Yang
Feng-Hua
FH
Department of International Trade, Aletheia University, 32, Chen-Li Street, Tamsui, Taipei 251, Taiwan. leon@email.au.edu.tw
Chang
Chen-Chieh
CC
D004644:Emotions; D006784:Hospitals, Teaching; D006801:Humans; D007588:Job Satisfaction; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013624:Taiwan