Work exhaustion in information technology professionals: the impact of emotion labor

As the role of information technology (IT) in business grows and IT users become more technologically dependent, the IT professional is increasingly expected to work with individuals from other areas of the organization. Dealing with customers, either internal or external, brings the expectation that one will conform to societal, occupational, or organizational norms regarding the display of emotion. This paper examines the impact of emotional display expectations on work exhaustion in IT professionals. We find that the method that one uses to manage emotional reactions in the workplace impacts work exhaustion. Surface acting shows a strong, positive association with work exhaustion while deep acting shows no such relationship. We find that the perception of emotional display rules in the workplace affects the use of emotional management strategies, termed deep acting and surface acting. We also find that the necessity of dealing with other's emotions impacts the level of display rule expectations. The findings of this study offer important contributions to theory by exploring emotional labor expectations of IT professionals. This study also offers suggestions to management to help alleviate the stresses associated with common workplace interactions.