Emotional labour, burnout and work engagement amongst service centre employees in South Africa

Orientation: Transforming public service delivery is crucial for the South African government. Emotional labour (EL), managing emotions during client interactions, is essential in service centres. Research purpose: This study examined the relationship between EL, burnout and work engagement (WE) amongst service centre employees in a South African government organisation. Motivation for the study: South African government organisations, as sole service providers, require employees to deliver ‘service with a smile’. This increases mental workload and job stressors, leading to negative responses among service centre employees. Research approach/design and method: Cross-sectional, correlational and nonexperimental quantitative research design was used. The sample consisted of service centre employees in a government organisation. Main findings: The main findings indicated a positive correlation between EL and burnout, a negative correlation between burnout and work engagement and a negative correlation between EL and work engagement. These findings imply that higher EL leads to increased burnout, and reduces work engagement levels. Practical/managerial implications: Training on emotional regulation techniques could assist employees with effective emotional management, thereby reducing the negative impact of surface acting on mental well-being. Additionally, it is recommended that the organisation should focus on person–environment fit and personality traits during recruitment to minimise emotional dissonance and burnout amongst employees. Contribution/value-add: This study is the first of its kind in the South African government organisation and provides insight into the relationship between EL, burnout and work engagement of client service employees.