Fake it or make it: employee well-being in emotional work settings

Purpose The objective of the present study is to measure the well-being of employees who are engaged in frontline roles and actively engrossed in frequent regulation and management of emotions while performing interpersonal interactions. The study has conceptualised the comprehensive model to measure employee well-being with three work-related dimensions, namely work engagement, burnout and job satisfaction in emotional work settings. Design/methodology/approach The study has been conducted on employees of the civil aviation industry in North India working on various frontline profiles. Data have been collected from 600 employees through a pretested questionnaire, and structural equation modelling (SEM) has been performed to test the hypothesis. Findings The findings of the study have revealed that all three dimensions, namely work engagement, burnout and job satisfaction are statistically significant measures of employee well-being in emotional work settings. Also, the study has determined that employees are highly satisfied and engaged at work despite having a feeling of burnout. Research limitations/implications The study has enriched the literature by presenting and analysing a comprehensive model of employee well-being in emotional work settings of the civil aviation industry. Practical implications The study will aid the various service industries in the framing of the intervention and training programs, which would help in promoting the well-being of employees who are specifically engaged in emotional work. Social implications The study is very substantial in offering various parameters over which national well-being policies for individuals can be framed. Originality/value Priorly, very few studies have attempted to recognise the role of the aforementioned variables in emotional work settings in a comprehensive manner. Further, the study has emphasised the unrecognised role of job satisfaction and work engagement where burnout is prevailing due to the presence of high emotional job demands.