Beyond Frontiers: An Examination of Ethical Leadership and Job Resources in Customs Officers' Well-Being

Analyzing factors that contribute to job burnout and job satisfaction among customs officers are crucial for customs administration effectiveness and the country's safety. Based on the Conservation of Resources Theory (COR), we analyze how ethical leadership, job resources, and burnout play a role in customs officers' job satisfaction. Online questionnaires were administered to 53.6% (n = 193) of the customs officers of one Latin American country. Hypotheses were tested through mediation analysis using PROCESS macro for SPSS. Results show that ethical leadership significantly relates to job resources and job satisfaction, but not to burnout. Ethical leadership relates to job satisfaction indirectly through job resources and burnout. The indirect effect serial mediation model (ethical leadership -> job resources -> burnout -> satisfaction) was significant. Our results provide evidence that ethical leadership is an important component to shape the perception of job resources (i.e. autonomy and task significance) and foremost to reduce stress and improve satisfaction.