This study examines how emotional labor strategies affect interpersonal counterproductive work behaviors (ICWBs) among frontline eco-resort employees, accounting for the moderating effect of despotic leadership. Drawing on affective events and conservation of resources theories, it explains cognitive mechanisms through which emotional labor under despotic leadership translates into workplace misconduct.
Data were gathered from 383 frontline employees at Saudi eco-resorts. Underlying relationships were tested using structural equation modeling in SmartPLS v.4.4 to estimate direct and indirect effects.
Results indicated that cognitive rumination partially mediated the relationships between emotional labor strategies and ICWBs. Further, despotic leadership enhanced the positive effects of surface and deep acting on rumination and undermined the protective effect of genuine acting.
Findings highlight the importance of leadership context in shaping the psychological costs of emotional labor. Eco-resorts that emphasize authenticity should invest in cognitive recovery interventions and support systems for emotional labor to prevent resource depletion and interpersonal misconduct among frontline employees.
This study adds to the extant literature on emotional labor by examining the interplay between emotional labor tactics and despotic leadership in shaping cognitive rumination and ICWBs in the Saudi accommodation industry. It also extends the literature by linking emotional labor outcomes to despotic leadership and eco-resort contexts.
