The Impact of Emotional Labor on Occupational Burnout Among Bank Employees: The Mediating Role of Emotional Exhaustion

This study investigates the relationship between emotional labor and occupational burnout among bank employees, focusing on the mediating role of emotional exhaustion. Against the backdrop of financial technology development and the proliferation of intelligent equipment, counter services in banks have become increasingly complex and time-consuming. Heightened customer dissatisfaction has led to a significant surge in tellers' emotional labor load, making occupational burnout a prominent issue. The research finds that emotional labor, particularly surface acting, influences occupational burnout through the complete mediation of emotional exhaustion: the prolonged emotion regulation (surface/deep acting) progressively depletes employees' emotional resources, triggering emotional exhaustion. This exhaustion, in turn, activates the defense mechanism of depersonalization. Depersonalization, combined with emotional exhaustion, subsequently erodes personal accomplishment, culminating in full burnout. The conclusions provide insights for bank management: to prevent and alleviate emotional exhaustion, thereby safeguarding employee mental health and enhancing organizational effectiveness, strategies should include recognizing the value of emotional labor, constructing emotional buffer mechanisms, empowering employees, and cultivating a supportive organizational culture.