Effect of emotional labor on burnout among Korean firefighters

A growing body of literature has documented that emotional labor as a newly emergent job stressor leads to burnout. The purpose of this study is to examine the association between emotional labor and burnout in firefighters. A total of 18,075 Korean firefighters who were performing the duties of firefighting, rescue and emergency medical aid were analyzed. Data were obtained from the FRESH (Firefighter Research: Enhancement of Safety and Health) Study, and a structured self-administered questionnaire by using the online survey was performed. Emotional labor was measured using the five sub-scales of K_ELS®24, and Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) was used for the measurement of burnout. Multiple linear regression analysis was conducted to examine the relationships of emotional labor to burnout. All statistical analyses were performed using the SPSS/PC (ver. 23), and p<0.05 was considered significant. In the results of multiple regression analyses, five sub-scales of emotional labor (‘emotional demand & regulation’, b=0.133, F=510.223, p<0.001; ‘overload & conflict in customer service’, b=0.111, F=529,442, p<0.001; ‘emotional disharmony & hurt’, b=0.149, F=733.982, p<0.001; ‘organizational surveillance & monitoring’ b=0.130, F=564.316, p<0.001; ‘lack of a supportive & protective system’, b=0.111, F=510.223, p<0.001) were positively associated with firefighters’ burnout after adjustment for sex, age, marital status, educational background, smoking status, subjective health status, main duty and shift work. The results indicate that emotional labor contributes to increase the risk of firefighters' burnout. These results emphasize the importance of stress management program to reduce or alleviate the negative outcomes caused by emotional labor at organizational level, and coping strategies to reinforce the personal potentiality suitable to organizational norms and work settings at individual level.