Stress in paradise: Empirical evidence on emotional exhaustion of holiday representatives
Stres u raju: empirijski dokazi o emocionalnoj iscrpljenosti agencijskih predstavnika
Abstract
This study examines the relationship between role stress, emotional exhaustion, well-being, and job satisfaction among holiday representatives, a critical but under-researched segment of employees in the tourism industry. Using quantitative data collected during the peak summer season, the study examines how role stress (role ambiguity, role conflict, and role overload) affects the emotional exhaustion of holiday representatives employed by Serbian tour operators at seaside destinations and how emotional exhaustion affects their well-being and job satisfaction. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLSSEM) was used to test the hypotheses. The findings show that role stress has a positive and significant impact on emotional exhaustion, which in turn has a negative and significant impact on the well-being and job satisfaction of holiday representatives. In addition, the study identifies perceived organizational support as a significant moderator that effectively buffers the positive effects of role stress on emotional exhaustion. Theoretically, this study enriches the current understanding of stressors experienced by holiday representatives and proposes and empirically tests an innovative, integrated research framework. Practical implications suggest that clearer role definitions, better workload management, and stronger organizational support are needed to improve employees’ resilience, job satisfaction, and well-being. Limitations and future research directions are outlined.
Apstrakt
Ova studija ispituje odnos između stresa koji potiče iz radne uloge, emocionalne iscrpljenosti, blagostanja i zadovoljstva poslom među agencijskim predstavnicima, kritičnog, ali nedovoljno istraženog segmenta zaposlenih u turističkoj delatnosti. Koristeći kvantitativne podatke prikupljene tokom letnje sezone, studija ispituje kako stres koji potiče iz radne uloge (neodređenost radne uloge, konflikt uloge I preopterećenost uloge) utiče na emocionalnu iscrpljenost agencijskih predstavnika zaposlenih kod srpskih turoperatora na primorskim destinacijama i kako emocionalna iscrpljenost utiče na njihovo blagostanje i zadovoljstvo poslom. Modeliranje strukturnim jednačinama metodom parcijalnih najmanjih kvadrata (PLS-SEM) korišćeno je za testiranje hipoteza. Nalazi pokazuju da stres koji potiče iz radne uloge ima pozitivan i značajan uticaj na emocionalnu iscrpljenost, koja negativno i značajno utiče na blagostanje i zadovoljstvo poslom agencijskih predstavnika. Pored toga, studija je identifikovala percipiranu organizacionu podršku kao značajnog moderatora koji efikasno ublažava pozitivne efekte stresa koji potiče iz radne uloge na emocionalnu iscrpljenost. Teorijski, ova studija obogaćuje sadašnje razumevanje stresora koje doživljavaju agencijski predstavnici i predlaže i empirijski testira inovativni, integrisani istraživački okvir. Praktične implikacije sugerišu da je neophodno jasnije definisati radne uloge, bolje upravljati opterećenjem i obezbediti veću organizacionu podršku kako bi se poboljšala otpornost zaposlenih, zadovoljstvo poslom i blagostanje. Navedena su ograničenja i budući pravci istraživanja.
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