Emotional Labour and Turnover Intention Among Teachers: The Moderating Role of Team Support

摘要

The art and science of teaching has been profoundly described as full of emotional activity but interestingly, not much is known of the emotional demands of the profession and more especially the effects of these on the individual's wellbeing. This research investigates the relationship between emotional labour, emotional exhaustion and turnover intention among Ghanaian teachers. Further, the study examines whether team support plays a moderating role in the relationship between emotional labour and emotional exhaustion with focus on addressing the retention of teachers in the profession. A cross-sectional quantitative data was obtained using self-completed questionnaires. A total of 628 teaching staff were surveyed in the second cycle schools in the Accra Metropolis. Structural equation modeling was used to test the study's hypotheses. Results of the study revealed a significant association between emotional labour and turnover intention. The study also found a positive relationship between emotional labour and emotional exhaustion. In addition, the model shows that 'faking' has a significant negative effect on retention whereas 'hiding' predicts emotional exhaustion, leading to an increase in turnover intention. More experienced teachers reported higher levels of emotional labour. Team support has been found to moderate the relationship between hiding and emotional exhaustion, which could have subsequent influence on employee turnover intention. The presence of a strong team support system at the workplace could be useful for managing the emotional demands of teachers' job role, with implications for their well-being and retention. There is the need for teachers to be aware of emotional demands of their profession in order to promote the acquisition of such skills by both experienced and newly trained teachers.