The Influence of Emotional Work on Employee Well-Being: Mediating Effect of Perceived Organizational Support

Every individual aspires to lead a fulfilling life, and for many, well-being at work is a key component of that journey. Teachers, in particular, play a pivotal role in shaping creative and innovative citizens, and in Sri Lanka, they are instrumental in fostering the nation's intellectual and moral development. This study investigates the well-being of Sri Lankan teachers by examining the impact of emotional work, with a focus on the mediating role of perceived organizational support. Adopting a positivist, cross-sectional, and deductive approach, data were collected from 498 teachers in the Sabaragamuwa Province through both online and physical questionnaires. Using SPSS for analysis, the findings revealed that emotional work significantly enhances employee well-being and that perceived organizational support partially mediates this relationship. The study addresses a gap in the literature on emotional labor and teacher well-being, offering practical implications for HR practices, well-being programs, and crisis management strategies tailored to the emotional demands faced by educators.