The Effect of Occupational Stigma on Job Withdrawal Behavior: A Chain Mediation Model Based on an Emotional Labor Perspective

Occupational stigma is pervasive, encompassing street-level bureaucrats as well; however, limited knowledge exists regarding the extent and impact on this particular group. This study employs the conservation of resources theory with a chain mediation model to expose how occupational stigma affects street-level bureaucrats’ job withdrawal behavior from an emotional perspective. Based on four-wave data from 1,333 public employees across 316 grassroots communities, we identified a chain mediating the roles of emotional labor and emotional exhaustion in the negative relationship between occupational stigma and job withdrawal behavior. Research has shown that occupational stigma leads to more surface acting and less deep acting. Increased surface acting worsens employees’ emotional exhaustion and increases job withdrawal behavior, whereas deep acting alleviates employees’ emotional exhaustion and reduces job withdrawal behavior. This study extensively discusses the importance of public organizations valuing the emotional labor of street-level bureaucrats to help them resist the threat of occupational stigma.