Reducing emotional exhaustion and increasing organizational support

Purpose The purpose of this study is to explore stressors that may influence salespersons' emotional exhaustion and their perception of organizational support. Design/methodology/approach Structural equation modeling is used to assess: the effects of role conflict and work‐family conflict on emotional exhaustion; role conflict and role ambiguity's effects on perceived organizational support; and whether perceived organization support is directly or indirectly linked to emotional exhaustion. Findings Findings from the study suggest that work‐family conflict and role conflict both significantly affect emotional exhaustion. Work‐family conflict also was found to impact on the relationship between perceived organizational support and emotional exhaustion. Finally, role conflict and role ambiguity were found to have a negative impact on perceived organizational support. Originality/value This study provides a foundation for reducing salespersons' emotional exhaustion and provides a method of increasing a salesforce's perception of organizational support.