Navigating daily emotional demands: the role of action orientation in the link between negative affect, emotional labor and work engagement

Purpose This study examines how action orientation moderates the indirect relationship between daily negative affect and work engagement through emotional labor strategies, thereby contributing to the understanding of individual differences in emotion regulation at work. Design/methodology/approach A five-day diary study was conducted with 139 employees, yielding 639 daily observations. Multilevel path analysis was used to test the proposed model. Findings Daily negative affect was positively associated with both surface acting and deep acting, but only surface acting negatively predicted work engagement. Action orientation moderated the indirect relationship between negative affect and engagement via surface acting: among action-oriented individuals, this detrimental pathway was weaker. Practical implications Organizations may consider individual differences in action orientation when designing interventions to support employee well-being and engagement in emotionally demanding roles. Originality/value This study advances the emotional labor literature by identifying action orientation as a key boundary condition, highlighting its role as a personal resource that buffers the adverse effects of negative affect on daily engagement through surface acting.