Stress in paradise: Empirical evidence on emotional exhaustion of holiday representatives

This study examines the relationship between role stress, emotional exhaustion, well-being, and job satisfaction among holiday representatives, a critical but under-researched segment of employees in the tourism industry. Using quantitative data collected during the peak summer season, the study examines how role stress (role ambiguity, role conflict, and role overload) affects the emotional exhaustion of holiday representatives employed by Serbian tour operators at seaside destinations and how emotional exhaustion affects their well-being and job satisfaction. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLSSEM) was used to test the hypotheses. The findings show that role stress has a positive and significant impact on emotional exhaustion, which in turn has a negative and significant impact on the well-being and job satisfaction of holiday representatives. In addition, the study identifies perceived organizational support as a significant moderator that effectively buffers the positive effects of role stress on emotional exhaustion. Theoretically, this study enriches the current understanding of stressors experienced by holiday representatives and proposes and empirically tests an innovative, integrated research framework. Practical implications suggest that clearer role definitions, better workload management, and stronger organizational support are needed to improve employees' resilience, job satisfaction, and well-being. Limitations and future research directions are outlined.