Salespeople's trait mindfulness and emotional exhaustion: the mediating roles of optimism, resilience, and self-efficacy

Abstract

Given emotional exhaustion's adverse effects on employees' psychological wellbeing and performance, it is crucial to understand which employee characteristics may enhance their ability to cope with this problem. This research investigated the relation between salespeople's trait mindfulness and emotional exhaustion by considering the mediating effects of optimism, resilience, and self-efficacy. Data from a total of 172 complete surveys were obtained from salespeople who work for a multinational direct sales corporation in Thailand. Results from a partial least squares (PLS) analysis supported a negative relation between trait mindfulness and emotional exhaustion. Moreover, optimism, resilience, and self-efficacy served as mediators that explained this negative association. This research suggested that organisations should consider mindfulness training as an intervention that may allow their employees to avoid emotional exhaustion.