The relationship between organizational dehumanization and outcomes: the mediating role of emotional exhaustion

Objective: The present research examines the influence of organizational dehumanization on the core dimension of burnout, that is, emotional exhaustion. In addition, we examine how emotional exhaustion in turn influences employees’ health (ie, psychological strains and physical complains) and turnover intentions. In other words, we investigated the mediating role played by emotional exhaustion in the relationship between organizational dehumanization and employees’ health and turnover intentions. Methods: Data were collected among a sample of Belgian employees through questionnaires. Results: As expected, the results of structural equation modeling analyses indicated that emotional exhaustion mediates the relationships between organizational dehumanization on the one hand and employees’ health and turnover intentions on the other hand. Conclusions: These findings contribute to the literature on employees’ burnout by highlighting a new predictor of this syndrome and its subsequent outcomes