Perfunctory or faithful: The impact of self-professional identity on labor productivity of front-line employees in hotels

Based on the theories of professional identity and emotional labor, this study investigates the mediating role of emotional labor in the relationship between self-professional identity and labor productivity among front-line employees in hotels. Drawing upon a validated scale, a survey was conducted with 238 front-line employees working in high-star hotels to examine the impact mechanism of self-professional identity on labor productivity. The findings reveal that self-professional identity significantly and positively influences labor productivity among hotel front-line employees. Self-professional identity is identified as the antecedent variable of emotional labor, whereby it enhances the deep acting of front-line staff while reducing surface acting and improving natural acting. Emotional labor acts as an intermediary between self-professional identity and labor productivity. However, different dimensions of emotional labor exhibit notable variations in their mediating effects and influence on outcomes. Effective hotel human resource management should prioritize the cultivation of front-line employees' self-professional identity, harness the positive role of emotional labor, and enhance labor productivity. This approach can lead to reduced operating costs, improved service quality, staff stability, and increased hotel revenue.