Influences of daily negative feedback and the roles of emotional labor and mindfulness

Abstract

Existing research demonstrates that negative feedback elicits employees' negative emotions. However, this study examines how negative feedback may elicit both negative (i.e., anger) and positive (i.e., gratitude) emotions as lagged consequences. We drew on the emotional labor model to untangle the underlying mechanisms. The results of an experience‐sampling study with time‐lagged reports from 233 employees over 10 workdays showed that negative feedback from supervisors in the morning was positively related to both surface and deep acting. Surface acting predicted anger, while deep acting predicted gratitude in the afternoon. Anger and gratitude have distinct influences on employees' task performance. Furthermore, employees' trait mindfulness weakened their tendency to engage in both emotional labor strategies after receiving negative feedback. Our research highlights the role of emotional labor in shaping emotions and feedback effectiveness, and enriches our understanding of within‐person fluctuations in transient emotions accompanied by negative feedback.