Examining the Relationships Between Frontline Bank Employees’ Job Demands and Job Satisfaction: A Mediated Moderation Model

Abstract

This study aims to fill the previous research gap by examining the relationship between job stress, work-family conflict (WFC), and job satisfaction. It also investigates the mediating effect of job burnout, through which job demands influence job satisfaction, and examines the moderating effect of emotional intelligence (EI) on these relationships through the lens of the job demands-resources (JD-R) model. The data for this study was collected from 279 respondents who were frontline employees in 14 banks in Palestine. A cross-sectional research approach was performed using a partial least squares path modeling approach. The study finds that job demands (job stress and WFC) increase job burnout. Contrary to expectations, job demands have a negative but not significant direct effect on job satisfaction. Further, job burnout reduces frontline bank employees’ job satisfaction. Regarding the mediating effect, job burnout fully mediates the relationship between job demands and job satisfaction. The findings suggest that the relationship between job stress and job burnout is stronger when EI is comparatively low. The study thus extends prior research by investigating the conditional indirect effect of job stress on job satisfaction when job burnout acts as a mediator and EI is the moderator. It contributes to the JD-R literature by providing support from the Palestinian banking sector.