Core self-evaluations, perceived organizational support, and work-related well-being: Testing a moderated mediation model

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to propose a moderated mediation model involving core self-evaluations (CSE), perceived organizational support (POS) and work-related well-being in terms of job burnout and job satisfaction. Drawing on conservation of resources theory, the authors examine the mediating effect of job burnout on the relationship between CSE and job satisfaction, while also investigating the moderating role of POS on the above effect. Design/methodology/approach: Survey data were collected from a sample of 396 full-time employees from four restaurant and food service companies in Taiwan. Hierarchical regression analyses were conducted to test the hypotheses. Findings: The results show that job burnout partially mediates the relationship between CSE and job satisfaction. Moreover, the results indicate that POS moderates the negative relationship between CSE and job burnout, as well as the mediated relationship between CSE and job satisfaction via job burnout. Specifically, both the CSE-job burnout relationship and the CSE-job burnout-job satisfaction relationship become stronger for employees with high POS than for those with low POS. Practical implications: The results highlight the importance of raising employees’ POS by creating a supportive work environment in organizations, because it can serve as an important job resource that complements the impact of employees’ CSE on their work-related well-being. Originality/value: This study contributes to the literature by suggesting that work-related well-being should be viewed as the results of interplay between personal characteristics and perceptions of the work environment, highlighting the importance of the person-environment interaction in explaining employees’ work-related well-being.