The Buffering Role of Affective-Collective Investment in the Relationship Between Job Stress and Emotional Exhaustion

Objectives Collective investment is one of the novel constructs in the field of soft human capital. It holds potential to capture the effects of adverse occupational and environmental events on human health and its behaviors. This new construct can be implemented in a collective environment. In this research, the relationship between job stress and emotional exhaustion was studied, due to the mediating role of affective-collective investment with three components; collective investment on the promotion of positive effect in others, collective investment on the promotion of feeling of energy in others, and collective investment on the promotion of happiness in others. Methods According to the purpose of the study, 202 respondents completed the job stress questionnaire, the emotional exhaustion questionnaire and the affective-collective investment questionnaire.  Results There is a positive significant relationship between job stress and emotional exhaustion (P<0.01), but a negative significant relationship between job stress and emotional exhaustion with affective-collective investment (P<0.01). Results of structural equation modeling and mediation analysis (Bootstrap Test) indicated that affective-collective investment is a complete mediator on the relationship between job stress and emotional exhaustion.  Conclusion Overall, the findings of this research showed that through reinforcement of affective-collective investment, we can prevent the negative effects of occupational stress on human health and its burnout in the workplace.