Who Creates Emotional Exhaustion to Salesperson? Is It, Supervisor, or Customer?

The motive of this study is to explore the effect of abusive supervision and customer incivility on retail textile shops salespersons' emotional exhaustion in Indian retail work settings. Multiple interpersonal stressors on salespersons negatively influence the emotional well being and job performance. In frontline service, more than physical or mental efforts, emotional management has priority to maintain service quality. Service position requires internal and external social interactions, and negative social interaction may further move to emotional exhaustion. This study analyses the effect of abusive supervision and customer incivility on salespersons' emotional exhaustion in the Indian context. This study established high-level abusive supervision and low-level customer incivility, and abusive supervision is the primary cause of salespersons' emotional exhaustion in the Indian retail textile sector.