When the mediating effects are assessed, several observations emerge from the
findings. First, the results pertaining to emotional exhaustion as a full mediator
between personal resources and depression are also consistent with the COR theory
(Hobfoll, 2001). It appears that employees with positive affectivity and intrinsic
motivation are less likely to experience depression, since they bypass the depletion of
their scarce resources and are confronted with less emotional exhaustion. Such
findings are important for hospitality firms, because employees in frontline service
jobs experience heightened emotional exhaustion, leading to higher depression, and
managers need to hire individuals whose personality traits match the requirements of
frontline service jobs.