<![CDATA[This research aims to analyze the implications of workload on emotional exhaustion and the contribution of perceived organizational support (POS) as a moderating variable among employees of the Payakumbuh City Manpower and Industry Agency. The study employs a quantitative, associative-causal method using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) via SmartPLS 4 software. The entire workforce of the agency served as the study population; a census sampling technique was applied, resulting in 44 participants. Data were collected using structured questionnaires and subsequently evaluated through measurement and structural model assessments to investigate direct relationships and moderating effects. Research findings demonstrate that workload has a positive and significant effect on emotional exhaustion (path coefficient: 0.488; T-statistic: 4.371; p-value: 0.000). POS also significantly influences emotional exhaustion (path coefficient: 0.435; T-statistic: 4.977; p-value: 0.000); however, the positive relationship contradicts the initial hypothesis that organizational support would reduce affective exhaustion. Further analysis reveals that POS significantly moderates the impact of workload on emotional exhaustion (path coefficient: 0.243; T-statistic: 2.089; p-value: 0.037) by intensifying the effect rather than mitigating it (i.e., acting as an intensifier rather than a buffer). An R-square value of 0.437 indicates that workload and POS collectively explain 43.7% of the variance in emotional exhaustion. These findings confirm that organizational support must be accompanied by concrete actions to reduce job demands such as the equitable distribution of tasks and the adjustment of work targets so that the support perceived by employees can effectively alleviate emotional exhaustion.]]>
