Emotional Labor is a concept coined by Arlie Hochschild that describes the process by which individuals regulate their feelings to meet the demands of others. This can take many forms, such as suppressing one's true feelings, expressing socially acceptable ones instead, or even completely altering them. Emotional labor has been found to be particularly prevalent in customer service jobs, where workers are expected to show emotions like enthusiasm, friendliness, and sympathy despite experiencing negative emotions themselves.
One way emotional labor manifests in maintaining operational effectiveness is through emotional display rules. These are guidelines employees must follow regarding how they should behave when interacting with customers, typically dictated by management.
A manager may require that employees smile and make eye contact during interactions, no matter what mood they are in. Emotional display rules help ensure consistent service delivery and create a positive impression for customers.
This can lead to worker burnout if it conflicts with their actual feelings.
Another aspect of emotional labor is identity management. Employees must manage how they present themselves to customers, creating an image of professionalism and competence while still being approachable and friendly. This requires balancing authenticity with performance, as workers risk coming across as insincere if they try too hard to appear happy or helpful. Workers also have to navigate workplace politics, managing perceptions from coworkers and superiors about their abilities and attitude.
Emotional labor can impact interpersonal relationships within teams. Workers who put on a fake front can struggle to connect with colleagues, leading to social isolation and decreased job satisfaction. Conversely, those who reveal too much emotion may be seen as unprofessional or vulnerable. Maintaining both emotional labor and hidden identity management requires careful balance, as workers strive to meet both operational goals and personal needs.
In what ways does emotional labor manifest in maintaining both operational effectiveness and hidden identity management?
Emotional labor refers to the effort put into managing and regulating emotions in workplaces. This is done through verbal and nonverbal communication. It involves acting as per social expectations of an individual's role at their place of employment and may have different meanings for employees depending on their job descriptions and personalities. There are many ways that emotional labor manifests in maintaining both operational effectiveness and hidden identity management.