SM - Emotional Labour Flashcards
Define emotional labour and explain the boundary‑spanning role of service employees.
Emotional labour is the regulation and display of emotions required by a job, often involving surface acting (faking) or deep acting (genuine emotion) to meet organizational “feeling rules”
Service employees act as boundary spanners, linking an organization’s internal processes with its external customers, and use emotional labour to manage these interactions effectively
Pros: Enhances customer satisfaction and reinforces brand values.
Cons: Can lead to stress, emotional exhaustion, and burnout over time
From the customer’s perspective, how do different emotional labour strategies affect service evaluations?
Deep acting (authentic emotion) generally leads to higher customer satisfaction, loyalty, and willingness to recommend, because customers sense genuineness
Surface acting (forced smiles) can be detected by customers, which negatively impacts their service evaluations and overall experience
Pros of Deep Acting: Builds trust and long‑term relationships.
Cons of Surface Acting: Customers perceive inauthenticity, reducing satisfaction.
How did Hochschild (1983) describe emotion labour?
“Emotional labour is the management of feeling to create a publicly observable facial and bodily display; emotional labour is sold for a wage and therefore has exchange value.”
What are the outcomes of Emotional Labour for employees? (Grandey2003) (Zhan et al 2019)
Surface acting ⇒ High emotional exhaustion, burnout & turnover intentions
Deep acting ⇒ Less exhaustion than surface acting & better peer‐rated performance, but still depletes emotional resources if over‐used
Pros of deep acting ⇒ Authentic interactions boost job performance and team relationships
Cons of both ⇒ Without training/support, either type leads to emotional dissonance, stress & reduced well‐being
Strategies for managing Emotional Labour
Screen for emotional abilities: Hiring employees with higher emotional intelligence reduces emotional exhaustion and turnover intentions (Kim, 2008).
Teach emotional management skills: Training staff in cognitive reappraisal helps them regulate emotions effectively and lowers burnout (Grandey, 2000).
Servicescape design: Creating a pleasant work environment with supportive décor and lighting improves employee mood and reduces emotional strain (Heskettetal., 1994).
Allow employees to talk: Structured debriefs or peer‐support sessions after difficult customer interactions provide emotional relief and maintain well‐being (Rupp & Spencer, 2006).
Put management on the front line: Having managers work alongside staff fosters empathy, improves understanding of challenges, and leads to better support systems (Heskettetal., 1994).
Give employees breaks: Regular rest periods help replenish emotional resources and sustain consistent service performance (Kim, 2008).
Strategies to manage EL. Kim 2008
Screen for emotional abilities: Hiring employees with higher emotional intelligence reduces emotional exhaustion and turnover intentions (Kim, 2008).
Give employees breaks: Regular rest periods help replenish emotional resources and sustain consistent service performance (Kim, 2008).
Strategies to manage EL. (Grandey, 2000).
Teach emotional management skills: Training staff in cognitive reappraisal helps them regulate emotions effectively and lowers burnout (Grandey, 2000).
Strategies to manage EL.(Heskettetal., 1994).
Servicescape design: Creating a pleasant work environment with supportive décor and lighting improves employee mood and reduces emotional strain (Heskettetal., 1994).
Put management on the front line: Having managers work alongside staff fosters empathy, improves understanding of challenges, and leads to better support systems (Heskettetal., 1994).
Strategies to manage EL.(Rupp & Spencer, 2006).
Allow employees to talk: Structured debriefs or peer‐support sessions after difficult customer interactions provide emotional relief and maintain well‐being (Rupp & Spencer, 2006).
