Emotional Labor Assignment

Interaction is an important concept in sociology, and it has been studied from multiple different perspectives. Both Erving Goffman and Arlie Hochschild have made notable contributions to the sociological study of interaction. According to Erving Goffman’s The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life, interaction can be explained through a dramaturgical model. Within the dramaturgical model, interactions are portrayed as performances, as if a particular social environment is a stage, and the people in that social environment are actors (Goffman). Erving Goffman’s sociological interpretation of interaction is extended by Arlie Hochschild in her piece Feelings Management. Hochschild focuses specifically on performances that are put on in the workplace. Acting in the workplace has become a necessity in the service industry because in many cases, people must act warm and welcoming in order to keep their jobs. This method of acting happy and upbeat in the service industry is called emotional labor. However, as Hochschild explains, emotional labor can cause a strain on service workers, especially when they must act cheerful, even when they feel upset and distressed. The discrepancy between a person’s true emotions and their feigned emotional state is known as emotive dissonance. Continued emotive dissonance can lead to spillover, in which a person’s true emotions come out because they can no longer hold back these emotions. Though emotional labor began in the workplace, Hochschild

From the top down, emotional labour is necessary in almost every profession. The way employees interact with customers can directly and indirectly impact sales and the reputation of a company. While it is very visible in lower class jobs like waitresses and cashiers, who interact with customers directly every time they do their job, it is also necessary in higher positions in a corporation. People in management positions are told they must treat employees with respect because happy employees can increase productivity. In A Managed Heart, Hochschild focuses on mid-class professions and how workers participate in emotional labour. Ofri’s book, What Doctors Feel, focuses on emotional work in the high class medical industry. Hochschild’s A Managed Heart highlights the dangers of emotional management where Ofri’s What Doctors Feel has a more positive outlook on the topic, however, both authors would agree that expressing the proper emotion at the proper time - despite some risk - is necessary in almost ever career.

I have been told that I have an innate ability to speak with respect and speak warmly to others, especially with my supervisor. I don’t use it as a form of control but instead simply feel it is the right way to speak to someone. I speak to my supervisor out of respect for her skills in the work environment and feel that she deserves to be spoken like that. On top of that, she has always shown respect and appreciated my work as a subordinate. I have seen other coworkers seem to struggle in properly speaking with her and have noticed certain nonverbal behavior she gives off on the way she is treated by them. This brings me into the proper understanding of internal and external customers. Many times we don’t see other coworkers as a very important part of an organization. You may need to work with them on certain projects or have to request a certain job from them. We should be able to speak to them with respect. By doing so, we are able to create a much smoother system of dealing with tasks therefore increasing productivity. Customer relations is probably the most important part of my job as a customer service agent. We have to work with people ranging from 70 year old individuals with hearing problems all the way to an extremely angry customers. I’m able to listen to these

Motivation and emotion are closely linked concepts that affect behaviour. Motives affect emotion and emotion has related motivational properties. Motivation is defined as a reason or reasons for acting or behaving in a certain manner as it gives directions to our emotions, feelings and actions. Similar to motivation, emotions also activate and affect behaviourisms but emotion is rather a more subjective, complex experience resulting in behavioural changes. (Quizlet.com, 2016) (Alleydog.com, 2016) (En.m.wikiversity.org, 2016)

Where as the same study showed that men who use anger were given the chance to justify their emotion by the situation they are put in and not judged unfairly (Kreamer). The stereotype that women are sensitive and nurturing has enabled them to be seen as competitors in the business world and because of this study they now feel the need to refrain from displaying their emotions completely to be seen as a competitive candidate for a job. “Emotionality at the workplace is not a female issue, men and women are equally driven by it, even if the emotions are sometimes expressed differently” (Kreamer).

Work related stress has been emerging as one of the main causes of adverse symptoms of mental health in today’s industrial societies. The direct result of excessive pressures and/or demands placed on individuals at work, work-related stress has caused some people to develop symptoms of depression, anxiety, and other adverse mental health effects. While it might be possible that other co-factors contribute to the development of anxiety and depression in some population groups, evidence suggests that pressure from works is more likely to trigger adverse reactions in some people. In fact, positive correlations have been established between symptoms of work stress and mental health problems. That is, it is not uncommon to witness loss of

During my time at the soup kitchen, I had to utilize emotion management when dealing with people and situations in which it would have been inappropriate for me to react in the way that I would otherwise have wanted to. Emotion management is the act of obeying “feeling rules” and responding appropriately to situations (Brym and Lie 2012:77). For example, when a homeless man came into the soup kitchen and started to dance and shout instead of calmly sitting down and eating his meal, I courteously asked him to sit down and to try not to disturb the other guests of the establishment. Regardless of any initial emotions of fear, annoyance, or confusion, I had to respond appropriately to the situation by controlling my emotions and engaging in acceptable behavior. I especially had to utilize emotion labor, which is distinguished

“Emotional intelligence is the ability to understand and manage our emotions and those around us, therefore, this quality gives individuals a variety of skills, such as the ability to manage relationships, navigate social networks, influence and inspire others. Every individual possesses different level, but in order for individuals to become effective leaders, they will need a high level of emotional intelligence. In today’s workplace, it has become a highly important

Emotional Intelligence is defined as the “ability to understand emotions and manage relationships effectively” (Pg. 76). Southwest Airlines displays some of the highest levels of emotional intelligence. For example, Dave Ridley (Senior Vice-President of Business Development) mentions that while a day at the airport can be stressful, “a gentle hand, a kind spirit, an extra effort going the extra mile” is what makes customers want to come back. This directly relates to emotional empathy. Emotional empathy is a branch of emotional intelligence and is defined as “the ability to feel what the other person is experiencing in a particular situation” (Pg. 81). The employees of Southwest Airlines use emotional empathy to identify those travelers who are having a stressful time and by exuding encouragement and kindness, the travelers feel more at ease. Employees being able to recognize signs of stress in their customers and being able to apply the right type and right amount of emotion (as dictated by the display rules), makes those travelers more satisfied with their

For instance, Jason Felix, a Human Resources Technician with College of the Desert describes his thought after having dealt with a rude applicant over the phone, “while physical labor is no walk in the park, dealing with people can leave you just as drained, if not more, and it can take longer to regain your emotional stability” (J. Felix, personal communication, January 30, 2017). After having been cut off, yelled at, and harangued, Jason had to still go about his day as if nothing happened. The use of good customer service in the face of disrespect is reminiscent Karl Marx writes, “the realization of labor appears as a loss of reality for the worker”. It is not the real person who is being polite but the person created for the work environment that is required to be polite. With this in mind, having to create an atmosphere of happiness when one isn’t feeling happy could result in the depersonalization of happiness with the self (Herpertz et al, 2016). The problem then turns into the employee not knowing whether they are actually happy or is only so used to being happy. How does the employee then adjust to the “real world” outside of the workplace? In A Managed Heart by Arlie Russell Hochschild, she speaks with airline attendants who must always create a positive space for passengers, their smiles being of most value to the company. One flight attendant interviewed is quoted saying, “Sometimes I

The book “Working with Emotional Intelligence” by Daniel Goleman deals with the emotional assets and liabilities of individuals in organizations. Emotional intelligence is traits that go beyond academic achievement or IQ. As a matter of fact he points out that high academic intelligence can sometimes stand in the way of emotional intelligence. Broadly speaking, emotional intelligence determines how well we handle difficult situation, which cannot be solved by logic, but more by a “feel” for the situation. These attributes are very hard to measure, which is why many standardized tests, whether academic or for employment, fail to measure these attributes, even though these are the one which determine

Psychological stress is a result of many factors and should be dealt with very carefully. Stress can be defined as “An excess of demand made upon the adaptive capabilities of the mind and body”.(Joseph 1). Another way of putting it, is that there are some things that put certain demands on us. The effects of stress should not be limited to unpleasant emotional states. Many studies have concluded that the effects on our physical health from stress can be extremely detrimental. These adverse physical effects include heart disease and formations of cancer. There are also some societal issues that psychological stress can hamper.

This paper explores the impact of emotional intelligence in the business world. In a world that continues to innovate technologically, businesses are constantly looking for new ways to try to remain ahead of the competition, and it is clarified with this paper that one way to do this is by understanding how to use emotional intelligence to establish customer loyalty and good brand appeal. The interaction between a salesman and a potential client was analyzed and discussed to develop an understanding of how a salesman can use emotional intelligence to maximize the chances of making a deal with the client. Customer service in businesses was

In our everyday lives, we are constantly interacting with other individuals. These interactions have an effect on our emotions. We have to learn how to identify and deal with these emotions because they have a direct effect on how we deal with issues at work. Individuals can work their way through this process by becoming aware of the importance of emotional intelligence.

In contrast with the past workplace challenges and organizational behavior, there is a necessity to understand ourselves and others. Sometimes the stress and prestige can cause an adverse impact on one’s position in the workplace. The ability to deal with our emotions while working effectually with others and at the same time, performing the organization’s expectations are in high demand. Since the employees are an asset, and the organization is expecting a return on their investment, understanding how emotions work and how it impacts one’s capacity is indispensable in accomplishing organizational goals. In the workplace, people often have to work with each other. So the handling of relationships and interacting with others becomes the key to the success of the organization. Managers need to have a combination of skills and abilities such as the strength of will, awareness of self, empathy for others and sensitivity toward others internally and externally. Before one can handle others emotions he/she must first learn to lead themselves. So the question become, how is this done? Coleman’s theory suggest that this can be done through emotional intelligence which is the ability to create, build and maintain viable relationships (Coleman, 1998, p. 14). No one wants to follow the leadership of a person who cannot manage his/her emotions. Let’s look together at three business CEO’s personal backgrounds and use of emotional intelligence. The top chief emotions officers in the U.S.