The Effects of Emotional Labor on Performance

There are many different definitions of what emotional intelligence is and exactly which components should be included to comprise it. The most basic model of emotional intelligence is the "four branch model" described by John Mayer and Peter Salovey in 1997. The key concepts included in the four branch model are: "emotional intelligence is the ability to perceive emotions, to access and generate emotions so as to assist thought, to understand emotions and emotional meanings, and to reflectively regulate emotions so as to promote both better emotion and thought (Mayer & Salovey, 1997).” The scientific definition of emotional intelligence, according to John Mayer, Peter Caruso and Peter Salovey is that "emotional intelligence refers to an ability to recognize the meanings of emotion and their relationships, and to reason and problem-solve on the basis of them. Emotional intelligence is involved in the capacity to perceive emotions, assimilate emotion-related feelings, understand the information of those emotions, and manage them (Mayer, Caruso, & Salovey, 2000)."

Separately recognizing, understand, and managing emotions can be simple, nevertheless remaining able to recognize, understand and manage emotions is quite complex and oftentimes rare. If a customer comes to a business in the past and has an excellent experience, then they will form a strong relationship with the company, and recommend the company to other people. To illustrate, when my sister worked at Chick-fil-la her first two weeks of job training focused on how to be EI to customers. By having this extensive training Chick-fil-la is known for its customer service as a result of emotionally intelligent employees, and constant returning customers. The fact that all Chick-fil-a’s employees are trained to be emotionally intelligent, it

In a global world, post-industrial economies are required to focus on the workforce’s emotional labour, particularly in service and blue collar areas due to the emotional impact that certain situations and work-place interactions require of the employee. In Australia Emotional labour is a key issue in Human Resources and People management and is a focus of Industrial relations due to the significance of these interactions on the wider community. Emotional labour is a human emotive process produced at a personal level which involves the sacrifice of one’s personal emotions in order to provide the face of the company and to present a certain disposition that promotes a feeling of well-being on another. In 1979 Airlie Hochschild provided the first definition of emotional labour ‘the management of feeling to create a publicly observable facial and bodily display” (Hochschild, 1979). Since Hochschild’s definition, thirty seven years have passed and the argument as to whether emotional labour is beneficial or detrimental to the workplace has led to dramatic developments of HR practices since the shift of a post-industrial economy in advanced countries like Australia.

Emotional Labor is a term coined by Arlie Hochschild (2012) in The Managed Heart: The Commercialization of Human Feeling as the action of having to controlling one’s emotions and following what she classifies as “feeling rules” for the purpose of getting paid (Hochschild 2012: 7). Feeling rules can be defined as rules that dictate and teach us what feeling is or is not appropriate in a particular social setting

Emotional intelligence was described formally by (Salovey & Mayer). They defined it as ‘the ability to monitor one’s own and others’ feelings and emotions, to discriminate among them and to use this information to guide one’s thinking and actions’. They also provided an initial empirical demonstration of how an aspect of emotional

Although emotions are difficult to describe, all of the people experience those pleasant or unpleasant feelings that can affect mood and behavior. Emotions are related to personal experiences and are a response to certain situations. Controlling feelings to perform a job is called “emotional labor”. Acting in a positive way with consumers is a job requirement of many employees; demonstrating high energy, interest, eagerness, joy, and warmth. Always holding a smile and showing kindness. Even when there are obstacles and complaints, the interaction with a client, patient or student has to be as smooth as possible. In an attempt to hide real emotions, staff often engages in emotional labor.

“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 a ‘type of social intelligence that involves the ability to monitor one’s own and other’s emotions, to discriminate among them and to use the information to guide one’s thinking and actions’ (Salovey and Mayer, 1990: 189). According to Goleman (2001), ‘emotional intelligence comprises of 4 key components which are, Self

While labor can and is often seen as work that is done physically, it is also seen as an act which necessitates using mind and soul. Depending on the area in which an individual works, it can lean towards using all three – body, mind, and soul – to be successful. It is at this point that Emotional Labor (Hochschild, 1983) begins to take its place in the work environment. Emotional Labor is using self to perform work where an employee creates a pleasant atmosphere by giving good customer service. The ability to use self as a means to perform better on the job may have larger implications than we know of. This paper will look at different ideas which contribute to Emotional Labor as a workplace construct and the effects it has on the

The fifth and last chapter deals with how organizations themselves can improve to actually facilitate more emotional intelligence among their employees. This starts with the corporate mission statement as well as the attitude and behavior that is displayed and supported

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 this write-up, attempt is made to provide conceptual clarifications on the subject matter, “Emotional intelligence”, an overview of the theories of emotional intelligence, including a brief discussion about how important the role of emotional intelligence can be in leadership, performance (both educational and work place settings) and in wellbeing.

Researcher that has been carried out on the topic of emotional intelligence (EI) have revealed findings that link EI with higher achievements of individuals. A study done by Carmeli (2009) indicated that emotional intelligence plays a role in the wellbeing of individuals. Specifically, emotional intelligence is suggested to be an important predictor of crucial organizational consequences such as job satisfaction (Daus & Ashkanasy, 2005). Gender is another variable that is proposed as having a relationship with the concepts of emotional intelligence and job satisfaction. All over the world, many organizations are studying their employees’ satisfaction, feelings and attitudes not only to plan on how to allocate rewards and possibilities but also they do it because they are worried more about their employees’ feeling toward their jobs (Golparvar & Qazvi, 2010).

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.