Emotions in the Workplace Module from SIOP

Emotions in the Workplace Emotions are states of feeling that are often intense, last for only a short time, and are clearly directed at (and caused by) someone or some circumstance. Positive emotions include joy, pride, relief, hope, love, and compassion. Negative emotions include anger, anxiety, fear, guilt, shame, sadness, envy, and disgust.

Emotions in the Workplace Has anyone here ever worked in retail or as a server in a restaurant? Did you ever have to be happy when you didn’t want to in order to please a customer? That’s called emotional labor!

Emotional Labor Emotional labor is the need to manage emotions to complete job duties successfully. Two major types: Surface Acting: Painting on or faking the appropriate emotional display (i.e. cheesy smile) Deep Acting: Attempting to change your emotions to fit the demand (i.e. trying to actually feel happy) Why do we do this? For increased tips, increased sales, the boss demands it, etc.

Emotional Contagion Why do we emotionally labor? So customers can “catch” the emotion… Emotional contagion shows that one person can “catch” or “be infected by” the emotions of another person. Happy customers are paying customers!!

Class Discussion Take a minute and talk to your neighbor. When have you engaged in emotional labor? When have you seen others doing emotional labor? Is it a good thing? A bad thing?

Further Reading Allen, J. A. Pugh, S. D., Grandey, A. A., & Groth, M. (2010). Display Rules and Emotional Labor: The Moderating Role of Customer Orientation. Human Performance, 23(2), 101-115. Bono, J.E., Foldes, H.J., Vinson, G., Muros, J.P. (2007). Workplace emotions: The role of supervision and leadership. Journal of Applied Psychology, 92(5), 1357-1367. Grandey, A. (2003). When "the show must go on": Surface and deep acting as predictors of emotional exhaustion and service delivery. Academy of Mangement Journal, 46 (1), 86-96. Rupp, D.E., & Spencer, S. (2006). When Customers Lash Out: The Effects of Customer Interactional Injustice on Emotional Labor and the Mediating Role of Discrete Emotions. Journal of Applied Psychology, 91(4), 971-978.