Negatively explore the relationship between stress and the hospitality workforce, particularly highlighting emotional labour.
Author: Katie Bird
0 Commentries
This document explores the relationship between stress and hospitality workers from a negative perspective, with a spotlight on emotional labour. The aim is covered through various methods including a detailed literature review (on subjects such as emotional dissonance and previous interviews) and an interview carried out by the researcher. The method this interview and the ethics the researcher had to follow are also mentioned, then the findings are concluded.
The topics discussed in the literature review were chosen to help shape the primary research (interview). These topics include emotional labour, previous interviews, and emotional dissonance, as well as managements role. Emotional labour has been explained by Wharton (2009) and is related to the emotional performance of each worker. When looking into this further, emotional dissonance frequently appeared in the discussion. Emotional dissonance is when the individual is being told to display positive emotions when the individuals do not feel like it (Grandey, 2000). These two main topics allowed the researcher to create questions which asked the participant about their previous experiences and within their current position.
The literature review also enabled the researcher from the sampling to choose the most suitable participant. The participant would be a manager or an assistant manager, currently managing their own team, who has been in the position for at least two years. The interview was completed with the consent of the participant, and would be done without disclosing their name, workplace, or gender, which ensured ethical guidelines were met.
One key finding from the primary research was that emotional labour and emotional dissonance had been felt by not only entry level workers, but those in management roles. For management this was not only felt on a one to one basis with the customer but also situations where members of their team had experienced this. This is important as it meant this stressful ordeal could be explained in more detail than found in previous research.
From the primary research the participant allowed the researcher to understand that due to the impacts of emotional labour, a sense of community has been created in the specific workplace. The participant had not only shown this with their team, but with management above them, as they felt able to talk to them about the impacts. This is important when looking into how workers can cope with the impacts, as the community is used to discuss, manage, and learn from how they feel.
Overall, the normality of emotional dissonance and emotional labour is clear, from the regularity of the terms discussed in the secondary research and the lack of frequency of the impacts in the primary research. This suggests that in the (participant’s) current hospitality workplaces, workers have become used to the terms and their impacts. However, the participant explained that when participants do feel the negative impacts of the terms, they are felt at an extreme level. This point then implies, due to the normality of terms the impacts are more extreme as the negative emotions have built overtime.
Impacts of emotional labour can be further seen when the participant was asked about how they or their team felt when receiving negative reviews. The key point of this question was to ask this when the individuals had tried their best to give a positive experience for the guest, however the bad review was still posted. The participant answered that they had felt annoyed or disappointed when receiving these and these emotions had frequently occurred. These specific negative impacts had already been discussed in the emotional dissonance section of the literature review. This is important, as it shows hoteliers that the impacts of emotional labour are affecting their staff, highlighting the need for change.
This research also allowed the researcher to be able to suggest how hoteliers can change the level of stress (or negative implications) on their staff members. This advice has come from both the primary and the secondary research, as both the participant in the interview and Bratton and Watson (2018, 57-68) said these changes need to begin in training. Managers in the industry have said there is a significant lack of training to show staff how to deal with situations where emotional labour or emotional dissonance come into play. This research could help hoteliers understand how to help their workers and retain them for the future.
Bratton, J. and Watson, S. (2018) Talent management, emotional labour and the role of line managers in the Scottish hospitality industry: A roundtable discussion. Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes, 10 (1) 57-68.
Grandey, A.A. (2000) Emotion Regulation in the Workplace: A New Way to conceptualise emotional labor. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology.
Wharton, A.S. (2009) The Sociology of Emotional Labor. Annual Review of Sociology, 35 (1).
The topics discussed in the literature review were chosen to help shape the primary research (interview). These topics include emotional labour, previous interviews, and emotional dissonance, as well as managements role. Emotional labour has been explained by Wharton (2009) and is related to the emotional performance of each worker. When looking into this further, emotional dissonance frequently appeared in the discussion. Emotional dissonance is when the individual is being told to display positive emotions when the individuals do not feel like it (Grandey, 2000). These two main topics allowed the researcher to create questions which asked the participant about their previous experiences and within their current position.
The literature review also enabled the researcher from the sampling to choose the most suitable participant. The participant would be a manager or an assistant manager, currently managing their own team, who has been in the position for at least two years. The interview was completed with the consent of the participant, and would be done without disclosing their name, workplace, or gender, which ensured ethical guidelines were met.
One key finding from the primary research was that emotional labour and emotional dissonance had been felt by not only entry level workers, but those in management roles. For management this was not only felt on a one to one basis with the customer but also situations where members of their team had experienced this. This is important as it meant this stressful ordeal could be explained in more detail than found in previous research.
From the primary research the participant allowed the researcher to understand that due to the impacts of emotional labour, a sense of community has been created in the specific workplace. The participant had not only shown this with their team, but with management above them, as they felt able to talk to them about the impacts. This is important when looking into how workers can cope with the impacts, as the community is used to discuss, manage, and learn from how they feel.
Overall, the normality of emotional dissonance and emotional labour is clear, from the regularity of the terms discussed in the secondary research and the lack of frequency of the impacts in the primary research. This suggests that in the (participant’s) current hospitality workplaces, workers have become used to the terms and their impacts. However, the participant explained that when participants do feel the negative impacts of the terms, they are felt at an extreme level. This point then implies, due to the normality of terms the impacts are more extreme as the negative emotions have built overtime.
Impacts of emotional labour can be further seen when the participant was asked about how they or their team felt when receiving negative reviews. The key point of this question was to ask this when the individuals had tried their best to give a positive experience for the guest, however the bad review was still posted. The participant answered that they had felt annoyed or disappointed when receiving these and these emotions had frequently occurred. These specific negative impacts had already been discussed in the emotional dissonance section of the literature review. This is important, as it shows hoteliers that the impacts of emotional labour are affecting their staff, highlighting the need for change.
This research also allowed the researcher to be able to suggest how hoteliers can change the level of stress (or negative implications) on their staff members. This advice has come from both the primary and the secondary research, as both the participant in the interview and Bratton and Watson (2018, 57-68) said these changes need to begin in training. Managers in the industry have said there is a significant lack of training to show staff how to deal with situations where emotional labour or emotional dissonance come into play. This research could help hoteliers understand how to help their workers and retain them for the future.
Bratton, J. and Watson, S. (2018) Talent management, emotional labour and the role of line managers in the Scottish hospitality industry: A roundtable discussion. Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes, 10 (1) 57-68.
Grandey, A.A. (2000) Emotion Regulation in the Workplace: A New Way to conceptualise emotional labor. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology.
Wharton, A.S. (2009) The Sociology of Emotional Labor. Annual Review of Sociology, 35 (1).