ROLE AND CONSEQUENCES OF EMOTIONAL LABOR IN THE WORKPLACE

Abstract

The use of emotions in the workplace has begun to be increasingly studied by theorists and researchers in organizational behavior. One essential construct in the literature is the emotional labor which is perceived to be the management of feelings to express organizationally desired emotions. This article aims to review existing perspectives on emotional labor, to differentiate the concepts of emotional labor and emotional dissonance, to analyze emotion regulation strategies, and to discuss the consequences of emotional labor in the workplace. These clarifications with regard to the emotional labor and its mechanisms can help manage their associated negative outcomes (such as emotional exhaustion, lower job satisfaction, higher levels of burnout, and intentions to quit the job) and sustain their possible positive outcomes (such as feelings of accomplishment and enhanced identification with the work role).

Keywords

• Emotions in the workplace
• Emotional labor
• Emotions regulation