Emotional Labour in the Hotel Industry - Literature review Example

Research Paper on Emotional Labour in the Hotel Industry Name Institution Contents Contents 2 1.0 Introduction 3 2.0 Literature Review 4 2.1 Reasons for Emotional Labour 4 2.2 Acquisition of Skills 4 2.3 Application of Skills 5 2.4 Cultural Sensitivity and Empathy 6 2.5 Consequences 6 2.6 Setbacks 7 3.0 Discussion 8 4.0 Recommendation 9 5.0 Conclusion 10 References 11 1.0 Introduction Emotional labour can be elucidated as a mode of emotional control at which point labourers are obliged to exhibit particular emotions as part of their profession, and to facilitate the accomplishment of organisational goals and objectives. The envisioned upshots of these emotional exhibitions are on other, targeted individuals, who can be customers, co-workers, subordinates, or clients (Ann, 2011). Emotional control entails modifying one’s expressions and emotions (i.e. the means through which persons sway the emotions they exhibit, and how they express and experience these emotions). Personnel can exhibit organisationally-petitioned emotions by acting out the desired emotion. This acting takes two modes: surface acting and deep acting. Surface acting entails faking affective exhibitions on the outside without actually feeling them from inside. Deep acting implies the modification of inner feelings so as to display them affectively. Although both modes of acting are intentionally false, they are practiced for a good course (Blau, Fertig, Tatum, Connaughton, Park, & Al, 2010). In other words, they are executed with the goal of achieving more. This paper seeks to answer some crucial question concerning the validity of the employment of emotional labour in international tourism, particularly the hotel industry. It assesses whether the process is expedient in apprehending the correlation between diversity and emotional labour at the workplace. The hotel industry is selected for assessment since it encourages contact between the workers and clients which surges the possibility of application of emotional labour. 2.0 Literature Review 2.1 Reasons for Emotional Labour The need to incorporate emotional labour can be attributed to the swelling need to improve the workplace. Since workforce is mainly available, the level to which it contributes should be maximised to ensure that the organisation runs as effectively as possible. This is the main drive for most organisations that employ emotional labour in their workplaces. Any organisation would want to produce more whilst using the least possible and this can only be achieved through encouraging efficacy in both interior and exterior operations. This is mainly because efficacy results in most benefits for the organisation by reducing expenditure and surging incomes or benefits. To achieve this, emotional labour is perceived from a distinct perspective (Clarke, 2010). Firstly, it is not optional whether or not to employ emotional labour in the hotel industry today. Dismissing it is more like spelling doom on the future and current operation of the hotel as there as numerous hotels that customers can reside. This is partly the reason why the hotel industry has been keen on implementing and advocating for this form of labour (Clarke, 2010). 2.2 Acquisition of Skills Since the hotel industry is tending to incline on the favour of emotional labour, how can the workforce be adequately informed and skilled to handle all cases that may arise within the premises? If at all personalised greetings for guests are going to make them feel more appreciated and welcome to stay at the hotel, how can the management and liable stakeholders ensure that this goes on? Most emotional labour skills are learnt naturally in life while the individual worker is likely partaking chores that do not necessary have to be professional or work related. It is normal for people to greet one another in the streets or even in social gatherings with the execution of false emotions. The only difference between these emotions and emotional labour is the setting in which they are applied (Prideaux, 2006). The emotional labour is compensated since it is executed in professional setting as compared to those exhibited in social gathering. Seery and Corrigall (2009) acknowledge that emotional labour skills such as deep acting can be acquired through training. Although they may come naturally to some people who may have an upbringing or past that involves a lot of emotions, others may be less privileged which necessitates training. The better, between the naturally acquired and imparted skill is the one that brings about the favourable upshots for the organisation. This differs from one worker to another, some e perform better on naturally acquired skills while other might be better on imparted skills, either way, the key point is the upshot. 2.3 Application of Skills So, what if a worker has been in a position to acquire emotional labour skills in any way possible, should they exhibit their emotions equally to all people? For instance, should a hotel attendant exhibit the same emotions with an elderly person and also a young child? This is where skills matter, and where an effective emotional labour practice will be set apart form an ineffective one. Hence, Neal (2008) states that a worker in the hotel industry has to be very smart and capable of identifying the moods of most customers who come to the hotel. This will ascertain that there are high incidents of customer satisfaction in a very sensitive form of profession. 2.4 Cultural Sensitivity and Empathy Today, people live in an ever changing workforce in the workplace. With regards to the topic of this paper, international tourism means that hotels have to accommodate people from distinct cultures and countries. This makes the entire issue of emotional labour more complex and wanting (Goussinsky, 2011). It is hard enough trying to work out the mood of colleagues at the workplaces that one might have worked with for years, now; one has to deal with tourists who they just walked through the door. This is what hotel industry workers have to deal with today. How do they deal with such a scenario? Everything is not as grim for the workers as it may seem. Most of the tourists visiting the hotels have done so before and the emotional labour that has to be applied to satisfy them is similar to those of every other visitor regardless of culture of citizenship. Therefore, the workers in the hotel industry only need minute pointers that may only merely alter the emotions exhibited to the customers (Goussinsky, 2011). 2.5 Consequences One of the main consequences of emotional labour is that it has made the hotel industry workplace, together with other workplaces, as they should be; delightful to work at and also to visit. As emotional labour afflicts many individuals including customers, co-workers, subordinates, or clients, it goes further than been applied in offering services to customers. It is needed by officials such as managers who persistently interact with subordinates and may have little contact with customers. It is hence evidence that emotional labour runs deep in an organisation, striving to prop better working relations (Cheung & Tang, 2009). Omission of the practice may land the organisation of the cliff. For instance, rude and strict managers are mainly attributed to poor organisation general performance. The fact is that the lack of acting out emotions that positively inspire employees causes them to functions relatively ineffectively. The main question on the consequences of employing emotional labour in the hotel industry is whether the industry benefits more than it is harmed. Of course, as with most other practices, favourable as well as detrimental attributes of any practice can always be cited. One always reigns over the other though, as such, it is not too intricate to form a generalised decision on the effect of that practice. There are numerous citing that mention emotional labour as an imperative and underpinning practice that facilitate the operations of hotel and play a major role in expediting growth and prosperity (Karatepe, 2011). 2.6 Setbacks As the practice has been very influential in the hotel industry, it has come under the watch of many stakeholders and analyst who never miss to cite drawbacks on any issue they assess. A key setback with the practice is that it is extremely gendered; women are expected to exhibit precise emotions for the benefit of the industry or organisation. They are preferred to men as they are more convincing to the customers (Cheung & Tang, 2009). However, the issue of preferring one gender for another is still viewed by many as bias. Younger personnel are also recruited to enforce emotional labour as they are viewed as more appealing to clients (Blau, Fertig, Tatum, Connaughton, Park, & Al, 2010). Emotional labour entails silent real emotions and active fake emotions. Both ways of performing emotional labour entail faking ones emotions for others to see. Even though this works in favour of the organisation and the other persons, the worker exhibiting these emotions might not find it easy. In other words, it is a sacrifice where one is suffering while others rip benefits. 3.0 Discussion There is much emphasis and interest on the topic which necessitates a deduction on a general perception. Firstly, it is apparent that workers, in this case the hotel industry, have to fake emotions for organisational purposes. That may be perceived as vicious from one angle but form another, the industry rewards the workers for this. It seems all kind now, doesn’t it? The fact is that people particularly in all sectors including social life employ “emotional labour” and the only reason why it is not the genuine form of labour is that it does not get compensated. Surely, it is better to get paid for it. Furthermore, as much as the debate concerning emotional labour is concerned, the tourism industry particularly the hotel industry should be treated as a special case. The importance of the practice is more than crucial here. It may be of less significance in other industries where there is little contact between workers and customers (Wittmer, & Martin, 2010). For instance, in the manufacturing industry, the workers simply produce the goods and deliver them to the distributor; the workers do not even have direct contact with the customers. The workers also have little emotions to exhibit to one another as the industry requires more manual prowess than emotional one. In the hotel industry, it is relatively eminent to possess emotional labour skills by learning them from experts rather than naturally acquiring them (Seery, & Corrigall, 2009). The main reason for this is because the industry is ever changing and very competitive; the workers skills in such as scenario may dictate the general preference by customers which in turn dictates the standing and future of the hotel. Hotel competition is high in Australia and around the world; taking consideration of issues such as emotional labour expertise for the workers may depict who reigns above whom. It has come to a time that the world has become a “village.” Accessibility to hotels in other countries and continents is equally as easy as booking at a local hotel. This is expedited by the development in technology and transport. Even though it is extensively perceived as a positive move it pose a challenge to the hotel industry workers who have to acclimatise to the new settings. Trying to apprehend the mood of a customer necessitates some slight knowledge about their culture but the diversification of the client base makes sit more intricate. Since this paper converges on the impact of emotional labour in the hotel industry, it can be termed as influential and beneficial. The practice is executed and employed in distinct fields of which the impact is debatable. The practice has played a part in propelling the industry into becoming a force to reckon with. The hotel industry particularly in Australia has become very dominant with emphasis on hospitality which can be considered as a field where emotional labour is commonly used. Even though the practice has impelled the hotel industry to prosperity, it has also led to detrimental upshots chiefly, prejudice. 4.0 Recommendation The issue of emotional labour is crucial in the hotel industry as it defines the success of the industry as a unit. As such, more should be invested in enlightening the workers on approaches of handling new and emerging challenges such as globalisation. The field is important and will continually shape the shape of the industry. The practice can be spread further into other fields apart from the hotel industry so as to alleviate some emotional challenges these sectors are bombarded with. Such field may include banking and services sector which have lofty contact with clients. However, it is imperative that one is keen to assess the framework or structure of an organisation before employing any form of emotional labour techniques. The catch here is that some organisations/industries have been able to formulate their own distinctive guidelines that facilitate this form of labour within their walls. These industries mainly include those that impart services such as hospitality. The problem is that their structures have become very popular and some other industries or organisation may try to utilise the same techniques (Blau, Fertig, Tatum, Connaughton, Park & Al, 2010). This may result in catastrophic upshots. 5.0 Conclusion Emotional labour does not entirely depict diversity in the hotel industry, the key reason why it is employed is to prop growth by making visitors feel fulfilled and in turn keep on coming. However, the practice might suggest diversity in other settings such as social settings where a person strives to fit in. In a workplace where colleagues toil alongside one another, the use of emotional management is an illustration of distinct attributes among different individuals. It is less likely to require controlling ones emotions if the other party has similar views. References Ann Brooks, T. D. (2011). Gender, Emotions and Labour Markets:Asian and Western Perspectives (pp 52-63). Adelaide: Routledge. Prideaux, G. M. (2006). Research Companion to Emotion In Organizations (pp 168-172). London: CABI. Blau, G., Fertig, J., Tatum, D. S., Connaughton, S., Park, D. S., & al, e. (2010). Further scale refinement for emotional labor: Exploring distinctions between types of surface versus deep acting using a difficult client referent. career Development International, 15(2), 188-216. Cheung, F. Y.-l., & Tang, C. S.-k. (2009). Quality of Work Life as a Mediator Between Emotional Labor and Work Family Interference. Journal of Business and Psychology, 24(3), 245-255. Clarke, N. (2010). Emotional intelligence and learning in teams. Journal of Workplace Learning, 22(3), 125-145. Goussinsky, R. (2011). Customer aggression, emotional dissonance and employees' well- being. International Journal of Quality and Service Sciences, 3(3), 248-266. Karatepe, O. M. (2011). Do job resources moderate the effect of emotional dissonance on burnout? International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 23(1), 44-65. Neal M. Ashkanasy, C. L. (2008). Research Companion to Emotion In Organizations (pp 300-305). Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar Publishing. Seery, B. L., & Corrigall, E. A. (2009). Emotional labor: links to work attitudes and emotional exhaustion. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 24(8), 797-813. Wittmer, J. L., S, & Martin, J. E. (2010). Emotional Exhaustion Among Employees Without Social or Client Contact: The Key Role of Nonstandard Work Schedules. Journal of Business and Psychology, 25(4), 607-623. Read More