Emotional Labor: Organization-level Influences, Strategies, and Outcomes

The quote above comes from Disney service guidelines which are taught to every cast member. As stated, the emotions displayed by “cast members” (i.e., service employees) at work are a significant organizational concern. In another example, from California’s Memorial Medical Center, standards of behavior emphasize, among other things, using “eye contact and body language that displays respect” (Memorial Medical Center, 2008). Organizational expectations for the emotions displayed by employees are a strategic business maneuver – Disney’s friendly, smiling employees are arguably the element that differentiates Disney from other organizations. Given the market gains that are available to organizations that are perceived to provide exceptional service (e.g., Heskett, Sasser, & Schlesinger, 1997), it is no surprise that organizations have been knownto recruit, select, and train employees to achieve this goal, as well as to develop cultures that emphasize a particular type of displayed emotions (Hochschild, 1983; Van Mannen & Kunda, 1989).