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.