Essentials of Organizational Behavior, 14/e

Emotional Labor

Employees expend physical and mental labor by putting body and mind, respectively, into their jobs. But jobs also require emotional labor, an employee’s expression of organizationally desired emotions during interpersonal transactions at work. Emotional labor is a key component of effective job performance. We expect flight attendants to be cheerful, funeral directors to be sad, and doctors to be emotionally neutral. At the least, your managers expect you to be courteous, not hostile, in your interactions with coworkers.

Emotional labor

A situation in which an employee expresses organizationally desired emotions during interpersonal transactions at work.

Controlling Emotional Displays

The way we experience an emotion is obviously ...