Successful Performance of emotional labour is a matter of right personality: A Review of Literature in reference to hospitality industry

By Neelu Tuteja, MBA, Research Scholar, Banasthali University, Rajasthan

Abstract: With round-the-clock guest service demands and cut throat competition, hospitality industry managers must perform their jobs in a frequently stressful environment. Hence, the successful performance of emotional labor is important for these workers who are required to do service with a smile. In this article, the state of the art of research on emotional labor is summarized with an emphasis on right personality traits of service workers and managers in hospitality industry. This area represents one of the newest fields of inquiry within the hospitality literature (Kim, 2008). Empirical studies so far show that one has to possess certain traits and characteristics in order to perform this type of work successfully. Most of the studies have used Big Five personality model and indicate that the traits associated with Extraversion, such as being sociable and gregarious, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and openness to experience have been shown to lead to effective performance for managers and neurotic people to be more susceptible to emotional exhaustion. These findings have a number of implications for service organisations relating to the management of their customer service workers. There are organizational and individual benefits of extraverted people being employed in hotel organizations, and for practitioners, this finding should offer guidance in the employee selection process. Keywords: Emotional labor, Personality, Hospitality, Big Five, Job burnout