EMOTIONAL LABOR IN ACADEME: Jesus T.

Velasco

CHALLENGES FACED
H T T P S : / / W W W. R E S E A R C H G AT E . N E T / P R O F I L E / N E L E S H D H A N PAT / P U B L I C AT I O N / 3 1 1 5 1 8 8 0 6
EDM 306
July 2020
_ E M OT I O NA L _ L A B O R _ I N AC A D E M E _ C H A L L E N G E S _ FAC E D / L I N K S / 5 84 A 9 A 6 C 08 A E B1 9 D C B7 58 5 1. P D F
PROBLEMS
1. What do various literature reviews and studies reveals
about emotional labor in various fields of discipline and
research endeavors?
2. “What are the demands of emotional labor in the academe
and its impact on higher education institutions (HEIs)?
3. What are the consequences and challenges of emotional
labor?
4. How do academics are emotional laborers and what
challenges they perceive?
METHODOLOGY
1. The research undertaking is both a meta-analysis and qualitative type in nature
of research.
2. It made use of secondary data and reviewed various related literature and
studies in context of the research paper in local and foreign researches on
emotional labor, teaching and higher education institutions, as bases of the
conceptual paper presented in the study;
3. It considers the evaluation of academics in higher education institutions as
emotional laborers.
4. Literature was further probed to investigate academics, as emotional laborers and
the consequences and challenges were discussed.
KEY CONCEPTS
emotional labor -
Emotions -
Academics -
University -
Teaching -
higher education institution -
FINDINGS OF THE STUDY
1. academics are emotional laborers;
2. Academics are prone to dividing their time at work amongst teaching, research and
administration;
3. Table 1 contextualizes the emotions displayed by academics, matched across the type of work
they are involved in.
FINDINGS
4. a corresponding type of emotional labor displayed namely, deep acting
and surface acting, is matched according to their work.
5. There is a need for academics to effectively manage their work, and
emotions during these designated areas of work.
6. Academics may experience unique set of challenges in one set area of
work rather than another. i.e., it has been indicated that emotional labor
essentially will impact the teaching effectiveness of academics (Gaan,
2012);
7. Academics need to ensure their emotions are managed during this time and
are able to regulate and monitor their emotions.
FINDINGS
8. The occurrence of teaching effectiveness being hampered is likely to impede on student
performance.
9. In a study, conducted by Ozturka, Bahcecikb, Ozcelikb and Kemer (2015), of nurse
academics it was noted that those working in state universities for longer than six years
experienced mid-level emotion labor, described as sincere, natural, and real feelings.
10. Academics working at state universities for at least six years experienced deep acting, as
a result of the academic lifestyle and socialization related to the job.
11. The development in academic work and its intensification (Ogbonna and Harris, 2004).
12. Academics respond to a mix of organizational and occupational expectations.
13. There is a need for academics to develop a form of coping mechanism for such
expectations.
FINDINGS
14. The intensification of academic work is brought upon the modification of university policies
and strategies.
15. A study conducted by Bono and Vey (2005) investigated the relationship between emotional
labor and stress, and identified that emotional dissonance, deep acting and surface acting
resulted in emotional exhaustion, to raise the intensification of occupational expectations.
16. The challenges faced by academe, in terms of emotional display, academics may resort to
surface acting or deep acting.
17. Emotional labor literature has suggested that most employees resort to one of two strategies
to regulate their feelings in compliance with display rules, namely, surface acting and deep
acting (Grandey, 2000, 2003; Hochschild, 1983).
18. It has been noted that employees are able to regulate their emotions by using various
strategies (Cossette & Hess, 2015).
19. The current study theoretically explores the challenges faced by academics. Notably, the
literature and research on emotional labor continue to expand and may well certainly
overlap in to the teaching field
 D) MAJOR CONTRIBUTIONS
➢The Emotional Labor Theory (ELT) provides literature for review in academic higher
educational institutions, of both public merged vocational and higher tertiary
institutions and/or state universities as well as private HEIs or universities.
(ibid. literature cited pp 575-580, Problems and Perspectives in Management, Vol 14, 3, 2016)

➢ELT converged public and private research undertakings of literature reviews globally
(ibid references pp 580-582, Problems and Perspectives in Management, Vol 14, 3, 2016)

➢ELT provides vicarious perspectives of emotional labor in various fields of service-

oriented industries liked hospitality services, call centres, nursing, hospitality and
tourism, as well as teaching and academic and non-academic scenario
(Hochschild, 1979, 1983; Ashforth & Humphrey, 1993; Morris & Feldman, 1996; Pugh, 2001)
D. MAJOR CONTRIBUTIONS
➢ELT metamorphosed from human service profession to higher level professional
groups. (ibid. p 576, characteristics of emotional labor work)
➢ELT discloses both the positive and negative outcomes and consequences of emotional
labor.
 Emotional labor theory (ELT) highlights the emotions employees may display in terms of how they feel,
or pretend to feel to meet the requirements of the job (Sturdy, 1998).
 emotions are essential to social interaction and puts forth the need for understanding and feedback
by the interaction of partners and, hence, creates a dual social process (Cote, 2005);
 desired emotions during interpersonal transactions would require employees to exert emotional efforts
(Morris & Feldman, 1996).
 organizations that set goals implicitly and explicitly establish the desired and required emotional
display rules (Diefendorff, Richard & Coyle, 2006; Rafaeli & Sutton, 1987).
 emotional display rules are characterized as organizational expectations for expressing appropriate
emotions in the workplace (Gosserand & Diefendorff, 2005).
 display of positive emotions in the workplace are related to improve social interactions, namely,
promote co-worker trust, job support and affective rewards (Cheng and Peng, 2008).
D. MAJOR CONTRIBUTIONS
➢most often cited negative outcomes and consequences of emotional
labor have been associated with job dissatisfaction and burnout
(Hochschild, 1983; Kahn, 1993; Morris & Feldman, 1996).
➢Other outcomes include the impact on employee’s psychological well-
being (Ashforth & Humphrey, 1993; Fineman, 1993; Tolich, 1993;
Wharton, 1993).
➢an inconsistency exists amid the emotional demeanor that is displayed
by an individual and the genuinely felt emotions that would be
unsuitable to display are regarded as the state of emotional labor. Such
scenario is common in two-thirds of all interactions in the workplace
(Mann, 1999).
❖it is essential that work standards are maintained and work targets
are attained, and the way in which it should be performed.
D,. MAJOR CONTRIBUTIONS
➢Researched reviewed literature showed various types of strategies to regulate
feelings of employees in an organization or in any industries like in any
service-oriented fields of endeavors, such as surface acting, deep acting and
genuine acting.
▪ emphasis of emotional display have been largely emphasized in the research of emotional
labor (Diefendorff and Richard, 2003; Ekman & Friesen, 1982; Grandey, 2000; Rafaeli &
Sutton, 1989).
▪ Emotion display rules influences emotional labor and dictates the types of behavior that
employees are required to display in their jobs. It is suggested that employees’ resort to
various strategies to regulate their feelings with display rules (Grandey 2000, 2003;
Hochschild, 1983).
▪ Research has proposed that employees may perform emotional labor through three types of
acting mechanisms (Hochschild, 1983; Ashforth & Humphrey, 1993) namely: surface acting,
deep acting and genuine acting.
➢ Emotional labor portrays its role in academia, from the basic to higher
education institutions of learning (White Paper, 2003; Gaan, 2012; Gibbs,
2001. Ibid. 577).
D.MAJOR CONTRIBUTIONS
➢Emotional labor occurs both inside the classroom, as catalyst for change in nurturing
and stimulating the innocent minds of learners; and outside the classroom when
maintaining student interactions in terms of student advisory and counselling (Bellas,
1999); of which in either case demands emotional labor.
➢A showcase ‘how academic work’ and ‘emotional labor’ corroborate for a positive
teaching and learning environment.
▪ Academics carry out multifarious disparate tasks. (Ogbonna & Harris, 2004).

➢HEIs exists for their students as clientele and customers of learning; hence, the role of
academics can be advocated as a service-provider.
▪ As academic institutions that are categorized as a service provider, with customers, means of production and service
deliverers. It demands that academic staff perform emotional labor ensuring that negative emotions are controlled
expecting their performance at the time whilst executing of duties and thereby ensuring effectiveness towards teaching
and learning activities being experienced by the customers (students). Academic staff, in higher education, are expected
to perform emotional labor in order to achieve the dual outcomes and hence, the generated outcomes are perceived as
customer satisfaction, and profits for the institution. Hence, the effect of emotional labor on academic staff can also be
extended to teaching effectiveness (Gaan, 2012 and Gibbs, 2001).
E)WEAKNESS AND HOW TO ADDRESS THESE WEAKNESSES?
➢Emotional labor is described as a double edged-sword (Ashforth &
Humphrey, 1993)…The admin should be vigilant enough & cognizant to the needs of its
workforce/employees/academic community…
➢The pressures placed by emotional labor can be functional for the
organization and dysfunctional for the employee and hence, expose
employees to challenges…
➢The role of academics are fast becoming demanding and stressful in higher
education globally….academic should be updated all the time with trainings/seminar
workshops and/or educationally informed about global issue like forming a local response
team within or among the academic and/or non-academic community to combat and address
the challenge in time of pandemic or emergency situation
➢Strong association exists between occupational stress and emotional labor to
have negative effects on the health and well-being of individuals…in time like
this perhaps, there should be enough support from the medical staff for check-up, or for referrals and
/or dispensing prescriptions and/or medicines.
WEAKNESS AND HOW TO ADDRESS THESE WEAKNESSES?
➢the consequences of emotional labor are dependent on:
❖ the characteristics of the job and organization and lead to
emotional exhaustion (Kruml & Geddes, 2000),
❖ emotional dissonance (Bakker & Heuven, 2006),
❖ job satisfaction (Ibanez-Rafuse, 2010; Ozturk, Karayel & Nasoz,
2008; Sheetal, 2010),
❖ workplace stress, and burnout (Mann, 1999b; Mann & Cowburn,
2005).
➢The person involved should know his/her capacity of work either working on a 24/7, 24 h a
day working etc…or 8 hours a day….but due to the nature of the job of faculty in the
academe, sometimes and most of the times, our work are extended at home, which should not
be the case; All academic chores should be done outright to avoid bulking of jobs…etc..
CHALLENGES:
1. How to address the quality of work-life of academics within higher
education?
2. Increased levels of emotional labor that are found in university calls
for a continuous concern: there is a need for continued investigation
into occupational stress and emotional labor among university
lecturers, and within the academe.
F) RECOMMENDATIONS
1. Researchers should further empirically investigate emotional labor within higher
education;
2. Further research on how academics perceive their challenges of emotional labor
from a personal perspective, and its impact on students;
3. Future research on emotional labor of academics should expand on the way which
it impacts higher education institutions, and its employees and students;
4. Future research should provide insights on how academics regulate their emotions,
and is an important factor in providing insights to many aspects of academics and
their careers;
5. An in-depth qualitative research can be carried out to establish ways in which
academics can mitigate the consequences of emotional labor.
RECOMMENDATIONS
6. There is a need for quantitative research to be carried out in this
field, notably, emotional labor in higher education intuitions, which is
relatively an understudied research area;
7. It has been suggested that little attention is given to the implications
of emotional labor in academia, and can be regarded as
underexplored area of study;
8. Both academic staff and academic community should utilize emotional
labor as a coping mechanism in facing the demands placed on them
as a strategy to cope with their feelings, in terms of teaching,
research and administration fosters a space for emotional labor;
RECOMMENDATIONS
9. It is imperative that universities pay attention to the emotional demands faced by newly hired and
less experienced university lecturers in terms of staff recruitment, staff retention and staff wellbeing.
10. lecturers enable to meet changing occupational and organizational expectations due to an increase
emotional labor;
11. the management of universities and departments need to be cognizant that emotional labor features
in the career of academics, and may pose a risk. High emotional labor intensity are likely to pose a
threat to academic staff job performance, well-being, teaching effectiveness and job satisfaction.
12. implications for student performance may arise.
13. academics should address the emotional demands of their work to ensure emotional equanimity
maintenance (Grandey, Kern & Frone, 2007; Rupp & Spencer, 2006).
14. Academic community in higher education institutions need to be cognizant of the job demands on
their emotion.