Emotion & Organizational Communication

A smile goes a long way. This rings especially true some in industries where revenue goes hand in hand with face to face interactions with customers. Here in Hawai`i we are dominated by service industry type jobs, with tourism being the lifeblood of our local economy. What tourists in their right mind would want to visit here on vacation and be met by a frowning staff?

This is why emotions and communication in organizations are so important. Emotional labor is defined as jobs in which workers are expected to display certain emotions to fulfill organizational roles. These roles can range from the superficial (e.g. smiling at work, regardless of personal mood), to a more needy role (e.g. sympathizing with a customer). Often times appropriate behavior is outlined in a manual or employee handbook.

Similar to emotional labor is Emotional work. This refers to individuals NOT in service jobs who are also required to display certain emotions. Examples include jobs within the health care, education, or human services industries. Emotional workers require a deeper understanding of appropriate emotions and contexts to deal with the complexities of different situations they may find themselves in. There typically is no handbook or manual detailing a “right way” as is it is near impossible to account for all the different nuances present in real life.