This paper examines the relationship between emotional labor and emotional intelligence in the workplace. Drawing on Arlie Russell Hochschild's foundational concept of emotional labor — the managed display of feeling sold for a wage — the paper explores how scripted emotional performance burdens low-wage service workers disproportionately. It contrasts this with emotional intelligence (EI), which involves the autonomous perception, understanding, and management of emotions. The paper argues that while EI is increasingly valued across all occupational levels, it alone is insufficient for a productive work environment; cultural sensitivity training and mechanisms for addressing workplace grievances are equally necessary.
The paper demonstrates effective use of conceptual contrast: it introduces one concept (emotional labor), establishes its characteristics and limitations, then introduces a related but distinct concept (emotional intelligence) to show how they differ in origin, application, and value. This compare-and-contrast approach clarifies both terms more effectively than defining each in isolation.
The paper opens by defining emotional labor through Hochschild and illustrating it with service-industry examples. It then narrows the argument to show how low-wage workers bear a disproportionate burden. The third section pivots to emotional intelligence, defining it and showing its value across occupational levels. The final section complicates the picture by noting EI's limits, calling for cultural sensitivity training and grievance channels. Four tight paragraphs, each advancing the argument one step further.
In her book The Managed Heart: Commercialization of Human Feeling, sociologist Arlie Russell Hochschild defined "emotional labor" as the "management of feeling to create a publicly observable facial and bodily display … sold for a wage" (Resnikoff 2013). When a Starbucks barista or McDonald's worker is required to follow a predetermined, friendly interactional script with customers — acting as though the customer's needs are synonymous with their own — the corporate machine has extended its reach into human emotions. No longer are workers simply required to work; they are also expected to act as if they are not working at all, and are genuinely enjoying themselves.
It could be argued that nearly all employees are judged by their ability to maintain an appropriate "bedside manner," from doctors to salespersons. However, for higher-level occupations such as surgery or neurology, possessing sufficient professional qualifications often means that the worker does not need to perform as intensive an emotional labor as a lower-level employee. A skilled neurologist with limited social skills will still find employment, while a waitress without those same social skills cannot. Nor is the neurologist required to follow a script when interacting with patients. Emotional labor is thus something to which lower-wage workers are particularly subject, adding measurably to their daily stress. Not only must they be productive — their personalities must be shaped and expressed in a standardized fashion for the majority of their daily interactions.
As Timothy Noah observes in The New Republic, the sandwich chain Pret a Manger aggressively monitors its employees' displays of enthusiasm. If any worker at a particular store appears insufficiently pleased to see customers, that worker and all of his or her coworkers could face consequences (Resnikoff 2013).
Corporations such as Southwest Airlines and Google hire pilots and engineers partly for perceived character and attitude, as well as technical skills, even though professional qualifications remain essential. Particularly given the increasing emphasis on teamwork in the modern workplace, emotional compatibility has become a significant factor in many hiring decisions. Emotional intelligence (EI) refers to the ability to perceive, control, and evaluate emotions (Cherry 2013). In contrast to the scripted nature of emotional labor, EI requires that employees exercise autonomous control over their emotions and apply their interpersonal skills in a creative and dynamic fashion. "The perception of emotion, the ability to reason using emotions, the ability to understand emotion, and the ability to manage emotions" are all components of EI (Cherry 2013).
Even an engineer can benefit from a high degree of EI when collaborating with colleagues on a team-based project. Similarly, a service employee with a high degree of EI is more valuable to a company than one merely following a script, since he or she can respond to immediate and unexpected customer demands in a flexible, authentic way.
However, merely demanding that employees with a high degree of emotional intelligence dominate the workforce is not enough to create a conflict-free and productive environment. Even employees with a high level of EI are not necessarily culturally sensitive. It can be very difficult to "read" persons from different cultural backgrounds, yet this is an important competency in today's diverse workforce. Including cultural sensitivity training in employee orientation and ongoing professional development is vitally important alongside an emphasis on EI. So too is providing a venue where employees can discuss potential grievances such as harassment, which can occur in any workplace — including one that actively emphasizes sensitivity and emotional intelligence.
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