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The degradation of work and the end of the skilled emotion worker at Aer Lingus: is it all trolley dollies now?

Author

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  • Caitriona Curley

    (National University of Ireland Galway, Ireland)

  • Tony Royle

    (National University of Ireland Galway, Ireland)

Abstract

The article focuses on emotional labour and self-identity at the Irish-owned Aer Lingus airline from 1998 to 2008. It has been suggested that emotional labour is likely to be an increasingly important feature of frontline service jobs. However, in this case management has reduced the level of emotional labour requirement while work organization, recruitment policy and training have changed to focus on sales and lower labour costs, intensifying workloads and reducing cabin crew autonomy. Although some may suggest that a reduction in emotional labour requirement would be a positive outcome for employees, this is not how it has been perceived by some cabin crew. Long-serving cabin crew in particular see these changes as an attack on their professionalism and a challenge to their identity as skilled emotion workers.

Suggested Citation

  • Caitriona Curley & Tony Royle, 2013. "The degradation of work and the end of the skilled emotion worker at Aer Lingus: is it all trolley dollies now?," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 27(1), pages 105-121, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:woemps:v:27:y:2013:i:1:p:105-121
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Baum, Tom, 2015. "Human resources in tourism: Still waiting for change? – A 2015 reprise," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 204-212.
    2. Delaplace, Marie & Dobruszkes, Frédéric, 2015. "From low-cost airlines to low-cost high-speed rail? The French case," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(C), pages 73-85.
    3. Richard Godfrey & Joanna Brewis, 2018. "‘Nowhere else sells bliss like this’: Exploring the emotional labour of soldiers at war," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 25(6), pages 653-669, November.

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