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Emotional labour and surplus value: the case of holiday ‘reps’

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  • Panikkos Constanti
  • Paul Gibbs

Abstract

Service organizations are encouraged by the literature [Grönroos, 1996, 1997; 2000; Zeithaml and Bitner, 2000] to consider the manner in which employees perform at the customer/front-line employee interface, as a means to gain competitive advantage. The employee's behaviour requires ‘emotional labour’ [Hochschild, 1983] where the front-line employee has to either conceal or manage actual feelings for the benefit of a successful service delivery. The implication is not necessarily of equality or mutual benefit but of satisfaction for the customer and profit for the management. The article discusses whether the service employee is being exploited in this three-way relationship, and how surplus value accrues and its benefit distributed. Expecting emotional labour from employees can be exploitative, thus increasing the risk of potential deceit, in particular where poor recruitment, training and support recovery accompany the expectations of the emotional labourer. To illustrate this argument, data gathered from in-depth interviews with three holiday ‘reps’ are used.

Suggested Citation

  • Panikkos Constanti & Paul Gibbs, 2005. "Emotional labour and surplus value: the case of holiday ‘reps’," The Service Industries Journal, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 25(1), pages 103-116, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:servic:v:25:y:2005:i:1:p:103-116
    DOI: 10.1080/0264206042000302432
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    Cited by:

    1. Houge Mackenzie, Susan & Kerr, John H., 2013. "Stress and emotions at work: An adventure tourism guide's experiences," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 36(C), pages 3-14.
    2. Farrukh Ishaque Saah & Hubert Amu, 2020. "Sleep quality and its predictors among waiters in upscale restaurants: A descriptive study in the Accra Metropolis," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 15(10), pages 1-15, October.
    3. Miri Chung & Young-Hye Jang & Steven A. Edelson, 2021. "The path from role clarity to job satisfaction: natural acting and the moderating impact of perceived fairness of compensation in services," Service Business, Springer;Pan-Pacific Business Association, vol. 15(1), pages 77-102, March.
    4. Yucheng Zhang & Long Zhang & Hui Lei & Yumeng Yue & Jingtao Zhu, 2016. "Lagged effect of daily surface acting on subsequent day’s fatigue," The Service Industries Journal, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 36(15-16), pages 809-826, December.
    5. Houge Mackenzie, Susan & Raymond, Eliza, 2020. "A conceptual model of adventure tour guide well-being," Annals of Tourism Research, Elsevier, vol. 84(C).
    6. Edward Shih-Tse Wang & Bi-Kun Tsai & Tzy-Ling Chen & Shu-Chun Chang, 2010. "The influence of emotions displayed and personal selling on customer behaviour intention," The Service Industries Journal, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 32(3), pages 353-366, October.
    7. Elaine O'Brien & Carol Linehan, 2014. "A Balancing Act: Emotional Challenges in the HR Role," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 51(8), pages 1257-1285, December.
    8. Anne Benmore, 2014. "Emotion Management in Small Hotels: Meeting the Challenges of Flexibility and Informality," Eurasian Journal of Social Sciences, Eurasian Publications, vol. 2(3), pages 1-13.
    9. Seonggoo Ji & Ihsan Ullah Jan, 2019. "The Impact of Perceived Corporate Social Responsibility on Frontline Employee’s Emotional Labor Strategies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(6), pages 1-14, March.

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