Emotional labor is defined as work that requires the employee to display specific emotions, both verbal and non verbal in order to promote a certain feeling in those receiving the service being provided. Can you guess the jobs that are rated as providing the most emotional labor?
And, do you think those who provide a high amount of emotional labor should be compensated at a higher rate?
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5 responses to “Emotional labor”
Actors are paid to act.
And if the act is Award-winning caliber, it’s paid for accordingly. (But psst! The performed character is likely NOT the real-life person. )
Being paid for emoting acts? That’s no doubt a dream come true for those ranking high in trait-agreeableness and/or trait-neurosity.
But why does it need to be an act . . . unless it’s fake? Cranking out fakeries for pay is little more noble than a phone-scammer. The “meaning” is simply “money from other’s pocket into yours”, by way of a show.
Labors of love make it like one is not really laboring. Working and expending energy, of course. But the “meaning” is something more noble than just getting the money out of another’s pocket.
It is more of a relational transaction where there is financial recompense, than a money game.
@griz Hmmm-maybe I didn’t do a good job of explaining emotional labor. For the record, the top rated emotional laborers are cops. Do you feel the same, that cops should not get paid more for their labor?
Snake oil salesman…
@immortal_pirate I think your former job would require a degree of emotional labor. Do you disagree?
I’d kind of think jobs like waiters and cashiers. That’d be tough for me. It’s hard to act happy constantly. I’m almost always miserable, man, lol. I mean, these jobs are usually some low paying minimum wage jobs, so yea, they should be compensated more in general.