The acceleration of emotional labor research: Navigating the past and steering toward the future

Abstract

The past four decades of scholarship on emotional labor-the regulation of feelings and expressions performed to fulfill interpersonal work role expectations-has transformed our understanding of the purpose and outcomes of managing emotions at work. In last decade's comprehensive review by Grandey and Gabriel (2015), emotional labor research was described as stalled, with a need for detours around roadblocks related to three areas: (1) conceptualization and measurement of emotional labor; (2) more attention to the why and when emotional labor occurs; and (3) a wider set of performance and well-being criteria. In our focused review of the most recent decade, we highlight how scholars navigated around the roadblocks, pointing out the remaining speedbumps and calling attention to the ways that research in Personnel Psychology contributed to these new directions. We conclude with a map pointing scholars toward the intersection of emotional labor with three grand challenges for the future of work: employee mental health, diversity and inclusion, and remote/virtual work and novel work arrangementsthree topics that are needed extensions of where emotional labor scholarship has previously been. As such, our review builds an open road for the acceleration of emotional labor scholarship.

Having Children and Being Married Are Predictors of Burnout and Obesity Among Working Men: Effects of Latent Profile Analysis

“…It also includes stress management training, training in emotional intelligence, and psychoeducation on the issue of emotional eating and emotional labor. 71 Currently, these preventive actions are only a personal preference of the employee.…”

How social roles shape interpersonal affect regulation at work

“…A large body of evidence suggests that antecedent-related intrapersonal affect regulation leads to improved performance and wellbeing outcomes, as well as to better social functioning (e.g., Grandey & Gabriel, 2015;Gross, 1998;Gross & John, 2003;Hülsheger & Schewe, 2011). This is due to the overall more effective outcomes of antecedent-related affect regulation regarding individuals' own self-regulatory processes, as well as more favorable outward appearance to other stakeholders (Gabriel et al, 2023;Gross, 2002). While all regulation strategies can be taxing for individuals and drain their resources (Hobfoll, 1989), response-focused regulation strategies may result in greater resource loss and, consequently, reduced well-being and performance (Grandey & Gabriel, 2015).…”

“…While all regulation strategies can be taxing for individuals and drain their resources (Hobfoll, 1989), response-focused regulation strategies may result in greater resource loss and, consequently, reduced well-being and performance (Grandey & Gabriel, 2015). Response-focused affect regulation has also been associated with poorer outcomes due to its propensity to appear inauthentic and to create a dissonance between felt and displayed emotions (Gabriel et al, 2023;Gross, 2002).…”

“…Further, we propose that distinct social role constellations of IAR shape the range or flexibility of IAR strategies available to and used by actors. For instance, the relative perceived power of actors within an organizational context increases the influence of individuals to shape the actions of others (Pfeffer, 1981) as well as the breadth of their behavioral repertoire (Galinsky et al, 2003; Keltner et al, 2003). Thus, it is particularly those actors within an internal vertical social role configuration at a higher hierarchical position who will likely perceive that they are able to choose from a wide range of antecedent-focused strategies, in turn, by being able to choose a strategy most fitting for effectiveness in a particular situation.…”

Future of work from everywhere: a systematic review

“…Diversity and Inclusion Issuesthe pandemic has intensified existing diversity and inclusion issues and highlighted new challenges. Employers need to take proactive steps to address these challenges, including addressing racial and ethnic disparities (Selden and Berdahl, 2020), supporting remote work (Gabriel et al, 2023), addressing mental health concerns (Vione and Kotera, 2021), supporting caregivers and promoting diversity and inclusion in recruitment and retention efforts. Organizations can promote employee well-being, improve retention rates and enhance overall organizational performance by creating an inclusive and supportive work environment.…”