What is Emotional Labour?
Emotional labour was first defined by sociologist Arlie Hochschild in 1983 as the process of managing emotions in the workplace, particularly in service roles. Over time, the concept has expanded beyond the professional realm to include all of the unseen tasks that require emotional effort, whether at home, in friendships, or in social interactions.
At its core, emotional labour involves maintaining harmony, anticipating the needs of others, and taking on the responsibility of ensuring everyone feels cared for, valued, and included. This type of work is often invisible and taken for granted, yet it plays a crucial role in keeping social and professional environments functional.
Here are a few examples of emotional labour:
• Listening to colleagues' or friends' concerns and offering emotional support.
• Organising social events like birthday parties or group gifts and using an online ecard and collection for a thoughtful touch.
• Mediating conflicts between coworkers or family members.
• Managing the emotional atmosphere of a team or group, ensuring everyone feels included and comfortable.
While anyone can perform emotional labour, it is disproportionately carried out by women, especially in group settings or family structures.
Why is Emotional Labour important within the workplace?
Emotional labour plays a critical role in the workplace for several reasons, as it directly impacts team dynamics, productivity, and overall organisational health. Here are some key reasons why it is important:
1. Maintaining Professionalism and Customer Relations
Emotional labour helps employees present a consistent and positive demeanor, even when they're feeling stressed or upset. This is especially important in roles where customer interaction is frequent, such as retail, hospitality, or healthcare. By managing emotions, employees can ensure that customer experiences are pleasant, which boosts customer satisfaction and loyalty.
2. Enhancing Team Cohesion
Managing emotions in interactions with colleagues contributes to a positive and supportive work environment. Emotional labour helps in resolving conflicts, fostering collaboration, and ensuring that disagreements don't escalate into disruptions. When team members support each other emotionally, it improves trust and the overall morale of the group.
3. Improving Leadership and Management
Leaders and managers often engage in emotional labour by staying calm and composed, especially during times of stress or crisis. They also need to provide emotional support to their teams to maintain motivation and productivity. Good emotional management from leaders can set the tone for the entire team, creating a stable and productive work environment.
4. Reducing Burnout and Stress
When emotional labour is handled well, it can reduce workplace stress by fostering better communication and empathy among colleagues. Recognizing and addressing emotional needs within the workplace can lead to lower turnover rates, as employees feel more supported and valued. Conversely, a lack of emotional support can lead to burnout, disengagement, and higher absenteeism.
5. Encouraging Job Satisfaction and Loyalty
A supportive emotional environment in the workplace increases job satisfaction. When employees feel their emotional well-being is acknowledged and supported, they are more likely to be loyal to the company and engage more deeply in their work. This can lead to improved performance and long-term commitment.
6. Maintaining Productivity
Emotional labour helps ensure that negative emotions don’t affect productivity. By managing emotions effectively, employees are less likely to let personal issues or frustrations interfere with their work, which helps maintain steady output and performance.
7. Handling Difficult Situations
In situations of conflict or high stress, emotional labour allows employees to stay composed, communicate effectively, and avoid emotional outbursts. This skill is crucial in managing difficult conversations, negotiating, or providing critical feedback, all of which are common in many workplaces.
8. Cultural Sensitivity and Inclusion
Emotional labour also involves being sensitive to the emotions and cultural backgrounds of others in the workplace. Employees who are able to navigate diverse environments and adjust their emotional responses accordingly can contribute to a more inclusive, respectful, and harmonious workplace.
The Link Between Emotional Labour and Group Gifting
Group gifting, whether in the workplace or among friends, is an excellent example of emotional labour in action. On the surface, organising a group gift may seem like a simple task. However, the behind-the-scenes work is often much more involved than it appears. Here’s how emotional labour plays out in group gifting:
1. Anticipating Needs
The person organising the gift often takes it upon themselves to notice an upcoming event—whether it’s a colleague’s birthday, a farewell, or a milestone event like a wedding or baby shower. They recognise the need for a gift without being explicitly asked, frequently setting up a collection pot or online ecard and collection for group contributions.
2. Managing Logistics:
This person handles all the details, from selecting a gift to collecting contributions in a collection pot, setting deadlines, and ensuring the process is seamless for everyone else. They also take on the responsibility of making sure the gift is meaningful and appreciated by the recipient, often coordinating it with a group ecard and collection.
3. Ensuring Participation
Emotional labour involves balancing the needs and preferences of the entire group. The organiser must often navigate differing opinions, budgets, and levels of participation, all while maintaining harmony within the group. Group cards and online ecards make this process easier, enabling everyone to participate in a way that’s convenient and inclusive.
4. Emotional Management: If there are disagreements about the gift, deadlines, or contributions, the organiser steps in to mediate and resolve these conflicts—without making anyone feel excluded or pressured.
5. Recognition: When the gift is finally presented, the recipient receives the gratitude, and the group enjoys the moment of celebration. However, the person who organised the entire process isn’t always acknowledged for the special effort they invested.
Sharing the Emotional Labour of Group Gifting
Recognising the emotional labour involved in group gifting is the first step. Other things to help:
1. Use Group Gifting Platforms:
Online group gifting platforms like Viing.com hugely simplify the process, allowing multiple people to contribute to a collection pot, track progress, and even suggest gift ideas. These tools reduce the burden on one individual and make the process more collaborative.
2. Acknowledge the Effort:
A simple thank you goes a long way. Recognise the person who took the time and effort to organise the gift, whether in a group email, during a presentation, or with a small token of appreciation.
3. Encourage Participation:
Everyone in the group should contribute to the process, not just financially but also in terms of decision-making and coordination. Encourage open communication and collaboration to ensure the responsibility is shared. How Viing works.
Conclusion
By acknowledging the invisible work involved and encouraging a more equitable sharing of responsibilities, we can create a more balanced and appreciative environment—both in the workplace and in social settings.
The next time you’re part of a group gift, take a moment to recognise the effort behind the scenes. After all, emotional labour is the glue that holds our social interactions together, and those who perform it deserve to be seen, valued, and supported.
What is Emotional Labour?
“At its core, emotional labour involves maintaining harmony, anticipating the needs of others, and taking on the responsibility of ensuring everyone feels cared for, valued, and included. This type of work is often invisible and taken for granted, yet it plays a crucial role in keeping social and professional environments functional. “