Emotional labour among employees: What Could Go Wrong and What could Make It Right?

Abstract

This research seeks to determine the effects of emotional labor especially surface acting on employee’s well-being among the workers in telecommunications sector, with attention on PTCL in Pakistan. The research focuses on emotional labor as a phenomenon with multiplicity to include surface acting and its implications for employee well-being in PTCL. It relies on a broad base of literature and studies gender relationships, work-life balance, and managerial practices. An unstructured and qualitative research design was utilized, supported by in-depth interviews by a range of PTCL employees. This was this technique that was used to get knowledge about subjective experiences and perceptions of emotional labor in organizations. The findings reveal significant trends including gender bias and the impact of surface acting, as well as how emotional labor influences workplace harmony and the critical role of employee voice in the office environment. The need to maintain a balance between the professional and personal life of employees emerged as a primary factor shaping the employee experience, alongside other considerations distinct from emotional labour and surface acting at work. The necessity to maintain composure amidst personal and professional challenges further demonstrates the widespread presence of surface acting across all departments. The research concludes that surface acting and emotional labor significantly influence employee health, workplace discipline, and the overall environment at PTCL. It highlights the importance of implementing effective management strategies and organizational policies to mitigate these effects. Furthermore, a key finding of this research is the role of voice mechanisms as a major intervention, underscoring the necessity to incorporate employee voice in addressing the challenges of emotional labor in the telecommunications sector. Voice mechanisms means how employees express their opinions and ideas in the organisation. . This is not limited to providing feedback to the managers, giving your ideas and suggestions for improvements. As organizational leaning promotes employee voice behaviors and their engagement in the organization. And clearly documented voice policies create a psychological safety, transparency and conflict resolution.