From time to time, we all put on a smile and pretend everything is fine at work, even when we’re stressed or fed up. When a colleague is being difficult or a meeting is dragging on, it can seem like the easiest way to get things done.
But if we’re constantly required to mask our emotions to fulfil the expectations of a job, it can lead to a whole host of problems — including burnout.
A new study by Omar Itani, an associate professor of marketing at Lebanese American University, and Kash Afshar, an assistant professor of marketing at the University of Mississippi, explores how the "emotional labour" of curating and maintaining a work persona can affect mental health and wellbeing in the long-run.
“Emotional labour involves managing one's emotions to meet the expectations of a job or social role, typically by suppressing or simulating emotions to align with workplace rules,” says Itani.
“For example, businesses expect frontline employees to consistently smile, maintain a cheerful attitude, remain calm, behave friendly, and demonstrate empathy and enthusiasm when interacting with customers.”
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According to the research, emotional labour involves two behaviours — deep acting, in which someone genuinely tries to suppress how they feel internally to match the required state, and surface acting, putting on a brave face externally. “Both forms are strategies to conform to display rules and can be noticeable to customers,” says Itani.
And the reason why it is so draining is because emotional labour eats away at our cognitive and emotional resources. It’s mentally and psychologically demanding to pretend we’re OK and to suppress our true emotions, which leads to exhaustion, job dissatisfaction, anxiety and burnout.
It can also feel like a threat to our identity, says Itani. “This is especially the case for individuals who strongly internalise moral characteristics,” he says. “It forces employees to act inauthentically, disrupting their wellbeing and contributing to dissatisfaction.”
And, the high stakes nature of emotional labour only increases the pressure. If we let the mask slip at the wrong time it could lead to job loss, especially for those in insecure work.
Alice Martin, head of research at the Work Foundation at Lancaster University, suggests that we may be more likely to engage in emotional labour if we’re worried about job insecurity. “Workers in insecure roles, such as those on zero-hours contracts or in casual work, often feel pressured to hide mental health struggles to appear reliable and committed,” she says.
“With 6.8 million people in severely insecure work — particularly in social care, retail, and hospitality — this emotional strain can take its toll and result in more employment churn, as people may face a lack of support from their managers and struggle to keep up with expectations.”
Previous studies have found that workers who are able to be their authentic selves are more confident, motivated , engaged and happier, in part, because they feel psychologically safe.
But for many workers, especially those in service professions like healthcare and retail, being able to ‘grin-and-bear-it’ is expected — to a degree. A well-measured, polite response to a demanding customer is often a part of the job.
What can employers do to crackdown on the negative effects of emotional labour?
Firsty, adequate managerial support is essential. If a worker is being pushed by a badly-behaved client, customer or colleague, it’s important for a senior staff member to step in to help resolve the issue, so they aren’t handling it alone.
It’s also important for employers to recognise that we’re human — and occasionally, despite our best efforts, it’s not always possible to stay calm and collected.
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“When organisations enforce ‘feeling rules’ or ‘display rules’, it can create a sense of vulnerability among workers,” says Itani.
It’s more helpful to help workers set boundaries with difficult clients or customers. For example, by using clear but assertive language to say "no" while maintaining professionalism.
Taking breaks throughout the workday, especially during busy or stressful periods, is also key. Managing your emotions or pretending to feel differently than you actually do is exhausting, so resting — or venting to a colleague — can help relieve the mental load.
And while some employers may claim that emotional labour is just part of a job, it’s in their best interests to help their workers mitigate the negative effects.
“Beyond its impact on individual mental health, emotional labour reduces job performance and satisfaction,” says Itani. “Encouraging employees to engage in authentic interactions rather than enforcing forced emotional displays may help.”
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