Page 126 - The Disneyization of Society

PERFORMATIVE LABOUR

this fact does not undermine the significance of this aspect of Disneyization. It is
precisely because servers know that friendly, smiling service has become an expec-
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tation they recognize that they have to exhibit such behaviour in order to receive
additional financial recognition. Moreover, they have a vested interest in patrons’
returning to their establishments since they are more likely to keep their jobs and
to receive a constant flow of tips.

Hotels

Reception staff in hotels are particularly likely to be required (or feel the need) to
exhibit emotional labour. Evidence for this can be derived from a study of an
American-owned multinational company with a string of hotels and other travel-
and leisure-related activities. The company had introduced a TQM initiative
which profoundly influenced the delivery of services. The initiative was designed
to empower frontline staff to do whatever it takes to satisfy the customer. The
company’s mission is to ensure ‘that every guest leaves satisfied’ and staff are
urged to ensure that they ‘display genuine and enthusiastic interest in the
guest’. 66
Further evidence of emotional labour among frontline hotel staff derives from
a study of the harassment of hotel workers. Employees were required to conduct
themselves in a friendly manner even when faced with obnoxious behaviour. One
of the researchers’ informants described an instance whereby a man was sexually
propositioning a female employee at the reception desk and said that the recep-
tionist ‘was sort of smiling and sort of playing along with it’ while making
excuses. 67 Another hotel worker described how ‘you need to be friendly and you
need to smile and even when you are shouted at … it’s a good thing if you can
stay calm … and just try to remember it’s not you they are after, they are shout-
ing at you but they are talking at the hotel … it’s not a personal attack’. 68

Telephone call centres

Staff in call centres may not seem like obvious candidates for the display of
emotional labour. They are unable to parade a smile because of the non-visual
nature of their contact with customers. Also, they are particularly likely to
encounter hostile customers, either because they are cold-calling on people who
do not want to be disturbed or because they are the first port of call for customers
who have a problem that needs to be resolved. Nonetheless, emotional labour has
permeated this area of frontline service work too.
A case in point can be gleaned from a study of telephone sales agents working
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within a regional centre for a major British airline, referred to as Flightpath. The
work of the agents had been influenced by a customer service care programme in