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•

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• Yim, C.K., Gu, F.F., Chan, K.W. and Tse, D.K. (2003). Justice-based service recovery expectations: measurement

and antecedents.Journal of Consumer Satisfaction, Dissatisfaction and Complaining Behaviour, 16, 36-52.

• Yim, F.H.K. (2002). CRM orientation: Conceptualization and scale development. Masters Thesis, Chinese

University of Hong Kong.

• Yim, F.H.K., Anderson, R.E. and Swaminathan, S. (2004). Customer relationship management: Its dimensions

and effect on customer outcomes. Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, 25(4), 265-280.

• Yousafzai, S. Y., Pallister, J. G., and Foxall, G. R. (2005). Strategies for building and communicating trust in

electronic banking: A field experiment. Psychology and Marketing, 22(2), 181-201.

• Zablah, A. R., Bellenger, D. N., & Johnston, W. J. (2004). An evaluation of divergent perspectives on customer

relationship management: Towards a common understanding of an emerging phenomenon. Industrial

Marketing Management, 33(6), 475−489.

• Zeithaml, V.A., (2000). Service quality, profitability and the economic worth of customers: What we know and

what we need to learn. Journal of Academy of Marketing Science, 28(1), 67-85

• Zeithaml, V.A., Berry, L. and Parasuraman, S. (1993). The nature and determinants of customer expectations of

service.Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Winter, 1-12

• Zeithaml, V.A., Berry, L. and Parasuraman, S. (1996). The Behavioral Consequences of Service Quality. Journal of

Marketing, 6(2), 31-46.

• Zeithaml, V.A., Bitner, M.J. and Gremler, D.D. (2006). Services Marketing: Integrating customer focus across the

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Wirtz, J. & Mattila A. S. (2004). Consumer responses to compensation, speed of recovery and apology after a

Dr. Arup Kumar Baksi is Assistant Professor and Chair of the Entrepreneurship Cell in the Department of

Management Science at Bengal Institute of Technology & Management in Santiniketan. He has published 30

research papers. Dr. Baksi can be reached at [email protected]

Prof. (Dr.) Bivraj Bhusan Parida is Professor in the Department of Tourism Management at The University of

Burdwan in Bengal. Dr. Parida has guided doctoral students, and contributed to research through

publications and conferences.He has published over 60 research papers, and four books. Dr. Parida can be

reached at [email protected]

ISSN: 0971-1023NMIMS Management ReviewVolume XXIII April - May 2013

Measuring moderating effects of service recovery and CRM on consumer trust,repatronization and advocacy with distributive variation of the

same across recovery zone-of-tolerance (RZOT)

Please Smile While You Serve:Do Employees Pay a Hidden Cost for

“Serving with a Smile?”

Neerpal Rathi

Abstract

In service organizations, employees are expected to

regulate their emotions and express organizationally

desired emotions. Consequently, service employees

frequently engage in emotional labour. This paper

aimed to investigate the relationship of emotional

labour strategies, namely surface acting, deep acting

with emotional exhaustion and emotional well-being.

For the present study, data was collected from a total

of 204 employees working in various hotels in India.

Existing scales were used to measure the variables.

The results of the study indicate a negative

relationship between surface acting and emotional

well-being, whereas a positive correlation was

observed between surface acting and emotional

exhaustion. In addition, a positive association was

observed between deep acting and emotional well-

being. Implications of the study are discussed. The

paper concludes with an emphasis that service

organizations, especially hotels, should encourage

their employees to use deep acting more frequently

than surface acting during service encounters.

Keywords: Emotions, emotional labour, emotional

exhaustion, employee well-being, service industry.

Please Smile While You Serve:Do Employees Pay a Hidden Cost for “Serving with a Smile?”


32 33

Introduction

In recent times, emotions have gained ample

significance in the business world, especially in the

service industry. In service organizations, employees

are required to display positive emotions during

service encounters and are expected to “serve with a

smile,” while controlling or suppressing negative

e m o t i o n s . Re g u l at i o n a n d ex p re s s i o n o f

organizationally desired emotions in service

interactions is found to have significant consequences

for organizations. Emphasizing on the significance of

positive emotional display in service encounters,

Hennig-Thurau, Groth, Paul, and Gremler (2006)

propose that having a friendly service staff and

providing “service with a smile” have become an

unquestionable mantra for the success of service firms

these days. Research literature in service management

and related disciplines has also demonstrated that

positive affective displays in service interactions and

friendliness and good cheer of employees are strongly

related to many positive organizational outcomes,

such as customers' satisfaction with service quality,

increased customer commitment and loyalty,

customer retention, and customers' willingness to

pass positive comments to others (Grandey, 2003;

Gountas, Ewing, & Gountas, 2007; Groth, Hennig-

Thurau, & Walsh, 2009; Tsai & Huang, 2002).

Service organizations generally have explicit or implicit

emotional display rules that indicate which emotions

employees should publicly express and which they

should suppress during service interactions – a

phenomenon broadly known as emotional labour

(Hochschild, 1983). Emotional labour has been

defined as the regulation and expression of

organizationally desired emotions in order to fulfil the

emotional display requirements of organizations

(Ashforth & Humphrey, 1993; Grandey, 2000;

Hochschild, 1983). The construct of emotional labour

has gained substantial attention these days as it helps

management researchers and practitioners to better

understand how service organizations can better

manage their employees' positive display of emotions

to customers (Hennig-Thurau et al., 2006).

Researchers argue that employees generally use two

methods to manage their emotions: surface acting and

deep acting. Extant research literature indicates that

both of these emotional labour strategies have

different impacts on various organizational outcomes.

Deep acting is found to enhance customer satisfaction

and loyalty, whereas use of surface acting is observed

to have a negative influence on customer satisfaction

and loyalty (Groth et al., 2009; Hennig-Thurau et al.,

2006).

In addition to influencing organizational outcomes,

surface and deep acting have been observed to have

different effects on employee health and well-being.

Research highlighted the deleterious effect of surface

acting on employee well-being (Grandey, 2003;

Johnson & Spector, 2007). On the other hand, no

consistent results have been observed for the effect of

deep acting on employee well-being. Findings of some

studies indicate that deep acting enhances employee

well-being (e.g., Johnson & Spector, 2007), whereas

some other researchers observed that deep acting has

a negative impact on employee well-being

(Brotheridge & Lee, 2003; Judge, Woolf, & Hurst,

2009).

The hospitality industry requires a very high level of

face-to- face interaction between frontline employees

and customers; hence, hotel employees frequently

engage in emotional labour. Engaging in emotional

labour very frequently may have a deleterious impact

on employee health and well-being, and ultimately on

their job performance. There is a lack of empirical

research carried out in the hospitality industry to

investigate the relationship of emotional labour

strategies with employee well-being, particularly in

the Indian context. To reduce this void in research, the

current study aims to investigate the relationship of

emotional labour strategies i.e., surface acting and

deep acting with emotional exhaustion and emotional

well-being among employees working in the

hospitality industry in India.

Literature Review

Emotional Labour

The construct of emotional labour was initially

proposed by Arlie Russel Hochschild (1983) in a study

investigating the emotional behaviours of service

workers, particularly airline stewardesses. Hochschild

(1983) defined emotional labour as “the management

of feeling to create a publicly observable facial and

bodily display” (p. 7). Based upon the findings of her

study, Hochschild (1983) argued that jobs involving

emotional labour have three major characteristics: (1)

these jobs require employees to interact face-to-face

or voice-to-voice with other people, like clients,

customers, and guests; (2) they require the worker to

produce an emotional state in another person; and (3)

employees' emotional expressions are shaped by

organizational display rules and requirements” (p.

147). Hochschild's (1983) conceptualization of

emotional labour is considered to be based on

Goffman's (1959) dramaturgical perspective of

customer interactions. The dramaturgical perspective

conceptualized the customer as the audience, the

employee as the actor, and the work setting as the

stage (Goffman, 1959; Grove & Fisk, 1989).

Several other conceptualizations of emotional labour

have been proposed by various scholars, but the basic

theme emerging from all conceptualizations is that in

emotional labour, employees regulate and express

emotions in response to organizational display rules or

norms. According to Morris and Feldman (1996),

emotional labour is the “effort, planning, and control

needed to express organizationally desired emotions

during interpersonal transactions” (p. 987). Alicia

Grandey (2000) defined emotional labour as “the

process of regulating both feelings and expressions for

the organizational goals” (p. 97).

Researchers argue that in order to fulfil the emotional

display requirements of jobs or organizations,

employees commonly use two emotional labour

strategies: surface acting and deep acting (Hochschild,

1983; Kruml & Geddes, 2000; Zapf, 2002). Surface

acting involves simulating emotions that are not

actually felt, which is accomplished by careful

presentation of verbal and non-verbal cues, such as

facial expression, gestures, and voice tone (Ashforth &

Humphrey, 1993). Hennig-Thurau and colleagues

(2006) propose that in surface acting, an employee

tries to change only his or her outward behaviour to

exhibit the required emotions. Thus, “surface acting is

the act of displaying an emotion that is not actually felt

and could involve both suppression of felt emotions

and faking of unfelt emotions” (Hennig-Thurau et al.,

2006, p. 59).

Deep acting, on the other hand, involves experiencing

or feeling the emotions that one wishes to display

(Ashforth & Humphrey, 1993). In deep acting,

employees express required (or expected) emotions

by attempting to create those emotions within

themselves (Hennig-Thurau et al., 2006). Judge et al.

(2009) argue that deep acting consists of attempts on




Please Smile While You Serve:Do Employees Pay a Hidden Cost for “Serving with a Smile?”34 35

Introduction

In recent times, emotions have gained ample

significance in the business world, especially in the

service industry. In service organizations, employees

are required to display positive emotions during

service encounters and are expected to “serve with a

smile,” while controlling or suppressing negative

e m o t i o n s . Re g u l at i o n a n d ex p re s s i o n o f

organizationally desired emotions in service

interactions is found to have significant consequences

for organizations. Emphasizing on the significance of

positive emotional display in service encounters,

Hennig-Thurau, Groth, Paul, and Gremler (2006)

propose that having a friendly service staff and

providing “service with a smile” have become an

unquestionable mantra for the success of service firms

these days. Research literature in service management

and related disciplines has also demonstrated that

positive affective displays in service interactions and

friendliness and good cheer of employees are strongly

related to many positive organizational outcomes,

such as customers' satisfaction with service quality,

increased customer commitment and loyalty,

customer retention, and customers' willingness to

pass positive comments to others (Grandey, 2003;

Gountas, Ewing, & Gountas, 2007; Groth, Hennig-

Thurau, & Walsh, 2009; Tsai & Huang, 2002).

Service organizations generally have explicit or implicit

emotional display rules that indicate which emotions

employees should publicly express and which they

should suppress during service interactions – a

phenomenon broadly known as emotional labour

(Hochschild, 1983). Emotional labour has been

defined as the regulation and expression of

organizationally desired emotions in order to fulfil the

emotional display requirements of organizations

(Ashforth & Humphrey, 1993; Grandey, 2000;

Hochschild, 1983). The construct of emotional labour

has gained substantial attention these days as it helps

management researchers and practitioners to better

understand how service organizations can better

manage their employees' positive display of emotions

to customers (Hennig-Thurau et al., 2006).

Researchers argue that employees generally use two

methods to manage their emotions: surface acting and

deep acting. Extant research literature indicates that

both of these emotional labour strategies have

different impacts on various organizational outcomes.

Deep acting is found to enhance customer satisfaction

and loyalty, whereas use of surface acting is observed

to have a negative influence on customer satisfaction

and loyalty (Groth et al., 2009; Hennig-Thurau et al.,

2006).

In addition to influencing organizational outcomes,

surface and deep acting have been observed to have

different effects on employee health and well-being.

Research highlighted the deleterious effect of surface

acting on employee well-being (Grandey, 2003;

Johnson & Spector, 2007). On the other hand, no

consistent results have been observed for the effect of

deep acting on employee well-being. Findings of some

studies indicate that deep acting enhances employee

well-being (e.g., Johnson & Spector, 2007), whereas

some other researchers observed that deep acting has

a negative impact on employee well-being

(Brotheridge & Lee, 2003; Judge, Woolf, & Hurst,

2009).

The hospitality industry requires a very high level of

face-to- face interaction between frontline employees

and customers; hence, hotel employees frequently

engage in emotional labour. Engaging in emotional

labour very frequently may have a deleterious impact

on employee health and well-being, and ultimately on

their job performance. There is a lack of empirical

research carried out in the hospitality industry to

investigate the relationship of emotional labour

strategies with employee well-being, particularly in

the Indian context. To reduce this void in research, the

current study aims to investigate the relationship of

emotional labour strategies i.e., surface acting and

deep acting with emotional exhaustion and emotional

well-being among employees working in the

hospitality industry in India.

Literature Review

Emotional Labour

The construct of emotional labour was initially

proposed by Arlie Russel Hochschild (1983) in a study

investigating the emotional behaviours of service

workers, particularly airline stewardesses. Hochschild

(1983) defined emotional labour as “the management

of feeling to create a publicly observable facial and

bodily display” (p. 7). Based upon the findings of her

study, Hochschild (1983) argued that jobs involving

emotional labour have three major characteristics: (1)

these jobs require employees to interact face-to-face

or voice-to-voice with other people, like clients,

customers, and guests; (2) they require the worker to

produce an emotional state in another person; and (3)

employees' emotional expressions are shaped by

organizational display rules and requirements” (p.

147). Hochschild's (1983) conceptualization of

emotional labour is considered to be based on

Goffman's (1959) dramaturgical perspective of

customer interactions. The dramaturgical perspective

conceptualized the customer as the audience, the

employee as the actor, and the work setting as the

stage (Goffman, 1959; Grove & Fisk, 1989).

Several other conceptualizations of emotional labour

have been proposed by various scholars, but the basic

theme emerging from all conceptualizations is that in

emotional labour, employees regulate and express

emotions in response to organizational display rules or

norms. According to Morris and Feldman (1996),

emotional labour is the “effort, planning, and control

needed to express organizationally desired emotions

during interpersonal transactions” (p. 987). Alicia

Grandey (2000) defined emotional labour as “the

process of regulating both feelings and expressions for

the organizational goals” (p. 97).

Researchers argue that in order to fulfil the emotional

display requirements of jobs or organizations,

employees commonly use two emotional labour

strategies: surface acting and deep acting (Hochschild,

1983; Kruml & Geddes, 2000; Zapf, 2002). Surface

acting involves simulating emotions that are not

actually felt, which is accomplished by careful

presentation of verbal and non-verbal cues, such as

facial expression, gestures, and voice tone (Ashforth &

Humphrey, 1993). Hennig-Thurau and colleagues

(2006) propose that in surface acting, an employee

tries to change only his or her outward behaviour to

exhibit the required emotions. Thus, “surface acting is

the act of displaying an emotion that is not actually felt

and could involve both suppression of felt emotions

and faking of unfelt emotions” (Hennig-Thurau et al.,

2006, p. 59).

Deep acting, on the other hand, involves experiencing

or feeling the emotions that one wishes to display

(Ashforth & Humphrey, 1993). In deep acting,

employees express required (or expected) emotions

by attempting to create those emotions within

themselves (Hennig-Thurau et al., 2006). Judge et al.

(2009) argue that deep acting consists of attempts on





part of the employee to actually feel emotions in order

to bring consistency between organizationally

required display and employee behaviour and internal

experience. Research indicates that emotions

expressed by employees while engaging in deep acting

are more genuine than the emotions expressed during

surface acting, which occurs when employees only

change their outward emotional display without

genuinely altering how they actually feel (Grandey,

2003; Groth et al., 2009).

Hochschild (1983) initially suggested that both types of

emotional labour strategies (i.e., surface and deep

acting) should be detrimental to employee health and

well-being. However, subsequent empirical research

indicates that these two emotional labour strategies

have different effects on employee well-being.

Particularly, surface acting has consistently been found

to have deleterious effects on employee well-being

(Grandey, 2003; Johnson & Spector, 2007; Judge et al.,

2009), whereas no consistent results were observed in

case of the effect of deep acting on employee well-

being.

Effect of Emotional Labour on Employee

Outcomes

Emotional Exhaustion

Emotional exhaustion refers to feelings of being

emotionally overextended and exhausted by one's

work and is manifested by both physical fatigue and a

sense of feeling psychologically and emotionally

drained (Wright & Cropanzano, 1998). Furthermore,

emotional exhaustion is the state of depleted energy

caused by excessive emotional demands made on

people interacting with customers or clients (Saxton,

Phillips, & Blakeney, 1991). Maslach (1982) argues that

frequent face-to-face interactions between the

employee and the customer, which are intense,

emotionally charged, and of longer duration, can

cause emotional exhaustion among employees.

Further, extending this viewpoint, Vey (2005) proposes

that frontline service employees are required to

control their emotions in a way that goes well beyond

conventional norms of businesslike behaviour, and as a

result of continuously controlling their emotions, such

employees become emotionally exhausted. Grandey

(2000) argues that “when a situation induces repeated

emotional responses that the employee must

regulate, the employee may experience emotional

exhaustion, or energy depletion and fatigue” (p. 104).

In a multilevel, experience-sampling study, Judge and

colleagues (2009) observed a significant positive


exhaustion, whereas deep acting was found to show a

low negative correlation with emotional exhaustion.

Judge et al. (2009) state that the degree to which

individuals engage in surface acting is associated with

increased level of emotional exhaustion. In another

research, Morris and Feldman (1997) found a positive

association between emotional dissonance,

discrepancy between felt and expressed emotion, and

emotional exhaustion. They contend that the more an

individual has to express organizationally-sanctioned

emotions and the longer the duration of those

interactions, the more exhausted that individual

would be, especially when the emotions required to be

expressed are inconsistent with emotions actually felt.

In her study, Grandey (2003) observed that surface and

deep acting positively correlated with emotional

exhaustion. However, surface acting was found to

show higher correlation than deep acting with

emotional exhaustion. Grandey (2003) proposes two

reasons to explain why acting on one's job may cause

emotional exhaustion. First, she argues that

employees experience tension as a result of emotional

dissonance, which is caused when there is a

discrepancy between felt and expressed emotions.

Second, the draining of resources takes place when

employees put a lot of efforts while acting. Grandey

(2003) further argues that while surface acting, an

individual experiences emotional dissonance, which

further leads to an enhanced level of emotional

exhaustion.

Several other researchers have also investigated the

association between surface acting and emotional

exhaustion, and found a positive correlation between

the two variables (e.g., Seery & Corrigall, 2009;

Totterdell & Holman, 2003). On the other hand, in case

of the relationship between deep acting and

emotional exhaustion, results have not been so

consistent. For instance, in their research, Brotheridge

and Lee (2003) found both surface and deep acting

positively correlated with emotional exhaustion.

Whereas, in a study conducted on 176 customer

service employees, Johnson and Spector (2007)

observed a positive correlation between surface

acting and emotional exhaustion, while deep acting

was found to exhibit a negative correlation with

emotional exhaustion. Therefore, it is hypothesized:

Hypothesis 1a: Surface acting is positively

correlated with emotional exhaustion.

Hypothesis 1b: Deep acting is negatively


Emotional Well-Being

Emotional well-being may simply be defined as the

positive psychological functioning of an individual. The

notion of well-being was initially proposed by

Bradburn and Caplovitz (1965), where they presented

the view that well-being represents happiness for a

human being. Further, Bradburn (1969) proposed that

there are two types of effects, positive effect and

negative effect, that constitute the well-being of an

individual. According to Bradburn (1969), the indicator

of well-being is the discrepancy between these two

dimensions as felt by the individual himself/herself,

which means that the greater the excess of positive

effect over negative effect, the higher will be the well-

being of the individual. Several other researchers are

also of the opinion that well-being consists of

perceived life satisfaction, perceived happiness with

life, and the ratio of positive to negative effect (Bryant

& Verrof, 1982; Diener, Sandvik, & Pavot, 1991).

Keyes, Hysom, and Lupo (2000) propose that

emotional well-being is the evaluation of one's

happiness and satisfaction with life, as well as the ratio

of the number of symptoms of positive effect to those

of negative effect. When positive effect predominates

over negative effect, well-being is considered to be

high. Keyes (2000) defined emotional well-being as “a

specific dimension of subjective well-being, reflecting

the degree to which individuals self-report the

experience of symptoms of positive and negative

affect” (p. 71). Research indicates that positive effect

and negative effect are two related but relatively

independent constructs (Judge & Larsen, 2001;

Watson, Wiese, Vaidya, & Tellegen, 1999), and are self-

reported dimensions of emotional well-being (Keyes,

2000; Watson, 2000). Further extending this

viewpoint, Larsen (2000) argues that pleasant and

unpleasant effects are two separate routes to the

subjective well-being of an individual and both of

these states are aroused by different events and

circumstances.

The association of surface and deep acting with well-

being has been investigated in a number of studies by





part of the employee to actually feel emotions in order

to bring consistency between organizationally

required display and employee behaviour and internal

experience. Research indicates that emotions

expressed by employees while engaging in deep acting

are more genuine than the emotions expressed during

surface acting, which occurs when employees only

change their outward emotional display without

genuinely altering how they actually feel (Grandey,

2003; Groth et al., 2009).

Hochschild (1983) initially suggested that both types of

emotional labour strategies (i.e., surface and deep

acting) should be detrimental to employee health and

well-being. However, subsequent empirical research

indicates that these two emotional labour strategies

have different effects on employee well-being.

Particularly, surface acting has consistently been found

to have deleterious effects on employee well-being

(Grandey, 2003; Johnson & Spector, 2007; Judge et al.,

2009), whereas no consistent results were observed in

case of the effect of deep acting on employee well-

being.

Effect of Emotional Labour on Employee

Outcomes

Emotional Exhaustion

Emotional exhaustion refers to feelings of being

emotionally overextended and exhausted by one's

work and is manifested by both physical fatigue and a

sense of feeling psychologically and emotionally

drained (Wright & Cropanzano, 1998). Furthermore,

emotional exhaustion is the state of depleted energy

caused by excessive emotional demands made on

people interacting with customers or clients (Saxton,

Phillips, & Blakeney, 1991). Maslach (1982) argues that

frequent face-to-face interactions between the

employee and the customer, which are intense,

emotionally charged, and of longer duration, can

cause emotional exhaustion among employees.

Further, extending this viewpoint, Vey (2005) proposes

that frontline service employees are required to

control their emotions in a way that goes well beyond

conventional norms of businesslike behaviour, and as a

result of continuously controlling their emotions, such

employees become emotionally exhausted. Grandey

(2000) argues that “when a situation induces repeated

emotional responses that the employee must

regulate, the employee may experience emotional

exhaustion, or energy depletion and fatigue” (p. 104).

In a multilevel, experience-sampling study, Judge and

colleagues (2009) observed a significant positive


exhaustion, whereas deep acting was found to show a

low negative correlation with emotional exhaustion.

Judge et al. (2009) state that the degree to which

individuals engage in surface acting is associated with

increased level of emotional exhaustion. In another

research, Morris and Feldman (1997) found a positive

association between emotional dissonance,

discrepancy between felt and expressed emotion, and

emotional exhaustion. They contend that the more an

individual has to express organizationally-sanctioned

emotions and the longer the duration of those

interactions, the more exhausted that individual

would be, especially when the emotions required to be

expressed are inconsistent with emotions actually felt.

In her study, Grandey (2003) observed that surface and

deep acting positively correlated with emotional

exhaustion. However, surface acting was found to

show higher correlation than deep acting with

emotional exhaustion. Grandey (2003) proposes two

reasons to explain why acting on one's job may cause

emotional exhaustion. First, she argues that

employees experience tension as a result of emotional

dissonance, which is caused when there is a

discrepancy between felt and expressed emotions.

Second, the draining of resources takes place when

employees put a lot of efforts while acting. Grandey

(2003) further argues that while surface acting, an

individual experiences emotional dissonance, which

further leads to an enhanced level of emotional

exhaustion.

Several other researchers have also investigated the

association between surface acting and emotional

exhaustion, and found a positive correlation between

the two variables (e.g., Seery & Corrigall, 2009;

Totterdell & Holman, 2003). On the other hand, in case

of the relationship between deep acting and

emotional exhaustion, results have not been so

consistent. For instance, in their research, Brotheridge

and Lee (2003) found both surface and deep acting

positively correlated with emotional exhaustion.

Whereas, in a study conducted on 176 customer

service employees, Johnson and Spector (2007)

observed a positive correlation between surface

acting and emotional exhaustion, while deep acting

was found to exhibit a negative correlation with

emotional exhaustion. Therefore, it is hypothesized:

Hypothesis 1a: Surface acting is positively


Hypothesis 1b: Deep acting is negatively


Emotional Well-Being

Emotional well-being may simply be defined as the

positive psychological functioning of an individual. The

notion of well-being was initially proposed by

Bradburn and Caplovitz (1965), where they presented

the view that well-being represents happiness for a

human being. Further, Bradburn (1969) proposed that

there are two types of effects, positive effect and

negative effect, that constitute the well-being of an

individual. According to Bradburn (1969), the indicator

of well-being is the discrepancy between these two

dimensions as felt by the individual himself/herself,

which means that the greater the excess of positive

effect over negative effect, the higher will be the well-

being of the individual. Several other researchers are

also of the opinion that well-being consists of

perceived life satisfaction, perceived happiness with

life, and the ratio of positive to negative effect (Bryant

& Verrof, 1982; Diener, Sandvik, & Pavot, 1991).

Keyes, Hysom, and Lupo (2000) propose that

emotional well-being is the evaluation of one's

happiness and satisfaction with life, as well as the ratio

of the number of symptoms of positive effect to those

of negative effect. When positive effect predominates

over negative effect, well-being is considered to be

high. Keyes (2000) defined emotional well-being as “a

specific dimension of subjective well-being, reflecting

the degree to which individuals self-report the

experience of symptoms of positive and negative

affect” (p. 71). Research indicates that positive effect

and negative effect are two related but relatively

independent constructs (Judge & Larsen, 2001;

Watson, Wiese, Vaidya, & Tellegen, 1999), and are self-

reported dimensions of emotional well-being (Keyes,

2000; Watson, 2000). Further extending this

viewpoint, Larsen (2000) argues that pleasant and

unpleasant effects are two separate routes to the

subjective well-being of an individual and both of

these states are aroused by different events and

circumstances.

The association of surface and deep acting with well-

being has been investigated in a number of studies by





various researchers. For instance, Judge and

colleagues (2009) investigated the influence of surface

and deep acting on positive and negative effects

among 127 employees in the United States. In their

research, surface and deep acting were found to have

negative influence on employee well-being. Another

study, conducted on a sample of medical

representatives, Mishra and Bhatnagar (2010) found a

negative association between emotional dissonance

(discrepancy between felt and expressed emotions,

which is similar to the concept of surface acting) and

emotional well-being.

Moreover, the research by Johnson and Spector (2007)

showed surface acting negatively correlated and deep

acting positively correlated with effective well-being,

respectively. While explaining the reason for this

association, Johnson and Spector (2007) argue that

organizational display rules in customer service usually

require the employees to display positive emotions

during service interactions since the display of positive

emotions is expected to enhance customer

satisfaction with service quality. Therefore, using deep

acting, which encourages the experience of the

displayed emotions (in this case positive emotions),

makes employees experience positive emotions most

of the time, which further contributes in enhancing the

overall well-being of employees. On the other hand,

employees who use surface acting do not experience

the organizationally desired positive emotions since

they superficially express (fake) emotions. Thus, such

employees have less positive emotional experiences,

which further leads to a reduced level of employee

well-being. Therefore, it is hypothesized:

Hypothesis 2a: Surface acting is negatively

correlated with emotional well-being.

Hypothesis 2b: Deep acting is positively correlated

with emotional well-being.

Methodology

Sample

The data for the present study was collected from a

total of 204 frontline hotel employees working in

various hotels in India. These hotels are based in the

western part of India. These employees were working

in three different departments, namely front office,

food and beverage (F&B) service, and housekeeping of

various hotels. Questionnaires were sent to 380

employees through the human resources (HR)

department of the organization. A cover letter

mentioning the objective of the study and assuring the

respondents of confidentiality of their responses was

attached with each questionnaire. 204 usable

questionnaires were received, thus making a response

rate of around 54 per cent. From a total of 204

employees, 163 (80 per cent) were male whereas 41

participants (20 per cent) were female. The number of

participants according to different age categories was:

(1) 22 years and below – 47 participants (23 per cent),

(2) 23 to 29 years – 109 participants (53.4 per cent), (3)

30 to 36 years – 35 participants (17.2 per cent), (4) 37

to 43 years – 11 participants (5.4 per cent), and (5) 44

years and above – 2 participants (1 per cent).

Measures

Hospitality Emotional Labour Scale (HELS): Hospitality

Emotional Labour Scale (HELS) developed by Chu and

Murrmann (2006) was used to measure the emotional

labour of the respondents. HELS is based upon Kruml

and Geddes's (2000) emotional labour scale. Chu and

Murrmann (2006) proposed two factors of HELS,

namely emotive dissonance and emotive effort. HELS

consists of a total of 19 items, with 11 items measuring

emotive dissonance (surface acting) and 8 items

measuring emotive effort (deep acting). A sample item

from emotive dissonance subscale is: “I pretend the

emotions I show when dealing with customers,” and a

sample item from emotive effort subscale is: “I think of

good things when getting ready for work.” Participants

were asked to respond on a 7-point Likert scale that

varies from 1 for “strongly disagree” to 7 for “strongly

agree.” The reliability coefficients of the surface acting

subscale was found to be .77 and for deep acting

subscale it was found to be .71.

Emotional Exhaustion: Emotional exhaustion subscale

of the Maslach Burnout Inventory (Maslach & Jackson,

1986) was used to measure the emotional exhaustion

of the participants. The Emotional Exhaustion subscale

has a total of 9 items. This measure assesses how often

respondents report feeling the symptoms of

emotional exhaustion at work. The items included

statements such as, “Working with people is really a

tension for me.” A seven-point Likert response scale

was used where 1 corresponds to “strongly disagree”

and 7 corresponds to “strongly agree.” The

Chronbach's alpha for emotional exhaustion scale was

found to be .86.

Emotional Well-Being: Emotional well-being of

participants was measured using the scale developed

by Keyes (2000). Respondents were asked how much

of the time during the past 30 days they experienced

six negative and six positive symptoms of effect (e.g.,

nervous, restless, extremely happy, calm and

peaceful). Emotional well-being was measured using

the methods adopted by other researchers (e.g.,

Harris, Daniels, & Briner, 2003; Johnson & Spector,

2007). The reliability coefficient of positive affect

subscale was found to be .87, while for negative affect

subscale, it was found to be .68. Items were measured

using a seven-point Likert scale where 1 represents “all

of the time” and 7 represents “none of the time.”

Results

Means, standard deviations, and intercorrelations of

the study variables are presented in Table 1.

Hierarchical regression analysis was used to

investigate the influence of surface and deep acting on

emotional exhaustion and emotional well-being, after

controlling for the effects of age, gender, and

education. Age was measured in continuous years and

was classified into five categories as mentioned above

in the methodology section. Gender was measured by

a dichotomous variable wherein (1) was designated for

men and (2) for women. Education was measured thbased on four categories: (1) up to 12 class, (2)

Graduation, (3) Post Graduation, and (4) above Post

Graduation. The results of hierarchical regression

analysis are reported in Table 2. A perusal of results

shows that after controlling for the effects of age,

gender and education, surface acting was positively

correlated with emotional exhaustion (β = .19; p < .01).

Thus, the hypothesis 1a was supported by the findings

of the study. Moreover, the results indicate a negative

relationship between deep acting and emotional

exhaustion (β = -.13; p < .10). This indicates that

employees who frequently use deep acting tend to

show a lower level of emotional exhaustion. Hence,

hypothesis 1b was also accepted.





various researchers. For instance, Judge and

colleagues (2009) investigated the influence of surface

and deep acting on positive and negative effects

among 127 employees in the United States. In their

research, surface and deep acting were found to have

negative influence on employee well-being. Another

study, conducted on a sample of medical

representatives, Mishra and Bhatnagar (2010) found a

negative association between emotional dissonance

(discrepancy between felt and expressed emotions,

which is similar to the concept of surface acting) and

emotional well-being.

Moreover, the research by Johnson and Spector (2007)

showed surface acting negatively correlated and deep

acting positively correlated with effective well-being,

respectively. While explaining the reason for this

association, Johnson and Spector (2007) argue that

organizational display rules in customer service usually

require the employees to display positive emotions

during service interactions since the display of positive

emotions is expected to enhance customer

satisfaction with service quality. Therefore, using deep

acting, which encourages the experience of the

displayed emotions (in this case positive emotions),

makes employees experience positive emotions most

of the time, which further contributes in enhancing the

overall well-being of employees. On the other hand,

employees who use surface acting do not experience

the organizationally desired positive emotions since

they superficially express (fake) emotions. Thus, such

employees have less positive emotional experiences,

which further leads to a reduced level of employee

well-being. Therefore, it is hypothesized:

Hypothesis 2a: Surface acting is negatively

correlated with emotional well-being.

Hypothesis 2b: Deep acting is positively correlated

with emotional well-being.

Methodology

Sample

The data for the present study was collected from a

total of 204 frontline hotel employees working in

various hotels in India. These hotels are based in the

western part of India. These employees were working

in three different departments, namely front office,

food and beverage (F&B) service, and housekeeping of

various hotels. Questionnaires were sent to 380

employees through the human resources (HR)

department of the organization. A cover letter

mentioning the objective of the study and assuring the

respondents of confidentiality of their responses was

attached with each questionnaire. 204 usable

questionnaires were received, thus making a response

rate of around 54 per cent. From a total of 204

employees, 163 (80 per cent) were male whereas 41

participants (20 per cent) were female. The number of

participants according to different age categories was:

(1) 22 years and below – 47 participants (23 per cent),

(2) 23 to 29 years – 109 participants (53.4 per cent), (3)

30 to 36 years – 35 participants (17.2 per cent), (4) 37

to 43 years – 11 participants (5.4 per cent), and (5) 44

years and above – 2 participants (1 per cent).

Measures

Hospitality Emotional Labour Scale (HELS): Hospitality

Emotional Labour Scale (HELS) developed by Chu and

Murrmann (2006) was used to measure the emotional

labour of the respondents. HELS is based upon Kruml

and Geddes's (2000) emotional labour scale. Chu and

Murrmann (2006) proposed two factors of HELS,

namely emotive dissonance and emotive effort. HELS

consists of a total of 19 items, with 11 items measuring

emotive dissonance (surface acting) and 8 items

measuring emotive effort (deep acting). A sample item

from emotive dissonance subscale is: “I pretend the

emotions I show when dealing with customers,” and a

sample item from emotive effort subscale is: “I think of

good things when getting ready for work.” Participants

were asked to respond on a 7-point Likert scale that

varies from 1 for “strongly disagree” to 7 for “strongly

agree.” The reliability coefficients of the surface acting

subscale was found to be .77 and for deep acting

subscale it was found to be .71.

Emotional Exhaustion: Emotional exhaustion subscale

of the Maslach Burnout Inventory (Maslach & Jackson,

1986) was used to measure the emotional exhaustion

of the participants. The Emotional Exhaustion subscale

has a total of 9 items. This measure assesses how often

respondents report feeling the symptoms of

emotional exhaustion at work. The items included

statements such as, “Working with people is really a

tension for me.” A seven-point Likert response scale

was used where 1 corresponds to “strongly disagree”

and 7 corresponds to “strongly agree.” The

Chronbach's alpha for emotional exhaustion scale was

found to be .86.

Emotional Well-Being: Emotional well-being of

participants was measured using the scale developed

by Keyes (2000). Respondents were asked how much

of the time during the past 30 days they experienced

six negative and six positive symptoms of effect (e.g.,

nervous, restless, extremely happy, calm and

peaceful). Emotional well-being was measured using

the methods adopted by other researchers (e.g.,

Harris, Daniels, & Briner, 2003; Johnson & Spector,

2007). The reliability coefficient of positive affect

subscale was found to be .87, while for negative affect

subscale, it was found to be .68. Items were measured

using a seven-point Likert scale where 1 represents “all

of the time” and 7 represents “none of the time.”

Results

Means, standard deviations, and intercorrelations of

the study variables are presented in Table 1.

Hierarchical regression analysis was used to

investigate the influence of surface and deep acting on

emotional exhaustion and emotional well-being, after

controlling for the effects of age, gender, and

education. Age was measured in continuous years and

was classified into five categories as mentioned above

in the methodology section. Gender was measured by

a dichotomous variable wherein (1) was designated for

men and (2) for women. Education was measured thbased on four categories: (1) up to 12 class, (2)

Graduation, (3) Post Graduation, and (4) above Post

Graduation. The results of hierarchical regression

analysis are reported in Table 2. A perusal of results

shows that after controlling for the effects of age,

gender and education, surface acting was positively

correlated with emotional exhaustion (β = .19; p < .01).

Thus, the hypothesis 1a was supported by the findings

of the study. Moreover, the results indicate a negative

relationship between deep acting and emotional

exhaustion (β = -.13; p < .10). This indicates that

employees who frequently use deep acting tend to

show a lower level of emotional exhaustion. Hence,

hypothesis 1b was also accepted.





Table 1: Means, standard deviations, and intercorrelations of the study variables

p <.05; ** p <.01; SD = Standard Deviation

Hypothesis 2a and 2b assumed surface acting to be

negatively correlated and deep acting to be positively

correlated with emotional well-being, respectively.

The results presented in Table 2 reveal a negative


Table 2: Results of the Hierarchical Regression Analyses

well-being (β = -.22; p < .01) and a positive relationship

between deep acting and emotional well-being (β =

.30; p < .01). Thus, hypotheses 2a and 2b were well

supported by the findings of the study.

*p <.05; ** p <.01; † p <.10

Discussion

The present study aimed to investigate the

relationship of emotional labour strategies i.e., surface

and deep acting with emotional exhaustion and

emotional well-being. Findings of this study indicate

that more frequent use of surface acting by employees

during service transactions may have detrimental

consequences for them since it may augment

emotional exhaustion and diminish emotional well-

being. On the other hand, employees' frequent use of

deep acting may be beneficial for them as it may

reduce emotional exhaustion and enhance emotional

well-being.

At the outset, emotional labour was considered to be

detrimental to employee health and well-being

(Hochschild, 1983). However, subsequent research

shows that emotional labour may also produce

positive outcomes for employees as well as for

organizations. Empirical research carried out to

investigate the influence of emotional labour on

various individual and organizational outcomes

indicate that it is not emotional labour per se which is

harmful, but it is the emotional labour strategy used by

employees which may lead to different outcomes.

Particularly, research indicates that surface acting is

harmful for employees since it leads to decreased

employee well-being (Grandey, 2003; Johnson &

Spector, 2007; Seery & Corrigall, 2009; Zapf, 2002). On

the other hand, research findings have been

inconsistent in case of the effect of deep acting on

employee well-being. Some researchers observed a

negative association between deep acting and

employee well-being (e.g., Brotheridge & Lee, 2003;

Judge et al., 2009), whereas others found that

frequent use of deep acting in service encounters

enhances employee well-being (Grandey, 2003;

Johnson & Spector, 2007; Totterdell & Holman, 2003).

The present study supports the notion that surface

acting negatively influences employee well-being,

whereas deep acting has a positive effect on employee

well-being. It has been argued that while surface

acting, employees do not feel the organizationally

required positive emotions – they simply express

(fake) them. Such employees put a lot of efforts in

regulation and expression of organizationally desired

emotions. Grandey (2000) argued that “when a

situation induces emotional responses that the

employee must regulate, the employee may

experience emotional exhaustion, or energy depletion

or fatigue” (p. 104). In addition, employees using

surface acting are more likely to get exposed to

intrapersonal conflict because of the discrepancy

between felt and expressed emotions. Thus, the

efforts put by employees in regulating their emotions

and the conflict resulting from discrepancy between

felt and expressed emotions may lead to lower well-

being.

Johnson and Spector (2007) propose that service

organizations expect their employees to show positive

emotions in service encounters. However, employees

using surface acting simply fake the emotions instead

of trying to actually feel those emotions. As a result,

such employees have less positive experiences at

work, which may further result in lower well-being. On

the other hand, employees who use deep acting

during service encounters experience frequent

positive moods at work since they try to feel the

emotions that they are expected to show. Such

employees try to be more genuine or authentic in their

dealings with customers which results in low

intrapersonal conflict since there is less discrepancy

between felt and expressed emotions. This frequent

experience of positive emotions and reduced conflict

may contribute in enhancing overall well-being of

employees (Johnson & Spector, 2007).

Managerial Implications

For service organizations, “service with a smile” may

have several benefits, such as enhanced customer





Table 1: Means, standard deviations, and intercorrelations of the study variables

p <.05; ** p <.01; SD = Standard Deviation

Hypothesis 2a and 2b assumed surface acting to be

negatively correlated and deep acting to be positively

correlated with emotional well-being, respectively.

The results presented in Table 2 reveal a negative


Table 2: Results of the Hierarchical Regression Analyses

well-being (β = -.22; p < .01) and a positive relationship

between deep acting and emotional well-being (β =

.30; p < .01). Thus, hypotheses 2a and 2b were well

supported by the findings of the study.

*p <.05; ** p <.01; † p <.10

Discussion

The present study aimed to investigate the

relationship of emotional labour strategies i.e., surface

and deep acting with emotional exhaustion and

emotional well-being. Findings of this study indicate

that more frequent use of surface acting by employees

during service transactions may have detrimental

consequences for them since it may augment

emotional exhaustion and diminish emotional well-

being. On the other hand, employees' frequent use of

deep acting may be beneficial for them as it may

reduce emotional exhaustion and enhance emotional

well-being.

At the outset, emotional labour was considered to be

detrimental to employee health and well-being

(Hochschild, 1983). However, subsequent research

shows that emotional labour may also produce

positive outcomes for employees as well as for

organizations. Empirical research carried out to

investigate the influence of emotional labour on

various individual and organizational outcomes

indicate that it is not emotional labour per se which is

harmful, but it is the emotional labour strategy used by

employees which may lead to different outcomes.

Particularly, research indicates that surface acting is

harmful for employees since it leads to decreased

employee well-being (Grandey, 2003; Johnson &

Spector, 2007; Seery & Corrigall, 2009; Zapf, 2002). On

the other hand, research findings have been

inconsistent in case of the effect of deep acting on

employee well-being. Some researchers observed a

negative association between deep acting and

employee well-being (e.g., Brotheridge & Lee, 2003;

Judge et al., 2009), whereas others found that

frequent use of deep acting in service encounters

enhances employee well-being (Grandey, 2003;

Johnson & Spector, 2007; Totterdell & Holman, 2003).

The present study supports the notion that surface

acting negatively influences employee well-being,

whereas deep acting has a positive effect on employee

well-being. It has been argued that while surface

acting, employees do not feel the organizationally

required positive emotions – they simply express

(fake) them. Such employees put a lot of efforts in

regulation and expression of organizationally desired

emotions. Grandey (2000) argued that “when a

situation induces emotional responses that the

employee must regulate, the employee may

experience emotional exhaustion, or energy depletion

or fatigue” (p. 104). In addition, employees using

surface acting are more likely to get exposed to

intrapersonal conflict because of the discrepancy

between felt and expressed emotions. Thus, the

efforts put by employees in regulating their emotions

and the conflict resulting from discrepancy between

felt and expressed emotions may lead to lower well-

being.

Johnson and Spector (2007) propose that service

organizations expect their employees to show positive

emotions in service encounters. However, employees

using surface acting simply fake the emotions instead

of trying to actually feel those emotions. As a result,

such employees have less positive experiences at

work, which may further result in lower well-being. On

the other hand, employees who use deep acting

during service encounters experience frequent

positive moods at work since they try to feel the

emotions that they are expected to show. Such

employees try to be more genuine or authentic in their

dealings with customers which results in low

intrapersonal conflict since there is less discrepancy

between felt and expressed emotions. This frequent

experience of positive emotions and reduced conflict

may contribute in enhancing overall well-being of

employees (Johnson & Spector, 2007).

Managerial Implications

For service organizations, “service with a smile” may

have several benefits, such as enhanced customer





satisfaction with service quality, increased customer

commitment and loyalty, customer retention, and

customers' willingness to pass positive comments to

others (Grandey, 2003; Gountas et al., 2007; Groth et

al., 2009; Tsai & Huang, 2002). However, this “smile”

may have deleterious effects on employee well-being,

particularly if the smile is faked. Previous research has

shown that a fake smile or expressions (i.e., surface

acting) may be detrimental to employee well-being

(Grandey, 2003; Judge et al., 2009; Seery & Corrigall,

2009), whereas a genuine smile or expressions may

enhance their well-being.

Findings of this study also suggest that simply faking

emotions in order to fulfil organizational display

requirements may negatively influence employee

well-being, whereas an attempt on the employees'

part to actually feel the emotions that they are

supposed to express may enhance their well-being.

Therefore, it may be suggested that service managers

should encourage employees to use deep acting more

frequently than surface acting in service interactions

with customers or clients. Also, organizational leaders

should take necessary actions to train employees to

engage more frequently and effectively in deep acting

(Groth et al., 2009). Use of deep acting not only

enhances the service quality and customers' loyalty

(Grandey, 2003; Groth et al., 2009) but it also enhances

employee well-being.

Judge et al. (2009) argue that organizations should

take measures to convince the employees that it is in

their own interests to attempt to actually experience

the expected emotions since deep acting has been

observed to generate less negative reactions than

surface acting. They contend that organizations should

emphasize on “feeling rules” over “display rules.” It

may also be suggested that service organizations,

especially hotels should focus on hiring frontline

employees with high service orientation. It has been

argued that recruitment and selection, rather than

socialization and reward systems, may be the most

effective way for organizations to manage emotion at

work (Morris & Feldman, 1997). Morris and Feldman

(1997) suggest that instead of forcing employees to

comply with display norms that violate felt emotion, it

may be more efficient for organizations to select

employees whose expressiveness style matches

display norms. Judge et al. (2009) also suggest that “in

addition to training employees to use deep acting

more frequently, organizations should focus on hiring

employees based on extraversion dimension of

personality since extroverts are better able to handle

the emotional demands that service jobs impose and

are less affected by the negative consequences of

emotional labour” (p. 80).

Limitations of the Study

The present research has certain limitations that need

to be acknowledged. The first limitation of this study is

that the design used in the current research was

correlational and cross-sectional in nature, so no

conclusions regarding causality can be made, although

the regression analysis indicated the impact of surface

and deep acting on emotional exhaustion and

emotional well-being. Second, the study used a

homogenous sample with participants working in the

hospitality industry. Hence, the findings of this study

have limited applications for other sectors and it is

difficult to claim that findings of this study can be

generalized across other industries or sectors. For a

better understanding and generalization of the effect

of surface and deep acting on emotional exhaustion

and emotional well-being, data should be collected

from employees working in different sectors and at

different levels.

Conclusion

This study provides some useful information to service

organizations, particularly the hospitality industry

about the negative consequences associated with

performing emotional labour. The research highlights

that providing “service with a smile” may reduce

employee well-being if employees simply fake the

organizationally expected emotions or expressions

i.e., when they surface act. On the other hand, well-

being can be enhanced if employees express genuine

or authentic emotions in service interactions i.e.,

when they deep act. An understanding of the

emotional labour process and when and how it can

negatively influence employee well-being may be

helpful for organizations trying to ameliorate the

sometimes negative aspects of service work and to

reduce the related personal and organizational costs.

References

• Ashforth, B. E. & Humphrey, R. H. (1993). Emotional labor in service roles: The influence of identity. Academy of

Management Review, 18(1), 88-115.

• Bradburn, N.M. (1969). The structure of psychological well-being. Chicago: Aldine.

• Bradburn, N.M. & Caplovitz, D. (1965). Reports of happiness. Chicago: Aldine.

• Brotheridge, C.M. & Lee, R.T. (2003). Development and validation of the emotional labor scale. Journal of

Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 76(3), 365-379.

• Bryant, F.B. & Veroff, J. (1982). The structure of psychological well-being: A sociohistorical analysis. Journal of

Personality and Social Psychology, 43(4), 653-673.

• Chu, K.H.L. & Murrmann, S.K. (2006). Development and validation of the hospitality emotional labor scale.

Tourism Management, 27(6), 1181-1191.

• Diener, E., Sandvik, E., & Pavot, W. (1991). Happiness is the frequency, not the intensity, of positive versus

negative affect. In F. Strack, M. Argyle, & N. Schwartz (Eds.), Subjective well-being: An interdisciplinary

perspective (pp. 119-139). Elmsford, NY: Pergamon Press.

• Goffman, E. (1959). Presentation of self in everyday life. New York, NY: Overlook Press.

• Gountas, S., Ewing, M.T., & Gountas, J.I. (2007). Exploring consumers' response to service providers' positive

affective displays. International Journal of Culture, Tourism and Hospitality Research, 1(1), 97-109.

• Grandey, A. A. (2000). Emotion regulation in the workplace: A new way to conceptualize emotional labor.

Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 5(1), 95-110.

• Grandey, A. A. (2003). When “the show must go on”: Surface acting and deep acting as determinants of

emotional exhaustion and peer-rated service delivery. Academy of Management Journal, 46(1), 86-96.

• Groth, M., Hennig-Thurau, T., & Walsh, G. (2009). Customer reactions to emotional labor: The roles of

employee acting strategies and customer detection accuracy. Academy of Management Journal, 52(5), 958-

974.

• Grove, S.J. & Fisk, R.P. (1989). Impression management in services marketing: A dramaturgical perspective. In

R.A. Giacalone & Rosenfield, P. (Eds.), Impression management in the organization (pp. 427-438). Hillsdale, NJ:

Erlbaum.

• Harris, C., Daniels, K., & Briner, R. B. (2003). A daily diary study of goals and affective well-being at work. Journal

of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 76(3), 401-410.

• Hennig-Thurau, T., Groth, M., Paul, M., & Gremler, D.D. (2006). Are all smiles created equal? How emotional

contagion and emotional labor affect service relationships. Journal of Marketing, 70(3), 58-73.

• Hochschild, A. (1983). The managed heart: Commercialization of human feeling. Berkley: University of

California Press.

• Johnson, H.A.M. & Spector, P.E. (2007). Service with a smile: Do emotional intelligence, gender, and autonomy

moderate the emotional labor process? Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 12(4), 319-333.





satisfaction with service quality, increased customer

commitment and loyalty, customer retention, and

customers' willingness to pass positive comments to

others (Grandey, 2003; Gountas et al., 2007; Groth et

al., 2009; Tsai & Huang, 2002). However, this “smile”

may have deleterious effects on employee well-being,

particularly if the smile is faked. Previous research has

shown that a fake smile or expressions (i.e., surface

acting) may be detrimental to employee well-being

(Grandey, 2003; Judge et al., 2009; Seery & Corrigall,

2009), whereas a genuine smile or expressions may

enhance their well-being.

Findings of this study also suggest that simply faking

emotions in order to fulfil organizational display

requirements may negatively influence employee

well-being, whereas an attempt on the employees'

part to actually feel the emotions that they are

supposed to express may enhance their well-being.

Therefore, it may be suggested that service managers

should encourage employees to use deep acting more

frequently than surface acting in service interactions

with customers or clients. Also, organizational leaders

should take necessary actions to train employees to

engage more frequently and effectively in deep acting

(Groth et al., 2009). Use of deep acting not only

enhances the service quality and customers' loyalty

(Grandey, 2003; Groth et al., 2009) but it also enhances

employee well-being.

Judge et al. (2009) argue that organizations should

take measures to convince the employees that it is in

their own interests to attempt to actually experience

the expected emotions since deep acting has been

observed to generate less negative reactions than

surface acting. They contend that organizations should

emphasize on “feeling rules” over “display rules.” It

may also be suggested that service organizations,

especially hotels should focus on hiring frontline

employees with high service orientation. It has been

argued that recruitment and selection, rather than

socialization and reward systems, may be the most

effective way for organizations to manage emotion at

work (Morris & Feldman, 1997). Morris and Feldman

(1997) suggest that instead of forcing employees to

comply with display norms that violate felt emotion, it

may be more efficient for organizations to select

employees whose expressiveness style matches

display norms. Judge et al. (2009) also suggest that “in

addition to training employees to use deep acting

more frequently, organizations should focus on hiring

employees based on extraversion dimension of

personality since extroverts are better able to handle

the emotional demands that service jobs impose and

are less affected by the negative consequences of

emotional labour” (p. 80).

Limitations of the Study

The present research has certain limitations that need

to be acknowledged. The first limitation of this study is

that the design used in the current research was

correlational and cross-sectional in nature, so no

conclusions regarding causality can be made, although

the regression analysis indicated the impact of surface

and deep acting on emotional exhaustion and

emotional well-being. Second, the study used a

homogenous sample with participants working in the

hospitality industry. Hence, the findings of this study

have limited applications for other sectors and it is

difficult to claim that findings of this study can be

generalized across other industries or sectors. For a

better understanding and generalization of the effect

of surface and deep acting on emotional exhaustion

and emotional well-being, data should be collected

from employees working in different sectors and at

different levels.

Conclusion

This study provides some useful information to service

organizations, particularly the hospitality industry

about the negative consequences associated with

performing emotional labour. The research highlights

that providing “service with a smile” may reduce

employee well-being if employees simply fake the

organizationally expected emotions or expressions

i.e., when they surface act. On the other hand, well-

being can be enhanced if employees express genuine

or authentic emotions in service interactions i.e.,

when they deep act. An understanding of the

emotional labour process and when and how it can

negatively influence employee well-being may be

helpful for organizations trying to ameliorate the

sometimes negative aspects of service work and to

reduce the related personal and organizational costs.

References

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The importance of apparel productattributes for teenaged buyers

Shailesh Kumar Kaushal

Abstract

The present paper is an attempt to examine the

significant factors of teenagers' apparel purchase

intentions in Lucknow. The main objective of the

research paper is to explore and conceptualize various

factors, which influence the purchase patterns of

teenagers. A questionnaire consisting of 43 items was

developed to measure the construct and its

dimensions. The first draft of the questionnaire was

subject to a pilot testing through a focus group and an

expert evaluation. Data was gathered from 187

teenagers and a structured questionnaire on a five-

point rating (Likert scale) was administered by way of a

personal interview. Through this study, an attempt is

made to find out the effect of fashion apparels, in-

store promotions, reference group, body cathexis and

its influence on purchase of apparel by teenagers. For

the purpose of analysis, statistical tools like Factor

analysis, GRA & RIDIT have been used. Results of the

study might be useful to academicians, apparel

manufacturers, and other applied researchers.

Keywords: Fashion apparels, Factor analysis, GRA &

RIDIT Analysis.

The importance of apparel product attributes for teenaged buyersISSN: 0971-1023NMIMS Management ReviewVolume XXIII April - May 2013

Dr. Neerpal Rathi is as an Assistant Professor in Organizational Behavior and Human Resource

Management area at Amrita School of Business, Amrita University Ettimadai, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu,

India. He received his Ph. D. (Psychology with specialization in Organizational Behavior) from Indian

Institute of Technology, Roorkee. Prior to joining Amrita University, he worked at Indian Institute of

Management Ahmedabad and Banasthali University, Rajasthan. His research interests include emotions at

workplace, quality of work life, employee health and well-being, and organizational effectiveness. He can be

contacted at: [email protected], [email protected]

44 45

Documents

Please Smile While You Serve: Do Employees Pay a …” while controlling or suppressing negative emotions. Regulation and expression of organizationally desired emotions in service