Analyzing Emotional Labor: Impact and Implementation at Pret-A-Manger

This report delves into the concept of emotional labor, specifically within the context of the retail industry, using Pret-A-Manger as a case study. It examines the impact of emotional labor on customer service, employee behavior, and overall business performance. The report explores how Pret-A-Manger implements emotional labor strategies, including training employees to exhibit specific behaviors and creating a positive work environment. It discusses the techniques of surface and deep acting, analyzing their effects on employees. Furthermore, it addresses the positive and negative consequences of emotional labor, such as increased sales, customer satisfaction, employee stress, and emotional exhaustion. The report also provides insights into how Pret-A-Manger manages emotional labor through various strategies, such as using buffering, teaching display rules, organizing staff assistance sessions, developing analytical skills, enhancing emotional intelligence, and sharing knowledge. The conclusion emphasizes the significance of emotional labor in retail and its implications for both the company and its employees.

EMOTIONAL
LABOR
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
TASK ..............................................................................................................................................3
1 Impact of emotional labor in the retail industry.......................................................................3
2. Do you think that provided case presents a credible account of how emotional labor is
conceptualized within Pret-A-Manger. .......................................................................................6
CONCLUSION ...............................................................................................................................7
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................9
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INTRODUCTION
Emotional labour is a need of a occupation that employees must showcase the necessary
emotions and feelings towards the consumers or co others etc. It further refers to those functions
performed by employees beyond their physical or mental obligations. It involve activities like,
displaying a true concern for the needs of customers, warm welcome, smiling etc. Therefore,
main aim of emotional labour concept is is to fulfil the emotional needs of customers. Hence,
emotional labour is very important in professions like, hotel, restaurants, retail outlets, for flight
attendants, hospitals, education institute etc. To work in effective manner it is important for
emotional labour to suppress or induce its emotions that are necessary for him/her. In this report,
different aspects of emotional labor will be studied in the context of Pret-A-Manger.
Pret-A-Manger is private company formed in 1984, to provide retail services to wide
range of customers across, UK, US, Hong Kong and France. At present, the retail stores of brand
are located at more than 374 locations (Mohamed, 2013). Company focuses on the availability of
emotional labor in its organization that help in ensuring repetitive visit of customers. In this
report, learning will be shown regarding the impact of emotional labor on the retail industry. In
addition to this, description will be provided that how emotional labor is conceptualized within
Pret-A-Manger.
TASK
1 Impact of emotional labor in the retail industry
With the growing presence of emotional labor it has become important for retail company
to focus on emotional needs of customers. In this respect, Pret-A-Manger is using incentives and
other benefits for encouraging emotional labor aspect where, company provide excess than the
minimum wages to assure they are glad and hospitable behind the counter. Therefore, it is
important for employees to show genuine concern towards employees, to exhibit their presence
and to have charming personality (Kim, 2008). Pret-A-Manger assure that employees give their
best performance by devoting not only their mind and body but also soul. Further, company
ensure that employees does not work with them for just money. In this respect, organization fired
a employee when he intended to start a labor union by inculcating negativity and discriminating
practices among workers. Pret-A-Manger ensures its employees must furnish a positive
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experience to customers with their services. In this respect, brand is trying to build a smiley
culture where employees are trained to be cheerful while providing services in company.
Therefore, HR executive ensure it appoint only those individuals who are spirited, amiable and
good humoured by their nature. With this aspect, company is able to build a healthy work
environment which is also stated as “Pret Buzz''. With this respect, organization assure that they
are committed to provide superior quality and fresh food along with prompt services, friendly
behaviour of employees towards customers etc. It has been identified that emotional labor play a
promising role in fulfilling their commitment towards organizational goals (Emotional Labor
Rule at Pret-A-Manger, 2016). Therefore, the success of retail industry at present depend upon
large extent on the effectiveness of emotional labor.
It is important for employees and workers in retail industry to win their emotions or
assure their feelings meet the goals and expectations of company. Likewise, individuals in other
service based role like, restaurant, bar employees, flight attendants, call center employee,
counselor, doctor, nurse etc. witness the emerging demands of emotional labor (Grandey, 2015).
Therefore, it is significant for them to suppress their personal feelings to meet the requirement of
job. Hence, employee must express their optimistic feelings or conceal their negative feelings.
Thereafter, it is important for retail employees to display those feelings they don't feel actually,
conceal those sentiments they do feel or develop a suited emotion for the present state. For this
aspect, retail employees can use two emotional labor techniques like, surface and deep acting.
With the help of surface acting, employee show fake gestures and verbal communication to
influence customer and represent emotion that they don't feel or conceal what they do (Shani and
Pizam, 2009). On the other hand, with the help of deep acting, employee control its intrinsic
feelings, guiding them to accept or consider they are actually blissful and relishing the
communication with customers of retail outlets. However, sometimes it may result into increase
in stress among workers due to emotional conflict between true feelings and those represented by
them to others. Therefore, it is important for organization to ensure its employees are actually
happy. For this aspect, the needs of workers must be identified and fulfilled in best possible
manner. In this respect, management of retail outlet ensure the individuals work within the teams
and there is positive team building within the company (Guy, Newman and Mastracci, 2014).
Further, employees are trained to exhibit optimistic team behaviours with its co-workers or other
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team members. Furthermore, varied strategies are used by company to assist employees to
handle the demand of emotional labor. They are as follows:
 Use of Buffering: With this aspect, organization charge front end employees for meeting
the emotional needs of customers so when they reach other employees can focus on
business.
 Teach display rules: It refers to set benchmarks that must be learned by employee for
exhibiting emotions in a particular role. In this respect, individual can enhance its
learning through, training and development sessions, observations, feedback, guidance
etc (McCance and et.al., 2013) . Therefore, retail workers are educated to act optimistic
whereas bill collectors are trained to be little aggressive.
 Organizing staff assistance sessions: Retail company can organize care and
development program for its employees so they can be taught the implications of
emotional labor. Further, they can provide them anger management training etc.
 Developing analytical skills: The analytical or problem solving skills of employees
within retail outlets can be strengthen to minimize their negative reactions (Mohamed,
2013). This skills also help in reducing dissatisfaction among customers and various
teams within company.
 Enhance emotional intelligence: This aspect help employee in understanding the other
feelings and sentiments. It further assist in minimizing the concern of emotional labor
Mastracci, Guy and Newman, 2014 ).
 Share knowledge: This approach help experienced employee of retail outlet in sharing
their knowledge that further help new employees in dealing with tough situations of
emotional conflict and make sound judgement.
Furthermore, the aforementioned strategy help retail corporations in implementing the
concept of emerging demand of emotional labor within business. Further, it have both positive as
well as negative affect on the organization. The emotional labor help business in increasing its
sales by ensuring maximum footfall in the retail store. The employees handle customers patiently
and assure their emotional needs are fulfilled properly. Further, emotions are important
constituents of service delivery therefore customers demand it. In addition to this, retail company
can use emotions to change the perception of consumer in the favour of business. Therefore, with
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the help of emotional labour attribute, retail entity can build a distinct image of organization in
market. However, it has been critically identified that emotional labor results into high stress
among workers Retailers moving towards emotional labor, 2014). Further, it also result into
emotional exhaustion as employees are forced to project emotions they don't feel. This further
leads to dissatisfaction among workers which stimulate them to leave the organization or
industry itself. There is excess demand of emotional labor in retail and many service entities
which often control the freedom of employees and force them to leave the industry (Kim, 2008).
Further, emotional labor are forced to have supreme control over their feelings and sentiments
even in worst situations. For instance, use of abusive language by customers, their violent
behavior or disrespecting comments etc. in such situation also emotional labor are compelled to
behave appropriately. Further, various studies reveals that there is maximum level of depression,
distress, anxiety among the retail workers due to enforcement of emotional labor. Therefore, it is
important for retail organization to take significant steps to reduce the negative impact of
emotional labor by emphasizing on the needs and expectations of employees (Frei, Goldberg and
van Sice,, 2012).
2. Do you think that provided case presents a credible account of how emotional labor is
conceptualized within Pret-A-Manger.
From the in depth analysis of the provided case study it has been revealed that emotional
labor aspect play an important role in the functioning of company. The manager of store ensure
that they smile delightfully for each and every visitors to give them a unique hospitality
experience. The organization ensure that conduct of its employees is according to the set norms
which is also called as Pret behaviours. It further states that employee working in company
should be have appropriate courtesy, efficiency, amiability, self happy etc so they can develop a
distinct image in the minds of customers and create a presence in their hearts. In addition to this,
employees must have high enthusiasm and must be really friendly towards its employees
(Culture at Pret-A-Manger. 2014). The organization assure that employees are not only involved
physically or mentally but also with their souls. The main objective of organization is to affirm
that individuals does not work only for money. Further, firm actions are taken by the
management of Pret-a-Manger against employees who tend to negatively impact the emotional
labor approach framed by it. It can be cited with the example where management seized the job
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of worker who was planning to start a labor union within company. Furthermore, organization
use stern policies and regulations that control on the job behaviour of employees. In addition to
this, to implement emotional labor behaviour within retail outlets a secret shopper concept is
used. In this respect, a concealed customer visit the retail store once a week and critically analyse
the behaviour of employees towards customers. If the employees are enthusiastic than bonus is
given to all the members while if its not than nobody does. Also , secret shopper is competent to
provide extra benefits to all the employees if he/she states that specific worker rendered
outstanding service (Emotional Labor Rule at Pret-A-Manger, 2016). In addition to this
management of Pret-A-Manger assures that employees can touch each other to showcase good
interpersonal relationship among themselves. Therefore, employee doing high five towards each
other, smiling, hand shaking etc are taken positively. Further , management expect high sales if
the employees are touching each other as it reflects high employee engagement which is again
fruitful for company. Therefore, it states that body gestures also play an important part in
ensuring the success of business. Further, it can be stated that employees of Pret consider the
emotional situation of consumer as their duty as their recruitment is based on that only.
However, it can be critically stated by customers they want company who furnish best quality
and prompt services rather than false emotions towards them (Shani and Pizam, 2009). The
human inventory of Pret-A-Manger constitutes of maximum employees who are international
immigrants. Therefore, it is alleged that they cannot understand the customer behaviour
completely and therefore display artificial emotions. Due to this factor, customers are getting
distracted from the services offered by organization. Hence, it can be stated that emotional labor
is an important approach that plays a significant role within Pret-A-Manger (Guy, Newman and
Mastracci, 2014).
CONCLUSION
Summing up the entire report, it can be stated that emotional labor play a main role in the
working of company. Pret ensure that its have strong inventory of emotional labor that help
business in attaining its overall objectives. It further states that employees must possess Pret
behaviour which comprises of self confidence, friendly, positive personal traits,courtesy etc. they
must be capable of creating presence, entertaining environment for its customers. Thereafter,
emotional labor have both positive and negative impact on the workers. Further, emotional labor
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control the responsibility and job duties of employees which further results into dissatisfaction,
stress and depression among them. Thereafter, it is important for management to develop a
positive work environment in Pret-A-Manger so the employees are actually happy and need not
require to display artificial emotions. This will further help management is overcoming the issue
of emotional conflict which results into leaving the industry by individual.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Frei, F.X., Goldberg, R. and van Sice, S., 2012. Pret A Manger.
Grandey, A., Diefendorff, J. and Rupp, D.E. eds., 2013. Emotional labor in the 21st century:
Diverse perspectives on emotion regulation at work. Routledge.
Grandey, A.A., 2015. Smiling for a Wage: What Emotional Labor Teaches Us About Emotion
Regulation. Psychological Inquiry. 26(1). pp.54-60.
Grandey, A.A., Rupp, D. and Brice, W.N., 2015. Emotional labor threatens decent work: A
proposal to eradicate emotional display rules. Journal of Organizational Behavior.
36(6), pp.770-785.
Guy, M.E., Newman, M.A. and Mastracci, S.H., 2014. Emotional labor: Putting the service in
public service. Routledge.
Kim, H.J., 2008. Hotel service providers‟ emotional labor: The antecedents and effects of
Mastracci, S.H., Guy, M.E. and Newman, M.A., 2014. Emotional labor and crisis response:
Working on the razor's edge. Routledge.
McCance, A.S. And et.al., 2013. Alleviating the Burden of Emotional Labor The Role of Social
Sharing. Journal of Management, 39(2). pp.392-415.
Mohamed, K., 2013. SUCCESSFUL OPERATIONS STRATEGIES: A CASE STUDY OF"
PRET A MANAGER. International Journal of Management Research and
Reviews. 3(12), p.3850.
Shani, A. and Pizam, A., 2009. Work related depression among hotel employees.
Online
Culture at Pret-A-Manger. 2014. [Online]. Available through:
<http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/9129410/Smiley-culture-Pret-A-Mangers-
secret-ingredients.html>. [Accessed on 8th March 2016].
Emotional Labor Rule at Pret-A-Manger. 2016. [Online]. Available through:
<http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2272400/Revealed-Pret-Mangers-bizarre-
emotional-labour-rules-workers-told-happy-touch-NEVER-act-moody.html>. [Accessed
on 8th March 2016].
Retailers moving towards emotional labor. 2014. [Online]. Available through:
<http://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_national/643170.html>. [Accessed on
8th March 2016].
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