In our upcoming series, we will explore the concept of rewards, specifically focusing on emotional labour and its implications in the workplace. High rewards often require specific activities, utilizing both hard and soft skills. While job descriptions may list certain tools or tasks, many roles demand additional emotional and interpersonal skills that are not explicitly mentioned.
Emotional Labour in Complex Organisational Structures
In highly hierarchical environments, emotional labour becomes crucial. These complex structures necessitate humanising the work to improve output, success, and business relationships. Despite being business transactions, interactions still occur between people. However, capitalism has transformed these soft skills into extractable and scalable commodities. Yet, increasing demands for empathy, flexibility, kindness, and cooperation do not necessarily enhance outcomes. Instead, they often lead to employee frustration, stress, and feelings of underappreciation.
The Impact on Marginalised Groups
Marginalised groups face additional emotional labour, often expected to conform to a predominant workplace culture. This added pressure can lead to disenfranchisement and hinder business growth. Performative acts, especially from women who strive to be validated for their emotional labour, often go unrecognised. The system does not remunerate these efforts adequately, instead framing them as part of the job without proper acknowledgment or reward.
The Need for Structural Change
Many women realise that their emotional labour isn’t fairly compensated. While some believe in contributing to a better workplace environment, such communal efforts don’t fit into a capitalist framework and may even be punished. The current system values measurable output over the soft skills crucial for a healthy work environment. Therefore, employees must build frameworks that appropriately remunerate these skills, recognising them as inherent powers rather than areas for development.
Building Awareness and Taking Action
Understanding the dynamics of emotional labour and its value is the first step. Building awareness around these skills and advocating for their recognition within corporate structures is crucial. If you haven’t already, consider courses that help you navigate these complexities and empower you to stand strong in your abilities.
Join us at MCJ Studio to further explore these topics and embrace a more equitable approach to emotional labour in the workplace.
Leave a Reply