Performing in bank means performing emotional labor: A case of front‐line female service providers in public sector banks

• Published date: 01 February 2022
• Author: Filza Hameed,Muhammad Mudassar Anwar,Tayyaba Bashir,Khan Qurrahtulain,Zafar Iqbal
• Date: 01 February 2022
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1002/pa.2344

ACADEMIC PAPER

Performing in bank means performing emotional labor: A case

of front-line female service providers in public sector banks

Filza Hameed

1

| Muhammad Mudassar Anwar

2

| Tayyaba Bashir

3

|

Khan Qurrahtulain

4

| Zafar Iqbal

1

1

Department of Business Administration,

University of Kotli Azad Jammu and Kashmir,

Kotli, Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan

2

Department of Commerce, University of Kotli

Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Kotli, Jammu and

Kashmir, Pakistan

3

Department of English, University of Kotli

Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Kotli, Jammu and

Kashmir, Pakistan

4

Department of Public Administration,

University of Kotli AJK, Kotli, Jammu and

Kashmir, Pakistan

Correspondence

Zafar Iqbal, Lecturer, Department of Business

Administration, University of Kotli Azad

Jammu and Kashmir, Kotli, Jammu and

Kashmir.

Email: zafar.iqbal@uokajk.edu.pk

Emotions as well as emotional expressions are important for service-providing orga-

nizations specifically banks. Service providers who give front-line services in banks

are required to regulate their emotional display for better service quality and bank

image. In doing so, they engage in emotional labor either using surface acting and/or

deep acting. Both sorts of acting that require effort consequently may lead to front-

line female service providers getting estranged from their work. In order to explore

this imperative relationship, the current study investigated the effect of these emo-

tional labor strategies on job disengagement. Front-line female service providers

were selected as sample and 262 responses were collected. The current study uti-

lized quantitative research design, and data were collected using structured question-

naire in two time lags. The data analysis was carried out using Mplus. The study

findings revealed contrary effects regarding the relationship between surface acting

and job disengagement determining insignificant relationships. However, the nega-

tive connection between deep acting and job disengagement is confirmed. Both the-

oretical and practical implications of the study are also discussed.

1|STUDY BACKGROUND

During last few years, it was witnessed that emotional labor has

become a matter of great concern for front-line service providers

(Ashforth and Humphery, 1995; Fisher & Ashkanasy, 2000; Morris &

Feldman, 2020). Specifically, in banking sector, service providers serve

as the sole contact between banks and customers; thus, in an attempt

to augment bank image, they are restricted to project accurate emo-

tions, as it is unmanageable to make emotion-free banks. Next, emo-

tions impacthow service providers performtheir jobs; thus, appropriate

emotionaldisplay is a mandatory requirement(Chi & Grandey, 2019).

Emotions can be felt as well displayed, yet both are important

and different; however, service providers (employees) require effort

to display emotions desired by organizations and such sort of effort

(labor) is referred to as emotional labor. This type of labor is especially

desired in the work environment where close interaction as well as

connection is required between customers and employees to meet

job requirements (Chen, Chang, & Wang, 2019; Topates and Kalfa,

2009). The word emotional labor was first coined by Hochschild

(1983) who referred it to as regulation of emotions as well emotional

display as a component of the job (Lartey, Amponsah-Tawiah, &

Osafo, 2019). In banking sector, display of emotions is stressed for

impression management while dealing with customers. The underlying

purpose is to assure that employees conform to display rules require-

ments by aligning their felt emotions with displayed emotions.

The banking industry because of stiff competition compels service

providers to “serve with a smile”to win in the race of competition. For

service-providing industry, front-line service providers are the main

sources for gaining competitive advantage (Schneider & Bowen, 1993);

therefore, they force workers to regulate their interior as well as exte-

rior emotional expression to mirror organizational image which they

wish to demonstrate. As a matter of fact, sometimes the front-line

female staff of the banking sector comes across difficult as well as

demandingcustomers. Even then they are compelledto treat customers

in a sophisticated way (Barnett, Hays, & Cantu, 2019; Glomb &

[Correction Statement: Correction added on 15 September 2020 after first online

publication: The countries in the author affiliations have been updated in this version.]

Received: 18 July 2020 Revised: 27 July 2020 Accepted: 29 July 2020

DOI: 10.1002/pa.2344

J Public Affairs. 2022;22:e2344. wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/pa © 2020 John Wiley & Sons Ltd 1of8

https://doi.org/10.1002/pa.2344