LINK: https://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcthree/article/5ea9f140-f722-4214-bb57-8b84f9418a7e
DIRECTIONS:
Read the assigned reading and add annotations with at least TWO comments, ONE challenging question for the author or class to think about, and ONE or more replies to your peers’ questions/comments on any given page.
1. A comment #1: Think about how specific content/paragraph is relevant to what our core book chapter (Miller’s chapter) talks about.
2. A comment #2: Relevance to your own experience to share.
3. A challenging question to propose (Food for thought): Relaying it back to our core chapter content, what are the questions you want us to think about? What questions do you have for the author of the book?
STUDENT RESPONSES (to respond to):
TEXT: “In other words, having to keep a fake smile on your face all day – often because you work in a service industry job – regardless of how you’re really feeling, because customers, and your boss, might complain if you’re anything less than wildly cheery.”
RESPONSE: This is a cost of working in hospitality of any sort. I have been in discussion about the amount of acting that goes into guest service, and that skill is part of what it takes to provide quality service. Of course we are all human and welcome to express ourselves as we are able without legal recourse, this is the freedom we have, however our outward expressed emotions do have an affect on others which in turn has an affect on the workplace. I found with meditation and self introspection, I am able to maintain authenticity within the hospitality sector.
TEXT: In other words, having to keep a fake smile on your face all day – often because you work in a service industry job – regardless of how you’re really feeling, because customers, and your boss, might complain if you’re anything less than wildly cheery.
RESPONSE: Connecting this statement to a paradox of participative democracy, I think the actions described falls under the structure paradox. Considering that employees are being told to be happy and cheery to follow their guidelines, it appears that businesses are happy with employees creatively expressing themselves as long as they are seen as being happy, even if the smile is fake. These actions are planned and the emotional strain employees are facing in order to comply with these demands makes it difficult for them to want to branch-out creatively to make their workplace environment a better place to be a part of. This paradox in customer service jobs exists so the employee can make the customer feel as comfortable as possible, even if the employee is not comfortable acting in this specific way. However, connecting this to chapter 11, the textbook says that there should be more of a focus on the emotions shown among coworkers since, “Our work with these co workers might create and sustain emotions, including anger, frustration, elation, excitement, or boredom” (Miller, 2015, p. 202), which means that coworker emotions impact the workplace environment more than the customer-employee relationship.
