Work Environment

Understanding Display Rules & Emotional Labour at Work: Cost, Consequences, and Coping Strategies

Imagine you work as a barista at Starbucks. A customer walks in on a bright sunny morning, eagerly anticipating your warm welcome, the comforting aroma of freshly brewed coffee, and your excited request for their name – which per pre-established rules, is always hand-written on the renowned coffee cup. However, that day you wake up feeling off, and show up to work as your true self – an individual battling different kinds of life stressors. You decide not to greet the client, you refrain from engaging in small talk, and avoid taking their name.

The customer looks up at you and asks: “Is something wrong?”

This scenario highlights the significance and ever-so-faint yet important presence of display rules and emotional labour in workers’ lives.

5 Ways To Enhance Wellbeing of Layoff Survivors

The majority of current layoffs have been in the tech industry, but there have also been significant layoffs in industries such as healthcare, tourism/hospitality, retail, manufacturing, construction, and transportation/warehousing. Although layoffs have always been an issue, the recent increase is due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to supply chain disruptions, an economic slowdown, and inflation. According to the International Labour Organization (2022), the pandemic is estimated to have pushed global unemployment to 200 million in 2022, up from 186 million in 2021. This represents an increase of 14 million in just one year. The ILO estimates that the global labor market will not fully recover from the pandemic until 2025.

3 Steps to Boosting Employee Engagement on Mondays

We have all felt the impact of a long week. Friday arrives and seemingly everyone is awaiting the end of the day with more excitement than is ever brought to the arrival of Monday. You begin hearing statements such as ‘Do you have plans for the weekend?’ or ‘Thank God it’s Friday!’ Looking forward to the weekend seems to be a favorite pastime for so many.

The challenge of keeping employees engaged during the week has become an even greater obstacle as we navigate the COVID-19 pandemic and adjust to remote workers and hybrid workdays. As a leader, empowering the start of each week plays a critical role in how your team approaches success. You can greatly influence the mindset, rhythm and temperature of your team by making sure everyone begins the work week with as much positivity and excitement as possible.