Performative Labour
An indicator of the growing tendency for frontline service work to be viewed as a performance, especially one in which the deliberate display of a certain mood is seen as part of the labour involved in service work, performative labour is a wide-spread culture.
It is with interest that we look at how Disney portrays this principle. The friendliness and helpfulness of Disney theme park employees is renowned and is one of the things that visitors often comment on as something they like. Moreover, anyone with even a passing knowledge of the parks expects this kind of behaviour.
The ever-smiling Disney theme park employee has become a stereotype of modern culture. Their demeanour coupled with the distinctive Disney language is designed among other things to convey the expression that the employees are having fun too and therefore not engaging in real work.
Japan, a country reputable for its quality customer service, engages performative labour as an essence. Even if you do not enter a shop, the clerks are still greeting the people walking by. If you do enter the shop or restaurant etc. then of course they will welcome you again. And usually it is not just one person but several. When you are paying for your food or product they are very polite in how they handle your money or credit card. It goes without saying that all of this is happening with a smile and with a soft tone of voice. Finally, when you leave they thank you for your business.
Many companies base this thought on the premise that a customer-oriented service leads directly to customer loyalty and increased sales revenue. The issue arises when there is a need to differentiate what is real and what is fake among the emotions hidden behind employees’ masks. The problem of performative labour is that it only works 1-sided. Employees are not allowed to reveal their frustration and anger thus, bottling them inside. Customers on the other hands, sees a smiling face and hear a gentle tone but do not realise that these may not seen so on the inner surface.
Many companies base this thought on the premise that a customer-oriented service leads directly to customer loyalty and increased sales revenue. The issue arises when there is a need to differentiate what is real and what is fake among the emotions hidden behind employees’ masks. The problem of performative labour is that it only works 1-sided. Employees are not allowed to reveal their frustration and anger thus, bottling them inside. Customers on the other hands, sees a smiling face and hear a gentle tone but do not realise that these may not seen so on the inner surface.
Apparently, this principle is found in the service industry where there is a need to have a surreal experience. Therefore, the moment of truth interaction must be as smooth as possible, thus incorporating the performative labour for ensurance.
Sources:
http://ezproxy.tp.edu.sg:2069/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=2&hid=108&sid=759950a0-38a5-497e-8e78-1d2258775009%40sessionmgr115
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