Out there, you're on a stage": complaints and the management of emotion work in nursing (original) (raw)
Related papers
2017
Nurses have to manage their emotions and the emotion expressions to perform best care, and their behaviours pass through emotional labour (EL). However, EL seems to be an under-appreciated aspect of caring work and there is not a synthetic portrait of literature about EL in the nursing profession. Hence,this review was conductedto synthesize and to critically analyse the literature in the nursing field related to the emotional labour (EL). Twenty-seven papers were included and analysed with a narrative approach, where two main themes was found: (a) EL strategies and (b) EL antecedents and consequences. Hence, EL is a multidimensional, complex concept and it represents a nursing competence to perform the best caring. Moreover, nurses have a highawareness of EL as a professional competence, which is a fundamental element to balance engagement with an appropriate degree of detachment to accomplish some tasks aimed to perform the best behaviour, and to achieve good results for the patie...
Thinking about the emotional labour of nursing – supporting nurses to care
Journal of Health Organization and Management, 2013
Purpose -The aim of this article is to report some of the work undertaken by a nursing "think tank", focussed on examining the causes of poor nursing care in hospitals, and potential solutions. Design/methodology/approach -A "think tank" was convened which incorporated widespread discussion with national, regional and local stakeholders, a critical literature review, and a focus group of senior nurses. Findings -It was found that there are no widespread systems of staff support that help nurses working in hospitals to cope with the emotional component of their work. This is one element that contributes to nurses providing poor care. A number of approaches to staff support have been developed that warrant further study. Practical implications -If episodes of poor care are to be prevented it is necessary for hospital boards to recognise the importance of supporting nurses in managing the emotional labour of caring. The introduction of routine systems of staff support should be considered. Originality/value -In addition to highlighting and condemning poor care, it is important to seek solutions. This article offers a new perspective on an enduring problem and identifies approaches that can be part of the solution.
A Qualitative Study of the Impact of Emotional Labour on Health Managers
The Qualitative Report, 2016
The objective of the study was to examine how surface acting is used by middle managers to manage the emotional displays of executives in the health industry in Australia. The research was located within a social constructionist epistemology and the theoretical construct used to structure the study was surface acting. Data was generated through qualitative interviews with 49 middle managers. Analysis was undertaken using grounded theory and thematic analysis. The main finding was that unlike male managers, female managers took on the role of managing the emotional displays of senior staff and used surface acting as the means of doing this. They expressed optimism, calmness and empathy even when these were not the emotions that they were actually feeling. It is argued that the propensity for female managers to take on the role of managing the emotional displays of powerful others demonstrates the extent to which gender stereotypes still persist in the health system. The long-term imp...
What do we know about emotional labour in nursing? A narrative review
British Journal of Nursing, 2017
Nurses have to manage their emotions and the emotion expressions to perform best care, and their behaviours pass through emotional labour (EL). However, EL seems to be an under-appreciated aspect of caring work and there is not a synthetic portrait of literature about EL in the nursing profession. Hence,this review was conductedto synthesize and to critically analyse the literature in the nursing field related to the emotional labour (EL). Twenty-seven papers were included and analysed with a narrative approach, where two main themes was found: (a) EL strategies and (b) EL antecedents and consequences. Hence, EL is a multidimensional, complex concept and it represents a nursing competence to perform the best caring. Moreover, nurses have a highawareness of EL as a professional competence, which is a fundamental element to balance engagement with an appropriate degree of detachment to accomplish some tasks aimed to perform the best behaviour, and to achieve good results for the patients' caring.
A qualitative thematic review: emotional labour in healthcare settings
Journal of advanced nursing, 2015
To identify the range of emotional labour employed by healthcare professionals in a healthcare setting and implications of this for staff and organisations. In a healthcare setting, emotional labour is the act or skill involved in the caring role, in recognizing the emotions of others and in managing our own. A thematic synthesis of qualitative studies which included emotion work theory in their design, employed qualitative methods and were situated in a healthcare setting. The reporting of the review was informed by the ENTREQ framework. 6 databases were searched between 1979-2014. Studies were included if they were qualitative, employed emotion work theory and were written in English. Papers were appraised and themes identified. Thirteen papers were included. The reviewed studies identified four key themes: (1) The professionalization of emotion and gendered aspects of emotional labour; (2) Intrapersonal aspects of emotional labour - how healthcare workers manage their own emotion...
Nurse Education in Practice, 2009
Emotions in health organisations tend to remain tacit and in need of clarification. Often, emotions are made invisible in nursing and reduced to part and parcel of 'women's work' in the domestic sphere. Smith (Smith, P. 1992. The Emotional Labour of Nursing, Macmillan, London) applied the notion of emotional labour to the study of student nursing, concluding that further research was required. This means investigating what is often seen as a tacit and uncodified skill. A follow-up qualitative study was conducted over a period of twelve months to reexamine the role of emotional labour and in particular the ways in which emotional labour was orientated to different clinical settings. Data were collected from 16 indepth and semi-structured interviews with nurses based in East London (United Kingdom). Findings illustrate emotional labour in three different settings (primary care, mental health and children's oncology). Findings show the different ways in which emotional labour is used and reflected upon by nurses in these three clinical areas. This is important in improving nurse training and best practice as well as helpful in offering an initial synopsis of the culture of care in nursing; investigating several clinical settings of nurses' emotional labour; looking at changing techniques of patient consultation; and beginning to explore the potential therapeutic value of emotional labour.
2009
Aims This paper sets the discussion of emotions at work within the modern NHS and the current prioritisation of creating a safety culture within the service. Background The paper focuses on the work of students, frontline nurses and their managers drawing on recent studies of patient safety in the curriculum, and governance and incentives in the care of patients with complex long term conditions. Methods The primary research featured in the paper combined a case study design with focus groups, interviews and observation. Results In the patient safety research the importance of physical and emotional safety emerged as a key finding both for users and professionals. In the governance and incentives research, risk emerged as a key concern for managers, frontline workers and users. Conclusion The recognition of emotions and the importance of emotional labour at an individual and organizational level managed by emotionally intelligent leaders played an important role in promoting worker and patient safety and reducing workplace risk. Implications for nurse managers Nurse managers need to be aware of the emotional complexities of their organizations in order to set up systems to support the emotional wellbeing of professionals and users which in turn ensures safety and reduces risk.
Emotional Labour and its Outcomes Among Nurses at a Tertiary Hospital – A Proposed Model
International Journal of Experimental Research and Review, 2023
Emotional labour is a crucial aspect of nursing, involving the management of emotions to meet organizational and societal expectations. Limited research exists on understanding emotional labour and the outcomes of emotional labour among nurses, which can range from positive outcomes like job satisfaction and patient satisfaction to negative outcomes like emotional exhaustion and job exhaustion. This study aims to assess emotional labour and its outcomes among nurses. It contributes to a better understanding of its impact and informs interventions to enhance nurses' well-being and job performance. To assess the emotional labour performance among nurses, to assess the emotional conflict among nurses, to determine the positive and negative outcomes of the emotional labour performance among nurses and to propose a model for emotional labour performance in healthcare a descriptive study was conducted among a sample population of approximately 270 nurses from Sri Ramachandra Hospital G-Block (Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India). Subjects were recruited from the nursing department, and after obtaining their consent, they were given a questionnaire to collect demographic data and evaluate emotional labour and its outcomes. Additionally, direct observations using the Observed Emotion Rating Scale were conducted. The study utilized systematic random sampling. The sample size was determined to be 270 nurses, with a final response rate of 87%. The reliability of the questionnaire was assessed using Cronbach's alpha, which yielded satisfactory results. The primary data collected was analyzed using Microsoft Excel and SPSS software with appropriate statistical tools. The findings are emotional labour performance; deep acting was more prominent than surface acting among nurses. Emotional harmony was found to be higher than emotional dissonance and emotional excess in emotional labour conflicts. Positive outcomes of emotional labour were more prevalent than negative outcomes. Deep Acting and surface acting significantly affected positive and negative outcomes. This study highlights the significance of emotional labour in nursing and its impact on nurses' well-being and job performance. By prioritizing nurses' emotional well-being and implementing interventions to mitigate the negative outcomes of emotional labour, healthcare organizations can create a supportive work environment that enhances both nurse satisfaction and patient care.
Mental health nurses' experiences of managing work-related emotions through supervision
Journal of Advanced Nursing, 2016
Aim To explore emotion cultures constructed in supervision and consider how supervision functions as an emotionally safe space promoting critical reflection. Background Research published between 1995-2015 suggests supervision has a positive impact on nurses' emotional wellbeing, but there is little understanding of the processes involved in this, and how styles of emotion interaction are established in supervision. Design A narrative approach was used to investigate mental health nurses' understandings and experiences of supervision. Methods 8 semi-structured interviews were conducted with community mental health nurses in the UK during 2011. Analysis of audio data used features of speech to identify narrative discourse and illuminate meanings. A topic-centred analysis of interview narratives explored discourses shared between the participants. This supported the identification of feeling rules within participants' narratives, and the exploration of the emotion context of supervision. Findings Effective supervision was associated with three feeling rules: Safety and reflexivity; Staying professional; Managing feelings. These feeling rules allowed the expression and exploration of emotions, promoting critical reflection. A contrast was identified between the emotion culture of supervision and the nurses' experience of their workplace cultures as requiring the suppression of difficult emotions. Despite this contrast supervision functioned as an emotion micro-culture with its own distinctive feeling rules. Conclusions The analytical construct of feeling rules allows us to connect individual emotional experiences to shared normative discourses, highlighting how these shape emotional processes taking place in supervision. This understanding supports an explanation of how supervision may positively influence nurses' emotion management and perhaps reduce burnout.