Advising Students to Value and Develop Emotional Labor Skills for the Workplace

Abstract

Emotional labor, the sociological term for the vocational use and suppression of emotion, represents valuable human capital in most occupations in the new economy. However, Millennials often fail to recognize emotional labor as a transferable skill necessary for acquiring and succeeding in future careers. We explain the concept of emotional labor, describe the skills necessary to properly control and express vocationally appropriate emotions, explain the reasons that emotional labor is important in postindustrial labor markets, and make recommendations concerning the ways academic advisors can help Millennials to respect and deliberately practice emotional labor in advising, academic, and customer service work.