LAWRENCE — Everyone has had a bad day at work when they decided not to express what they were truly feeling. New research from the University of Kansas explores how women in the public service sector regulate their emotions in the workplace and if expressing or suppressing themselves affects their satisfaction and ability to be their genuine selves in their work.
Researchers surveyed women in public service about the emotions they experience at work, how they choose to express them or not and if that leads to career success. The findings show that the connections among emotions, management thereof, organizational support and career success are nuanced, and that if women are trading emotional authenticity for career success, the efforts are only partially effective.
"That human-facing element of public service work is an essential part of service, and we realized no one had really studied the emotional expression of those doing that work. We were in a great position to address these questions," said Heather Getha-Taylor, professor of public affairs & administration at KU and one of the study's authors. "If women are suppressing their emotions for positive career outcomes, the findings show they are not necessarily achieving the types of success they've been conditioned to feel they might want to achieve."
KU alumnus Erin Borry of the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Getha-Taylor and Heather Shurtliff, a KU School of Public Affairs & Administration doctoral candidate, surveyed more than 120 women attending a 2023 conference for women working in public service. The study was published in the Journal of Social Equity and Public Administration.
Respondents were asked about 12 emotional states such as ashamed, nervous, guilty, angry, proud, happy, excited and calm; how often they experienced them at work in the previous week and how often they attempted to hide each in the same period.
Results showed most never felt ashamed or scared at work and that of the emotions listed as happening sometimes, often or almost always, most were positive.
However, when asked which emotions they suppress, the majority were negative, and more than half reported they agree or strongly agree their job requires they hide their true feelings. About 44% said their job requires they pretend to have emotions they don't feel.
The survey also asked how satisfied women were with their work and about the support they receive in their organization. The majority reported they find their work meaningful and impactful and contributing to society. They also largely reported they are dedicated to their work and are generally satisfied with their lives, though work is only one part of life.
Taken together, the findings show that while women in public service organizations tend to report satisfaction with their work and the rewards it brings, the fact that so many report having to suppress their emotions suggests that many are trading their authentic selves for what is expected of them in the job, the authors wrote.
"In public service, people doing emotional labor are often social workers, teachers or medical personnel who deal directly with the public, but we hadn't really studied what specific emotions public servants actually feel and suppress. If you cannot come to work with your full being that includes your emotions, are you fully participating in your work?" Borry asked. "It's all-encompassing. It can affect performance, job reviews, promotion, satisfaction and other areas of the job if you're not able to be fully expressive."
Previous research has shown that suppressing emotions in a work setting can have negative effects such as influencing both physical and mental health. It has also shown that women can be penalized in the workplace for not emoting in expected or "appropriate" ways, making it unsurprising women report they must suppress certain emotions or engage in emotional labor, the authors wrote.
Further, despite doing emotional labor to avoid expressing themselves in ways deemed inappropriate, respondents reported they are not satisfied with promotional opportunities and don't feel they earn what they are worth.
"Said another way, if women trade emotional authenticity for success, this study suggests that the effort is only partially successful," the authors wrote.
The findings also indicate a significant relationship between emotional labor in the form of pretending to have emotions one does not feel and peer acceptance/respect. That raises the question of if people earn respect and acceptance because they successfully engage in emotional labor or if they negotiate their emotions to maintain respect and acceptance, according to the authors. That question and others, such as if co-workers can perceive if a person is engaging in emotional labor and if that labor affects colleagues, are among issues the researchers said they hope to address in the future.
