Has emotional labor gone too far?

情感劳动是否已过度?

Round Table China

社会与文化

2025-05-06

23 分钟
PDF

单集简介 ...

Across North American cafés, workers juggle espresso machines and emotional labor: remembering names, performing cheer, even handwriting pep talks on cups. Some customers cherish the human touch; others wonder—when does 'service with a smile' become unpaid emotional work? The invisible effort of keeping moods light and interactions pleasant often falls disproportionately on service staff. As we rethink fair compensation, perhaps it's time to ask: Should emotional labor come with a paycheck too? On the show: Heyang, Steve Hatherly & Yushun
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单集文稿 ...

  • Discussion keeps the world turning.

  • This is Roundtable.

  • You're listening to Roundtable with myself, He Yang.

  • I'm joined by Steve Hatherly and Yu Shun in the studio.

  • Coming up, at some cafes in North America, baristas aren't just pulling espresso shots.

  • They're expected to remember names, offer a smile,

  • and maybe even write a motivational quote on your cup.

  • This makes me think of our Motivational Monday segment, actually.

  • So we happily deliver that motivational quote to you on a Monday.

  • Anyhow, some customers love that warmth.

  • Others think it's asking too much.

  • So is this kindness or unpaid emotional labor?

  • Who decides how far emotional labor should go in service jobs?

  • Let's talk about the hidden layer of work in our daily lives.

  • Emotional labor.

  • It's the effort.

  • behind being nice, calm, or supportive, and it often gets unevenly assigned.

  • It's a time to rethink how we divide responsibilities and compensate different kinds of work.

  • Our podcast listeners can find us at Roundtable China on Apple Podcast.

  • Got something on your mind?