Locating the Effects of Emotional and Aesthetic Labor on Performance Through the Lens of Flight Attendants : —An investigative qualitative study of a low-cost and a premium airline

Sammanfattning: This research implemented a multiple case study design to investigate the effects of aesthetic and emotional labor in the premium airline context of Emirates, in comparison to the low-cost airline context of easyJet. This was achieved through the conduct of interviews with flight attendants from each airline as they are the frontline employees who are mostly concerned with the implementation of these standards. Even before the recruitment process employees are introduced to the requirements of aesthetic and emotional labor as airlines aim to find those who will best ‘fit’ their organizational culture, and that through training they will be even more equipped to represent the company during their interactions with customers. Thus, flight attendants are regarded as a strategic resource that contributes to the competitive advantage and organizational performance of airlines. Taking into consideration that aesthetic and emotional labor standards define the very nature of flight attendants’ job and that their performance determines the organization’s performance, the potential effects on their performance cannot be disregarded. The main themes that were yielded through the thematic analysis of the empirical findings were found to be parallel to some of the performance factors in Herzberg’s two-factor theory of motivation, while aesthetic and emotional labor were located as components within identified themes. Thus, this provided us with a general theoretical framework that allowed us to further discuss our findings in connection to relevant theory. Results showed that the different operational business models as well as the different cultures of each airline mostly contributed to the differences that were found in regard to the implementation of standards between the two contexts. Aesthetic labor standards were found to have a stronger effect on employees’ performance in the case of Emirates due to the fact their supervision was stricter. In both cases, aesthetic labor standards were not found to have an effect on employees' performance when it comes to their interaction with customers. While easyJet was found to receive a more diverse training when it comes to interaction with customers, in both cases emotional labor standards were found to have an overall positive link to employees’ performance not only when it comes to interaction with customers but also when it comes to dealing with co-workers, managers and the demands of the job in general. However, the aspect of personality was found to be a moderating factor influencing employees’ understanding and following of standards. It should be noted that the results of this research cannot be generalized. Further investigation across different contexts and airlines is suggested so as to conclude whether the results are representative of a specific context.