Learning the Ropes of Emotion Labor: How are Certified Nursing Assistants Socialized to Manage Emotion?

Abstract

This project explores the organizational socialization of emotion among certified nursing assistants employed in nursing homes. Six certified nursing assistants in the encounter phase of organizational socialization participated in this study which seeks to understand how certified nursing assistants learn the ropes of emotion labor. The results of this study offer partial support of Scott and Myers (2005) research as results indicate four essential categories of new certified nursing assistants' experiences: (a) customer service Ill expectations, (b) repeated exposure to emotional events, ( c) observational-infonnation seeking, and (d) being selected for emotion management capacity. Additionally, this study describes the workplace emotion new certified nursing assistants experience during the encounter phase of organizational socialization. This study concludes with theoretical and practical applications and suggests areas for future research.