A Very Short Fact: On this day in 1954, the first Burger King was opened in Miami, Florida.“In

A Very Short Fact: On this day in 1954, the first Burger King was opened in Miami, Florida.

“In low-status, low-pay service work, there may be little to smile about, but not to smile can be unforgivable. Some employers install ‘smile police’ to pose as customers, while others rely on spy cameras, the monitoring of phone calls, or customer satisfaction questionnaires. Still others go for a blunt, confrontational, approach: ‘I’ll go up in their faces and I go, “What is wrong?” ’ says a Brooklyn Burger King manager. ‘They look at me like they don’t know what I am doing. “What is wrong with your face?” I am smiling. You don’t know what it is like.’ […]

Workers of this sort may seek relief in a backstage zone, such as the galley area of an aircraft, the restaurant lobby, or staff rest-room. They are places where different emotion rules apply, a temporary amnesty from their usual emotional labours. There, the ‘obnoxious’ passenger, client, or customer can safely be derided, in the presence of a receptive audience of peers.

Some companies are keen to attract employees who are prepared to ‘really take on board’ and internalize the company’s message and training; to ‘really feel’ for the customer. The service worker is encouraged to fuse their personality with their work role; tosynchronize their feelings with the required corporate line. Those susceptible to such injunctions are well-inducted emotional labourers and less fazed by pressures or inconsistencies experienced by their surface-acting counterparts. But outside of work they can find it difficult to extract themselves from the roles in which they have become so engrossed.” — From ‘Work: A Very Short Introduction’ by Stephen Fineman

[Pg. 76-7 — From ‘Work: A Very Short Introduction’ by Stephen Fineman.]

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