Dirty Work and Emotional Labor in Public Service: Why Government Employers Should Adopt an Ethic of Care. (September 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Mastracci, Sharon H.
• Is Part Of: Review of public personnel administration. Volume 42:Number 3(2022)
• Page Start: 537
• Page End: 552
• Publication Date: 2022-09
• Subjects: emotional labor -- dirty work -- workplace environment/culture -- job stress -- professionalism; Civil service -- United States -- Personnel management -- Periodicals; Civil service -- United States -- States -- Personnel management -- Periodicals; 352.6
• DOI: 10.1177/0734371X21997548
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0734-371X

Abstract

This article combines theories on emotional labor in public service and dirty work to argue that organizations should adopt an ethic of care to support their workers. The economics of public services undermine the consumer-sovereignty narrative in government, particularly where public servants are agents of social control and enforcement. Public servants cannot and should not behave according to a customer-service ethos in many important areas of public service. Emotional labor is the process by which workers manage the identity-damaging aspects of public service. This article critiques individual-level human resource management (HRM) approaches and recommends dismantling customer service expectations that are inappropriately applied in public-service contexts.