Showing papers on "Emotional labor published in 1995"

Maritime Southeast Asia to 1500

Abstract: The author's of the award-winning Emotional Labor now go inside the stressful world of suicide, rape, and domestic hotline workers, EMTs, triage nurses, and agency/deparment spokespersons, to provide powerful insights into how emotional labor is actually exerted by public servants who face the gravest challenges.

Valuing the unseen emotional labour of nursing.

Abstract: This paper argues that comforting, listening, being reassuring and showing sympathy are important nursing skills that are vital to a patients' well-being and, as such, should be both valued and remunerated. The author also argues that the invisibility of these skills has been compounded by the NHS and Community Care Act 1990. This has meant that long-term care is being transferred into the hands of the private and voluntary sectors and informal carers. As an alternative to residential care, many social services departments now use the home care services of not-for-profit care agencies who employ 'ordinary' people to enable those needing long-term care to remain in their own home. Such workers are often paid in a way that does not remunerate the emotional element of their labour.

“Don't Ask, Don't Tell” and Child Welfare

Abstract: The decision by the Clinton administration to implement a policy regarding openly gay and lesbian service members has generated controversy. The "don't ask, don't tell" policy is at best flawed and serves to further marginalize an oppressed population. Gay men and lesbians in the military will be tolerated as long as they stay in the closet. The idea that supports this policy suggests that secrets, collusions, lying by omission, and dishonesty are positive qualities and contribute to effective military functioning. If the military was viewed as a client system, therapists would label such ideas as pathological or dysfunctional. Nevertheless, the notion that not asking questions and not encouraging others to discuss specific issues is positive is not restricted to the military's policy on homosexuality. Social workers, especially those in child welfare, also use the policy of "don't ask, don't tell." Socializing the Social Worker The process of preparing practitioners to not ask questions begins early. The field component of both BSW and MSW programs integrates theoretical and academic material with actual practice and exposes students to the reality of social work practice in agency settings. Students begin to understand the subtleties of practice. For example, students learn quickly that the agency defines the client. People with problems and needs that do not fit an agency definition of client may not be accepted for service. Using methods of both formal and informal communication, students and new employees in social services agencies learn that the questions they ask clients can have grave implications. This is especially true in semiauthoritarian settings such as child protection agencies. For example, an intake worker may receive a complaint alleging physical abuse. During the home visit, the worker notes that the housekeeping standards appear to be below prevailing community standards. If the worker inquires about housekeeping and learns that utilities operate sporadically, the worker may have to provide additional services or institute court action. The original allegation of physical abuse is unsupportable, so the worker is left with a dilemma. Should the worker recognize a problem not identified in the original report? Listening to conversations during breaks or in lunchrooms can be informative for new employees and can be an interesting assignment for students in field placement. It is not unusual for students to report that experienced workers say they wished a client had not told them something or they wished they had not asked a client a particular question. Client disclosures sometimes force the worker to take an action. For example, a worker may comment on a new appliance in the home such as a toaster or radio. The client then volunteers that the item was a gift from her boyfriend, who was recently released from prison. The boyfriend has been implicated in neighborhood molestation cases. The worker must now do additional work and follow up on this information. Social workers in non -- child welfare settings have similar experiences. For example, a client who is seeking help in getting the school system to provide services needed by a developmentally delayed child may mention in passing problems with an aging parent. The clinician may debate whether to ask the client to discuss the problem with the parent because the client is not seeking help for this problem. It is not clear when workers should offer clients help with problems the client has not identified. Some of the material clients present that is not specifically related to the reason they have sought professional services can result in ethical conflicts for the worker (Dean & Rhodes, 1992). Clients may describe instances of quasi-legal behavior or may display sexist, racist, or homophobic attitudes. If the worker does not respond to this behavior, the client could assume that the worker agrees with these attitudes. …