Compulsory Friendliness: When Writing Centers Enforce Customer Service Emotional Labor

The term “emotional labor”, or processes related to employees managing their emotions to meet organizational expectations (Hochschild 1983), has been increasingly applied to writing studies. Caswell, Grutsch McKinney, and Jackson (2016) argue we must openly discuss emotional labor so that new directors might better recognize and navigate their journeys as administrators. With that in mind, what emotional display rules do other writing center employees abide by? Are tutors prepared for this type of labor? Like flight attendants, tutors often smile and act friendly even when they might feel otherwise. Supported by data collected from tutor textbooks, job ads, and personal experience creating writing center promotional materials, this presenter finds that hiding negative emotions and displaying positive ones is often regulated through training and observations. Apart from risking burnout, there are other serious implications when writing centers demand customer service emotional labor: tutor bodies become vehicles to “sell” the writing process as something that is fun and guarantees results. This presentation encourages conference attendees to re-visualize a writing center narrative that embraces discomfort during the writing process—as well as its joys and quirks. Regardless of whether they identify as consultants or administrators, participants will leave with new ideas for approaching their training activities and campus outreach initiatives. REFERENCES Caswell, N. I., Grutsch McKinney, J., & Jackson, R. (2016). The working lives of new writing center directors. Boulder, CO: Utah University Press. Hochschild, A.R. (1983). The managed heart: Commercialization of human feeling. Los Angeles: University of California Press