Positive Emotionen in der Arbeitswelt : eine vergleichende Untersuchung über das Verhältnis von Rahmenbedingungen und Arbeitserleben in der stationären Altenpflege

Abstract

This empirical study deals with the emotional experiences of employees providing person-related services. Unlike a considerable body of research on service work which concentrates on the strains tied to emotional labour, my focus lies on positive emotions which are assumed to contribute to employees health and well-being. My question is how and why positive emotions emerge in the workplace. Rather than treating emotion as an individual given and positive emotions as the outcome of individual traits, I show that organizational factors play a decisive role for the emergence of positive emotions. Professional elderly care is one of the prominent examples that rebut the traditional picture of the neutral organization. Here organization structures and processes are deeply infused with emotion. My findings as to the triggers of positive emotions stem from case studies carried out in three nursing homes. As a result of my interviews and observations, it turned out that caregivers experience the entire spectrum of emotions at work. That is, all elderly care nurses reported on upsetting and shattering emotional experiences at work as well as on really beautiful moments and work situations. As a comparative analysis of the case studies shows, the latter type of experiences which are linked to positive emotions may be traced back to certain organizational conditions, namely working conditions and corporate philosophies. Based on rich accounts of emotional experiences at service work the aim is to deliver a differentiated picture of the role of organizational conditions for positive emotions. This is an important basis for the design of humane working conditions which are able to promote employees health and well-being. To summarize, the experience of positive emotions in the field of professional elderly care is influenced by three factors: firstly, the subjective perceptions of good care, secondly, the structural work conditions within the nursing facilities and, thirdly, the dominant organizational culture which is reflected, inter alia, in the routines of dealing with each other and the leadership style of the executives within the institutions. Especially the last point seems to play a crucial part in determining whether positive emotions in the workplace occur or not.