Service i privat sektor – En kvalitativ studie om servicearbetarens upplevelse av sitt jobb

Abstract

The aim of this qualitative study of service work in the private sector is to examine how the service worker experiences his/her work. There are three dimensions of the service workers experience in focus, and they are the base of my formulation of questions. The first dimension refers to how the service worker experiences the emotional labor demands from the employer. The second dimension concerns the relation between service worker and customer, from the view of the service worker. The third dimension problematizes how service workers experience efficiency. I have interviewed three call center customer workers and two hotel receptionists, using semi-structured interview technique. The results are presented and analyzed in a theoretical perspective, symbolic interactionism. They are also discussed in relation to former research in the field. My conclusions are that the interviewees did not see the demands from the employer as very burdensome. It didn’t seem like the service workers had a problem with a short and impersonal relation to their customers, but there are elements of emotional work embedded in this relation, especially considering bad behavior from customers. Finally, the service workers in my study experience that demands for efficiency have an impact on their work situation, especially for the call center workers.