In 2003, an organizational psychologist and her team investigated the high level of employee turnover at an Australian Call Center (Lewig et al, 2003). The workers presented with absenteeism, exhaustion and job dissatisfaction. Emotional Dissonance (EMDI) was at the root of the problems. EMDI increased the emotional labour of the employees which in turn, increased the amount of emotional and mental effort required to carry out the job.
In the presence of job stressors, EMDI is felt more acutely. It negatively impacts upon wellbeing and in the case of the ATCO, safety performance is reduced. It is thus an important feature in industries that manufacture services. Since it is a psychologically derived issue, emotional dissonance and its coping response of indifference can be counteracted by the presence of psychological resources in the ATC unit. What then are our psychological resources in ATC? Please read on...
