Emotional Labour: An Undervalued Human Resources Asset in Nigerian Public Sector Organizations

Abstract

Employees in most service sector organizations utilizes diverse aspects of their intangible human assets. However, emotional labour is one of such invisible human assets often utilized by employees at the workplace. Like other aspects of organizations’ resources, emotions in service oriented field of human endeavor is seen as a product, yet, in most developing and underdeveloped economies, most employers and organizations often give little or no attention to its existence. Thus, this study examines the value of emotional labour in Nigeria public sectors. From the review of related literatures, the study established that the attention given and the value placed on emotional labour in the Nigerian public service organizations (especially, the police force, public schools and the healthcare services) is inadequate, as it is not fairly compensated as well as untrained and undeveloped, in spite of the enormous contributions made by employees in these institutions to the development and sustenance of the nation’s economy. Thus, the need for organizations (especially service oriented public enterprises) in Nigeria, to give adequate attention to emotional labor in order to optimize its use in achieving effective service delivery.