Table I

Examples of boundary spanners undertaking emotional labour

EmergentExplicit
Degree of emotional labour
High
 Providing comfort where people are in pain or dying and/or “dealing regularly with unpredictably violent people”Buurtzorg nursesLocal Area Coordinators
Medium
 Motivating or coaching the public and “regularly dealing with people who are emotionally impaired”Nurse-Family Partnership workersCrime Victim Advocates
Low
 Discussion of factual information, ordinary personal courtesy and “occasional interactions with unfriendly people”Firefighters (on routine house calls)Call centre workers

Source: Adapted from Steinberg (1999) 

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