Giving From the Heart: The Emotion Management of Volunteering Employees

Abstract

This article traces the emotion management practices of a bank's community of volunteers as managerial control, based on an in-depth case study at a well-known veteran Israeli bank (from the late 1970s until recent years). Since the 1980s, the bank's employees have been required to take a part in volunteering initiatives considered part of the bank's CSR strategy. The article demonstrates that the courteous clerk, who was expected to display human and emphatic gestures toward the customers toward the end of the 1970s, was eventually required to redirect those acquired orientations and traits toward the entire community outside the bank branches and clientele.The study challenges both the positivistic and critical managerial literature that avoids discussing emotion management as a mechanism of control regarding corporate volunteerism.

Brakes and barriers of Corporate Volunteering

“…However, our research shows that employees do not agree with that participation in CV is included in performance evaluations, because they consider that it may adulterate the voluntary character in some way. In this sense, CV awards ceremonies is a form of motivation and a way to encourage employees participation based on emotion, dynamism and enthusiasm (Galia, 2015): " I really like this kind of event: they encourage you to participate, "said an employee. "You see what each partner has participate in; see what it has been done this year and you are motivated to participate in more activities", another worker commented.…”

“…Similarly, oldest and most experienced employees have more knowledge about CV programs, which makes necessary to communicate from below in order to younger employees know CV project in deep (Tuffrey, 2003). The employer also has to communicate the expectations of the company in relation to their CSR activities (Galia, 2015). Media impact of CV activities can have a positive impact on employee involvement too (Smith, 1994;Vaidyanathan, 2008).…”