The Emotional Labour of the Coach - in and out of the coaching ‘room’

Emotional labour is the activity of maintaining an appropriate outward demeanour at work. This study employed a phenomenological approach, using conceptual encounter, to explore the under-researched emotional labour of the coach. Coaches’ experience of emotional labour has high commonality with research outcomes in other roles: impacts on authenticity, detachment, resource drain and ‘burnout’, and emotional labour was experienced both inside and outside the coaching space. These findings have implications for coaches, supervisors, educators, and professional associations for the preservation and well-being of the coach. In addition, what I have termed, commercial emotional labour has importance for coaches and organisations, and potentially beyond.

Abstract licence: CC BY-NC-ND

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