Pengalaman Emotional Labor Pekerja Jasa Sleep call dalam Interaksi Digital dengan Klien

The Emotional labor Experiences of Sleep call Service Workers in Digital Interactions with Clients

Penelitian ini membahas pengalaman emotional labor pekerja jasa sleep call dalam interaksi dengan klien melalui komunikasi digital. Berkembangnya layanan companionship berbayar berbasis suara menuntut talent untuk mengelola dan menampilkan emosi tertentu guna menciptakan kenyamanan bagi klien, meskipun interaksi berlangsung tanpa isyarat visual. Penelitian ini menggunakan pendekatan kualitatif fenomenologi dengan delapan informan yang bekerja sebagai talent sleep call, baik yang bernaung di bawah agensi maupun yang bekerja secara independen. Data dikumpulkan melalui wawancara mendalam secara daring dan dianalisis menggunakan konsep emotional labor dari Hochschild (surface acting, deep acting, feeling rules, emotional dissonance) serta kerangka Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC) untuk memahami mekanisme interaksi yang termediasi teknologi. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa talent melakukan pengelolaan emosi melalui observasi pra-sesi, pembentukan persona, dan strategi komunikasi adaptif dalam menghadapi hambatan interaksi. Feeling rules terbentuk baik melalui aturan institusional agensi maupun aturan pribadi talent, sementara kedekatan emosional dengan klien muncul sebagai konsekuensi dari proses emotional labor, bukan tujuan utamanya. Penelitian ini turut menemukan strategi pemulihan pascasesi serta pemaknaan positif atas pekerjaan sebagai bentuk pertumbuhan komunikasi interpersonal talent.

Kata Kunci: emotional labor, sleep call, computer-mediated communication, fenomenologi, feeling rules

This study examines the emotional experiences of sleep call service workers interacting with clients through digital communication. The growth of paid voice-based companion services demands talent to manage and display specific emotions to create comfort for clients, even though interactions take place without distinctive visuals. This study used a qualitative phenomenological approach with eight informants who work as sleep call talent, both under the auspices of agencies and those who work independently. Data were collected through in-depth interviews and analyzed using Hochschild's concept of emotional labor (surface acting, deep acting, feeling rules, emotional dissonance) and the Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC) framework to understand the mechanisms of technology-mediated interactions. The results show that talent manages emotions through pre-session observation, persona formation, and adaptive communication strategies in addressing interaction barriers. Feeling rules are formed through both institutional agency rules and personal talent rules, while emotional closeness with clients emerges as a consequence of the emotional labor process, not its primary goal. This study also identified post-session recovery strategies and positive work meanings as forms of interpersonal talent communication growth.

Keywords: emotional labor, sleep call, computer-mediated communication, phenomenology, feeling rules