Rider support agents serve as first responders for a wide range of issues, from vehicle issues to safety concerns. Their role is critical in ensuring trust and safety in the ride-sharing ecosystem, but the job involves a significant amount of emotional labor.
The TaskUs Division of Research team’s latest white paper, “Supporting Emotional Labor Work in Rider Trust & Safety Operations,” sheds light on the toll on agents who must constantly remain calm and be empathetic to callers who are frequently in distress.
Using sociologist Arlie Hochschild’s theory of emotional labor, which explains the work of managing one’s feelings and expressions to meet the requirements of the job, and through qualitative interviews and observations, the report uncovers the day-to-day experiences of frontline teams and proposes a strategy to support their well-being while enhancing service quality.
The overlooked challenges of rider support work
Rider support workers regularly handle emotionally demanding situations. One interviewee shared that about 60% of their calls are related to safety and accidents. These interactions can be highly stressful, as agents must manage callers who are troubled, upset or even abusive. Many experience emotional transference (absorbing the caller’s emotions and being affected by the situation) and for some, even trauma.
Despite the difficulty, agents are expected to be empathetic and supportive, while adhering to operational protocols that may prevent them from fully resolving an issue. This dynamic can frustrate everyone on the call, including agents who must meet performance targets.
Beyond the immediate effects, frequently handling upsetting calls can lead to stress and exhaustion.
To cope with this emotional burden, agents engage in different levels of emotional labor. The paper explores two common approaches:
- Surface-level engagement involves faking emotions, such as acting patiently without genuinely feeling it. While it may seem easier, this approach can lead to psychological exhaustion, burnout and emotional dissonance over time.
- Deep-level engagement is a more sustainable and healthier approach. Agents intentionally process and reframe a situation to genuinely feel and express the desired emotion.
Our team’s recommendations
The paper recommends a structured approach to help agents prioritize deep engagement. Our team outlines three preemptive and responsive approaches to build a sustainable emotional wellness strategy:
- Building core emotional regulation skills: Training agents in skills like emotional awareness, perspective-taking and cognitive reappraisal to help them manage their responses to difficult calls
- Creating a supportive workplace: Fostering an environment of psychological safety to allow agents to open up and seek help without fear of judgment
- Normalizing tertiary wellness interventions: Implementing responsive strategies and providing access to debriefing sessions, counseling and peer support programs
Helping build resiliency can positively impact adaptability and, ultimately, improves performance.
Read the full paper to understand the realities of ride support work and how to strengthen safety operations through frontline wellness.
