Stuck in the middle: The emotional labours of case managers in the personal injury compensation system.
BACKGROUND
Case managers within injury compensation systems are confronted with various emotional demands.


OBJECTIVE
Employing the concept of emotional labour, this paper explores distinctive aspects of these demands.


METHODS
The findings are drawn from focus groups with 21 Australian case managers.


RESULTS
Case managers work was characterised by extra-role commitments, emotional control, stress and balancing tensions arising from differing stakeholder expectations about outcomes related to compensation and return to work.


CONCLUSIONS
By examining the experiences of case managers, the findings add to the literature on the emotional labour of front line service workers, especially with respect to the demands involved in managing the conflicting demands of work.
Monash University Accident Research Centre, Monash University, VIC, Australia.
Sharon
S
Newnam
Sociology and Gender Studies, School of Social Sciences, Monash University, VIC, Australia.
Alan
A
Petersen
Monash University Accident Research Centre, Monash University, VIC, Australia.
Helen
H
Keleher
Institute for Safety, Compensation and Recovery Research (ISCRR), VIC, Australia.
Alex
A
Collie
University of Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
Adam
A
Vogel
Monash University Accident Research Centre, Monash University, VIC, Australia.
Rod
R
McClure
D000063:Accidents, Traffic / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D000071959:Case Managers / Q000523:psychology*; D035881:Compensation and Redress / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D034462:Dissent and Disputes / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D060051:Occupational Injuries / Q000191:economics*; D024382:Professional Role / Q000523:psychology; D062707:Return to Work; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000209:etiology; D014942:Workers' Compensation / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*
Emotional labour; case managers; compensation industry