The Waitress-Diner Relationship

Abstract

Literature in the area of work and occupations suggests that a variety of manipulative ploys are practiced by service workers. Although these maneuvers may be aimed at controlling diverse facets of the work situation, they generally are performed in an effort to master the work's reward structure. Manipulative accounts have contamed sketches of the procedures practiced; yet few accounts acknowledge a test of such procedures. This investigation was structured to disclose and test the manipulative procedures enlisted by the waitress in her attempts to control rewards. Data reported are based on a six-week period of participant observation in conjunction with an experimental treatment procedure. The findings suggest that the waitress employing a manipulative treatment style gains a measure of control over the occupation's reward structure.