IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v18y2021i6p2999-d516999.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Is Stress in Contact Centers Inevitable?

Author

Listed:
  • Diogo Gonçalves-Candeias

    (CICPSI, Faculdade de Psicologia, Universidade de Lisboa, 1649-013 Lisboa, Portugal)

  • Maria José Chambel

    (CICPSI, Faculdade de Psicologia, Universidade de Lisboa, 1649-013 Lisboa, Portugal)

  • Vânia Sofia Carvalho

    (CICPSI, Faculdade de Psicologia, Universidade de Lisboa, 1649-013 Lisboa, Portugal)

Abstract

It is broadly acknowledged that contact center employees are subject to high levels of stress. In this profession, there is a distinction between back-office and front-office employees. In addition, employees may perform duties in various companies with different characteristics (i.e., human resources practices, job characteristics, social support, work–personal life relationship, among others). Thus, this study focuses on the analysis of the contact centers’ (CC) psychosocial work environment and employees’ levels of stress and well-being, seeking to understand whether they change due to the specific nature of the duties they perform and the characteristics of the company. This study involved 1440 participants from 15 companies. The results indicate that front-office and back-office duties influence the perception of some job characteristics and their environment and, consequently, the stress and well-being of these employees. Furthermore, the exhaustion and general well-being of employees are seemingly independent of the duties performed and common to all companies. However, the job characteristics, psychosocial environment and employees’ levels of cynicism, work engagement and general stress were found to change according to the company in which they worked, thus highlighting the need for action in the psychosocial environment of these work duties.

Suggested Citation

  • Diogo Gonçalves-Candeias & Maria José Chambel & Vânia Sofia Carvalho, 2021. "Is Stress in Contact Centers Inevitable?," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(6), pages 1-17, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:6:p:2999-:d:516999
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/6/2999/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/6/2999/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Paul Thompson & Chris Warhurst & George Callaghan, 2001. "Ignorant Theory and Knowledgeable Workers: Interrogating the Connections between Knowledge, Skills and Services," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 38(7), pages 923-942, November.
    2. Stephen Wood & David Holman & Christopher Stride, 2006. "Human Resource Management and Performance in UK Call Centres," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 44(1), pages 99-124, March.
    3. Brikend AZIRI, 2011. "Job Satisfaction, A Literature Review," Management Research and Practice, Research Centre in Public Administration and Public Services, Bucharest, Romania, vol. 3(4), pages 77-86, December.
    4. Stephen Deery & Nicholas Kinnie, 2004. "Introduction: The Nature and Management of Call Centre Work," Palgrave Macmillan Books, in: Stephen Deery & Nicholas Kinnie (ed.), Call Centres and Human Resource Management, chapter 1, pages 1-22, Palgrave Macmillan.
    5. Rosemary Batt & Eileen Appelbaum, 1995. "Worker Participation in Diverse Settings: Does the Form Affect the Outcome, and If So, Who Benefits?," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 33(3), pages 353-378, September.
    6. Batt, R. & Applebaum, E., 1995. "Worker Participation in Diverse Settings: Does the Form Affect the Outcome, and If So, Who Benefits?," Papers 95-06, Cornell - Center for Advanced Human Resource Studies.
    7. Stephen Deery & Roderick Iverson & Janet Walsh, 2002. "Work Relationships in Telephone Call Centres: Understanding Emotional Exhaustion and Employee Withdrawal," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 39(4), pages 471-496, June.
    8. Vânia Carvalho & Maria Chambel, 2014. "Work-to-Family Enrichment and Employees’ Well-Being: High Performance Work System and Job Characteristics," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 119(1), pages 373-387, October.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Premilla D'Cruz & Ernesto Noronha, 2007. "Technical Call Centres," Global Business Review, International Management Institute, vol. 8(1), pages 53-67, February.
    2. Paul Osterman, 2000. "Work Reorganization in an Era of Restructuring: Trends in Diffusion and Effects on Employee Welfare," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 53(2), pages 179-196, January.
    3. Jeffrey B. Arthur, 2011. "Do HR System Characteristics Affect the Frequency of Interpersonal Deviance in Organizations? The Role of Team Autonomy and Internal Labor Market Practices," Industrial Relations: A Journal of Economy and Society, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 50(1), pages 30-56, January.
    4. John Godard, 2001. "High Performance and the Transformation of Work? The Implications of Alternative Work Practices for the Experience and Outcomes of Work," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 54(4), pages 776-805, July.
    5. Sprenger, Wim, 2011. "Trade Unions and innovation - innovative unions? Experiences from selected EU member states," Rostocker Beiträge zur Wirtschafts- und Organisationspsychologie 7, Universität Rostock, Seniorprofessur für Wirtschafts- und Organisationspsychologie.
    6. Lin, Meizhen & Wu, Xiaoyi & Ling, Qian, 2017. "Assessing the effectiveness of empowerment on service quality: A multi-level study of Chinese tourism firms," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 411-425.
    7. repec:lan:wpaper:4012 is not listed on IDEAS
    8. Patel, Charmi & Budhwar, Pawan & Varma, Arup, 2012. "Overall justice, work group identification and work outcomes: Test of moderated mediation process," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 47(2), pages 213-222.
    9. Jaime Ortega, 2003. "Power in the Firm and Managerial Career Concerns," Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 12(1), pages 1-29, March.
    10. Jed Devaro & Fidan Ana Kurtulus, 2011. "What types of organizations benefit from teams, and how do they benefit?," UMASS Amherst Economics Working Papers 2011-16, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Department of Economics.
    11. Sharda, Kirti, 2011. "Back to the Drawing Board: Exploring Gestalts of Work Design in BPO Firms," IIMA Working Papers WP2011-02-04, Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, Research and Publication Department.
    12. A I Petrescu & R Simmons & S Bradley, 2004. "The impacts of human resource management practices and pay inequality on workers' job satisfaction," Working Papers 542602, Lancaster University Management School, Economics Department.
    13. Heywood, John S. & Jirjahn, Uwe & Wei, Xiangdong, 2008. "Teamwork, monitoring and absence," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 68(3-4), pages 676-690, December.
    14. Bill Harley, 2001. "Team Membership and the Experience of Work in Britain: An Analysis of the WERS98 Data," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 15(4), pages 721-742, December.
    15. Richard Anderson-Connolly & Leon Grunberg & Edward S. Greenberg & Sarah Moore, 2002. "Is Lean Mean?," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 16(3), pages 389-413, September.
    16. repec:lan:wpaper:3619 is not listed on IDEAS
    17. Krzywdzinski, Martin, 2017. "Accounting for Cross-Country Differences in Employee Involvement Practices: Comparative Case Studies in Germany, Brazil and China," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 55(2), pages 321-346.
    18. George Kandathil & Jerome Joseph, 2019. "Normative Underpinnings of Direct Employee Participation Studies and Implications for Developing Ethical Reflexivity: A Multidisciplinary Review," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 157(3), pages 685-697, July.
    19. José Alberto Bayo Moriones & Pedro Javier Gailea Salvatierra & Javier Merino Díaz de Cerio, 2002. "Participation, Cooperatives And Performance: An Analysis Of Spanish Manufacturing Firms," Documentos de Trabajo - Lan Gaiak Departamento de Economía - Universidad Pública de Navarra 0201, Departamento de Economía - Universidad Pública de Navarra.
    20. John Godard & John T. Delaney, 2000. "Reflections on the “High Performance†Paradigm's Implications for Industrial Relations as a Field," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 53(3), pages 482-502, April.
    21. Ortega Diego, Jaime & Cabrera, Elizabeth F., 2001. "La participación de los empleados en España: ¿cuánto, cómo y en qué participan?," DEE - Documentos de Trabajo. Economía de la Empresa. DB db010302, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid. Departamento de Economía de la Empresa.
    22. Ed Collom, 2000. "Worker Control: The Bases of Women's Support," Economic and Industrial Democracy, Department of Economic History, Uppsala University, Sweden, vol. 21(2), pages 211-235, May.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:6:p:2999-:d:516999. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.