How do crises affect organizational citizenship behaviors? Case of a Tunisian subsidiary of a French call center[De l’effet contrasté des crises sur les comportements de citoyenneté organisationnelle – Étude dans la filiale tunisienne d’un centre d’appel français]

Organizational citizenship behaviors (OCB), which can be defined as behaviors not prescribed in advance for the performance of a given job, are recognized for their beneficial effects both on the general functioning of the organization and on the individuals who compose it. The objective of this research is to study whether crises modify the nature and intensity of these behaviors. For this, a study was conducted with the teleoperators of an international call center located in Tunisia, before and during the period of the Covid-19 crisis. The methodology, of a qualitative type, mobilizes different techniques: observant participation in a preliminary phase, exploratory interviews to study the OCB adopted and the factors encouraging/inhibiting their adoption, and netnography, used during the two stages of the research and particularly during the Covid-19 crises. The results show that if the crises allow reinforcing the OCB towards the individuals, in particular the altruism towards the colleagues, it can considerably degrade the OCB towards the organization. The first result would be explained by organizational support perceived as weak during the crises, while the second would find its origin in the violation of the psychological contract, the premises of which are found in the company's reaction during previous crises, especially during the Tunisian revolution in 2011. In addition, we recommend that the support of employers of their employees in times of uncertainty is necessary to strengthen their commitment. This can be done through HRM practices reflecting care and benevolence, psychological support, and transparent internal communication.