Perceptions of working life in call centres

Abstract

[Abstract]: Call centres have emerged as an organisational phenomenon within a relatively short space of time. As a consequence of their rapid development, call centres have provided a rich topic for emerging academic investigation of the human element of the working environment.This paper presents a review of a range of articles commenting on the Taylorist heritage of call centres, and the emotional stresses imposed by a highly structured and monitored environment. Workers are at once cast as members of ‘teams’, structural elements of call centre organisations, and simultaneously expected to work largely in isolation from their colleagues with a minimum of social support. Where appropriate, reference is made to noteworthy supplementary sources which provide a prescient insight into the conditions which give rise to the concept of ‘emotional labour’. The distinguishing thread uniting the segments of this review is the impact of the routine work and the highly monitored nature of the environment.