Call centres and the quality of work life: towards a research agenda
RIS ID
23562
Abstract
Concerns about job quality have become more widespread, crossingall industries and occupations. The call centre sector in particular has risen tothe forefront of discussions about job quality because of the rapid growth anddevelopment of these new forms of work organization over the past two decades.However, despite there being an extensive quality of work life literature, andemerging research on call centre job quality, there is yet to be a study thatsystematically links the quality of work with employment in the call centrecontext. This article outlines current debates, highlighting the importance ofbringing together and marrying these two branches of research. A qualitativeresearch agenda constituting case study analysis of two call centres is introduced.A framework grounded in a job characteristics approach, comprising 10 key jobqualityelements is also proposed as a means of examining the quality of work lifein this context.
Publication Details
Hannif, Z. Nadiyah., Burgess, J. & Connell, J. (2008). Call centres and the quality of work life: towards a research agenda. Journal of Industrial Relations, 50 (2), 271-284.