Call centres, quality of work life and HRM practices
Purpose – The paper seeks to determine whether and how the quality of working life (QWL) varies between call centres (CCs) in the in-house/outsourced, public and private sectors and the implications of these findings on human resource management (HRM). Design/methodology/approach – This paper report...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Journal Article |
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Emerald Group Publishing Limited
2009
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/8768 |
| _version_ | 1848745755549892608 |
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| author | Connell, Julia Hannif, Z. |
| author_facet | Connell, Julia Hannif, Z. |
| author_sort | Connell, Julia |
| building | Curtin Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | Purpose – The paper seeks to determine whether and how the quality of working life (QWL) varies between call centres (CCs) in the in-house/outsourced, public and private sectors and the implications of these findings on human resource management (HRM). Design/methodology/approach – This paper reports on findings derived through empirical qualitative case study research in two Australian CCs: Govtcall, an in-house, public-sector CC, and Sales plus, an outsourced, private-sector CC. Quality of work life outcomes are determined through in-depth interviews with CSOs, supervisors and managers, where a comparative approach is utilised. Findings – The in-house, public-sector CC Govtcall emerges as being inferior in terms of job content, working hours and managerial/supervisory style and strategies. Conversely, Sales plus features a management model that is more akin to what would be expected in a CC operating under a professional service model. Research limitations/implications – The sample size was limited to two CCs; thus, the findings may not be representative of the wider CC context. Practical implications – A productivity orientation and employee focus are not a mutually exclusive phenomenon. Union presence and public-sector status do not guarantee better working conditions and higher QWL. Managerial styles and strategies have a significant impact on QWL in the CC context. Originality/value – QWL is an under-researched area where CCs are concerned. Similarly, much of the existing CC research is based on the private sector, despite the public sector emerging as a large user of CC operations. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T06:22:24Z |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | curtin-20.500.11937-8768 |
| institution | Curtin University Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T06:22:24Z |
| publishDate | 2009 |
| publisher | Emerald Group Publishing Limited |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | curtin-20.500.11937-87682017-09-13T14:35:05Z Call centres, quality of work life and HRM practices Connell, Julia Hannif, Z. Job satisfaction Call centres Australia Human resource management Purpose – The paper seeks to determine whether and how the quality of working life (QWL) varies between call centres (CCs) in the in-house/outsourced, public and private sectors and the implications of these findings on human resource management (HRM). Design/methodology/approach – This paper reports on findings derived through empirical qualitative case study research in two Australian CCs: Govtcall, an in-house, public-sector CC, and Sales plus, an outsourced, private-sector CC. Quality of work life outcomes are determined through in-depth interviews with CSOs, supervisors and managers, where a comparative approach is utilised. Findings – The in-house, public-sector CC Govtcall emerges as being inferior in terms of job content, working hours and managerial/supervisory style and strategies. Conversely, Sales plus features a management model that is more akin to what would be expected in a CC operating under a professional service model. Research limitations/implications – The sample size was limited to two CCs; thus, the findings may not be representative of the wider CC context. Practical implications – A productivity orientation and employee focus are not a mutually exclusive phenomenon. Union presence and public-sector status do not guarantee better working conditions and higher QWL. Managerial styles and strategies have a significant impact on QWL in the CC context. Originality/value – QWL is an under-researched area where CCs are concerned. Similarly, much of the existing CC research is based on the private sector, despite the public sector emerging as a large user of CC operations. 2009 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/8768 10.1108/01425450910965423 Emerald Group Publishing Limited restricted |
| spellingShingle | Job satisfaction Call centres Australia Human resource management Connell, Julia Hannif, Z. Call centres, quality of work life and HRM practices |
| title | Call centres, quality of work life and HRM practices |
| title_full | Call centres, quality of work life and HRM practices |
| title_fullStr | Call centres, quality of work life and HRM practices |
| title_full_unstemmed | Call centres, quality of work life and HRM practices |
| title_short | Call centres, quality of work life and HRM practices |
| title_sort | call centres, quality of work life and hrm practices |
| topic | Job satisfaction Call centres Australia Human resource management |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/8768 |