Call Centres represent one of the fastest growing industries today. In a competitive business environment the service delivered by Call Centre operators needs to be quantified and this is achieved through Electronic Performance Monitoring (EPM). This study considered the effects of EPM, and related factors such as job control, task complexity, performance, goal-setting and feedback, on the job satisfaction, organisational commitment and work stress, of Call Centre operators. The impact of these factors on staff turnover, which media reports suggest is very high for many Call Centres, was also considered. A total of 388 participants (265 females, 123 males) completed a voluntary self-report questionnaire. All participants were Call Centre operators who were working in one of 27 call centres across Australia in a variety of industries, including Banking & Finance, IT, Employment, Insurance and Telecommunications. All operators were working in an electronically monitored environment. Regression and path analyses revealed age, that is younger employees, and job dissatisfaction to be the only variables that predicted staff turnover. A positive perception of EPM was predicted by a positive perception of both goal-setting and feedback. It was concluded that while staff turnover was high in the current sample, it was not associated with perceptions of EPM, and other factors appeared to be more important.

Electronic performance monitoring (EPM) has long been associated with an array of negative effects, one of which is decreased employee self-efficacy, an essential determinant of human agency and workplace success. The negative discourse of control and discipline dominating the research field fails to account for the role of performance feedback, an integral component of EPM and part of an alternative discourse focusing on employee development. While feedback has been shown to ameliorate the negative impact of EPM, its effect on self-efficacy remains unclear. Therefore, this study investigates how employees subjected to EPM perceive and experience social persuasion – feedback aimed at increasing self-efficacy – using semi-structured interviews (with 10 customer service agents from as many call centers) and theoretical thematic analysis. The findings suggest that social persuasion can mitigate the efficacy-depleting effects of EPM, and that a mixture of positive and negative feedback is particularly conducive to successful persuasion. Moreover, the conflict between management's predilection for quantitative performance criteria and employees' qualitatively oriented conceptions of service quality is found to be a key issue. Based on these findings, it is argued that the heavy emphasis on positive feedback found in extant literature on EPM and self-efficacy is potentially misleading, as is the dominance of the control and discipline discourse. Finally, it is argued that social persuasion may ameliorate the quantitative-qualitative conflict, and that the potential of social persuasion is particularly high in call centers, where low self-efficacy levels are likely to be the norm.

In light of the global shift to remote work that was prompted by the Covid-19 pandemic - the relevance and use of Electronic Performance Monitoring (EPM) significantly escalated across all sectors. However, the most recent comprehensive literature review on the topic by Ravid et al. (2020) pointed out significant gaps in how EPM is perceived by knowledge-based employees. In line with those defined gaps, we raised two research questions, regarding what the perceptions of knowledge-based workers are towards the implementation and dissemination of EPM techniques, and whether the workplace context (home/office) has an effect on knowledge-based worker’s perceptions towards it. In this paper, we take a critical approach relying on a theory-based typology of EPM characteristics and build on the organizational control theory by elaborating on the technology-mediated control concept. We follow the constructivist grounded theory approach developed by Charmaz (2008) and the data was collected via 20 semi-structured interviews. The key findings of this research showed similarities as well as differences in how knowledge-based employees perceive EPM in contrast to other types of workforce. While overall the perceptions on EPM are negative, they can to some extent be alleviated by introducing a justifiable purpose, being transparent, allowing control over monitoring, and setting clear limits. Moreover, we provided insights into the perceptions of knowledge-based workers in response to EPM within the context of working from home. In such a context, knowledge-based workers show more resistance to EPM techniques and higher expectations of privacy, transparency, and appropriate data handling. Lastly, the authors provided avenues for further research including cross-cultural perspective, access to data, and ethicality and legality of EPM.

Thesis (Ph.D. (Industrial Psychology) )--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007.

Internationally, as well as locally, the trend is for companies to use call centres as their preferred method of service delivery. The increase in the use of call centres as a service delivery mechanism thus provides many more employment opportunities. Within call centres, service is primarily delivered by frontline employees referred to as customer service representatives (CSRs). While nothing seems to stop the growth of call centres and the increase of employment opportunities within them, working in call centres is not necessarily experienced as pleasant. Working in a call centre is frequently seen as stressful and the work in such a centre can foster burnout. Burnout is considered to be a pathogenic construct. The first purpose of this study was to describe and investigate the contribution of six central characteristics (antecedents) of call centre work environments and their influence on burnout, affective commitment and turnover intentions. These characteristics were work overload; electronic performance monitoring; lack of career and promotion opportunities, lack of skill variety and emotional labour. An incidental sample of customer service representatives (N=146) was obtained from the inbound service call centre of a large financial company. AU six independent variables were found to be significantly related to the experience of burnout, affective commitment and turnover intentions. Multiple regression analysis made it possible to establish that work overload, lack of career and promotion opportunities and skill variety, and emotional labour were the most important predictors of burnout, whereas lack of career and promotion opportunities was the most significant predictors of both affective commitment and turnover intentions. Burnout had a direct effect on turnover intentions and was not mediated by affective commitment. One antecedent that is often associated with the development of burnout is daily hassles, but daily hassles as an antecedent of burnout in call centres has not been studied before. The second purpose of this study was to develop a short Call Centre Daily Hassle Diagnostic Questionnaire that could be used to identify the most common daily hassles that call centre agents experience in their working lives, both within the work environment and within their day-to-day personal lives, and to determine the relationship between it and burnout. A cross-sectional survey research design was used with an accidental sample (N=394) taken from a service and sales call centre. An exploratory factor analysis of the data resulted in a six-factor model of daily hassles within call centres that significantly predicted exhaustion. The factors were daily demands, continuous change, co-worker hassles, demotivating work environment, transportation hassles and inner concerns. In the third part of this research thesis there is a shift away from the pathogenic paradigm towards a more salutogenic/fortigenic paradigm. Very little previous research has been done on adult resilience. The purpose of the third study was to explore the concept of adult resilience and to identify and describe the protective and vulnerability factors that play a role in adult resilience. Through the use of an exploratory factor analysis, eight factors were identified that played a role in adult resilience. They were Confidence and Optimism, Positive Reinterpretation, Facing Adversity, Support, Determination, Negative Rumination, Religion and Helplessness. Based on the findings of this research, some practical recommendations were made for the management of call centres to reduce the development of burnout and turnover intentions, on how to utilise the Hassle-based Diagnostic Scale and on how to apply the Adult Resilience Indicator in the training and development of resilience. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Industrial Psychology) )--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007.

Internationally, as well as locally, the trend is for companies to use call centres as their preferred method of service delivery. The increase in the use of call centres as a service delivery mechanism thus provides many more employment opportunities. Within call centres, service is primarily delivered by frontline employees referred to as customer service representatives (CSRs). While nothing seems to stop the growth of call centres and the increase of employment opportunities within them, working in call centres is not necessarily experienced as pleasant. Working in a call centre is frequently seen as stressful and the work in such a centre can foster burnout. Burnout is considered to be a pathogenic construct. The first purpose of this study was to describe and investigate the contribution of six central characteristics (antecedents) of call centre work environments and their influence on burnout, affective commitment and turnover intentions. These characteristics were work overload; electronic performance monitoring; lack of career and promotion opportunities, lack of skill variety and emotional labour. An incidental sample of customer service representatives (N=146) was obtained from the inbound service call centre of a large financial company. AU six independent variables were found to be significantly related to the experience of burnout, affective commitment and turnover intentions. Multiple regression analysis made it possible to establish that work overload, lack of career and promotion opportunities and skill variety, and emotional labour were the most important predictors of burnout, whereas lack of career and promotion opportunities was the most significant predictors of both affective commitment and turnover intentions. Burnout had a direct effect on turnover intentions and was not mediated by affective commitment. One antecedent that is often associated with the development of burnout is daily hassles, but daily hassles as an antecedent of burnout in call centres has not been studied before. The second purpose of this study was to develop a short Call Centre Daily Hassle Diagnostic Questionnaire that could be used to identify the most common daily hassles that call centre agents experience in their working lives, both within the work environment and within their day-to-day personal lives, and to determine the relationship between it and burnout. A cross-sectional survey research design was used with an accidental sample (N=394) taken from a service and sales call centre. An exploratory factor analysis of the data resulted in a six-factor model of daily hassles within call centres that significantly predicted exhaustion. The factors were daily demands, continuous change, co-worker hassles, demotivating work environment, transportation hassles and inner concerns. In the third part of this research thesis there is a shift away from the pathogenic paradigm towards a more salutogenic/fortigenic paradigm. Very little previous research has been done on adult resilience. The purpose of the third study was to explore the concept of adult resilience and to identify and describe the protective and vulnerability factors that play a role in adult resilience. Through the use of an exploratory factor analysis, eight factors were identified that played a role in adult resilience. They were Confidence and Optimism, Positive Reinterpretation, Facing Adversity, Support, Determination, Negative Rumination, Religion and Helplessness. Based on the findings of this research, some practical recommendations were made for the management of call centres to reduce the development of burnout and turnover intentions, on how to utilise the Hassle-based Diagnostic Scale and on how to apply the Adult Resilience Indicator in the training and development of resilience. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Industrial Psychology) )--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007.

L’économie des contrats complets prédit qu’au sein d’une relation d’agence d’une organisation productive, en présence d’aléa moral, un dispositif de vérification de l’information permet de répondre à la fois à un problème de coopération entre les individus et à un problème de coordination des activités. Cependant, au lieu de discipliner des comportements opportunistes, ce dispositif peut engendrer des coûts cachés et réduire la motivation intrinsèque des agents à réaliser une activité qui leur a été attribuée. Sous certaines conditions, il génère une réduction de l’activité, et une perte en termes d’allocation ce qui nuit à l’efficacité.Dans cette thèse de doctorat, nous avons conduit trois expérimentations contrôlées de terrain avec assignation aléatoire qui visaient à modifier les configurations du dispositif de vérification de l’information afin de résoudre un problème organisationnel propre à trois relations d’agence particulières.Dans notre premier chapitre, nous avons testé l’effet de la variation de la quantité d’informations détenues par les cotisants sur le dispositif de vérification de la déclaration sociale grâce à des messages ciblés contenant des explications sur le pouvoir de contrôle de l’Agence centrale des organismes de sécurité sociale (Acoss) afin de réduire la fraude sociale.Dans notre deuxième chapitre, nous avons testé la réduction de l’intensité de la surveillance électronique de la performance des conseillers d’un centre d’appels sous-traitants afin d’améliorer leur qualité de vie au travail.Enfin, dans notre troisième chapitre, nous avons testé l’effet de la négociation contractuelle du dispositif d’évaluation de la participation des étudiants de licence pendant les travaux dirigés afin d’améliorer leur réussite à l’université. / Economics of complete contracts foresees that within an agency relationship of a productive organization, in the presence of moral hazard, an information check device can address both a problem of cooperation between individuals and a problem of coordination of activities. However, instead of disciplining opportunistic behaviours, this device can generate hidden costs and reduce the intrinsic motivation of agents to perform an activity that has been assigned to them. Under certain conditions, it generates a reduction of the outcome, and a loss in terms of allocation, which is detrimental to efficiency.In this Ph.D. thesis, we conducted three randomized controlled field trials that aimed at modifying the configurations of the information check device to solve an organizational problem specific to three specific agency relationships.In our first chapter, we tested the effect of varying the amount of information held by contributors on the social reporting verification device through targeted messages containing explanations of the control power of the Agence centrale des organisations de sécurité sociale (Acoss) in order to reduce social fraud.In our second chapter, we tested the reduction in the intensity of the electronic monitoring of the performance of advisors of an outsourced call centre in order to improve their quality of life at work.Finally, in our third chapter, we tested the effect of the contractual negotiation of the device which evaluate the participation of undergraduate students during the tutorials in order to improve their success at the university.