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Call centres were established primarily to reduce organizational costs while simultaneously providing high‐quality customer service. To support this ‘twin constraints’ strategy, a range of human resource (HR) practices tends to be used in call centres that focus simultaneously on both control and involvement. To date, there has been a lack of empirical evidence concerning the outcome of such HR practices on call centre frontline staff (call centre representatives – CCRs). Consequently, this paper attempts to bridge this gap using a sample of 250 CCRs from Indian call centres. The findings show that, while the simultaneous use of involvement‐and control‐oriented HR practices had a positive impact on CCR job satisfaction, it also resulted in employee exhaustion and disengagement. These findings suggest that while involvement‐oriented HR practices enhance CCR job satisfaction, they come at a cost which is potentially a key factor leading to high CCR turnover. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research to date suggests that career advancement in call centres (CCs) is relatively uncommon with employees often viewing such employment as a stopgap measure before moving on to something better. This study set out to determine whether such scenarios have changed over time since CCs have become more established in their work organisation, information and communication technology (ICT) and management processes. This study particularly focused on training and development initiatives, how employees access training and development, and whether CCs support career development. Using both qualitative and quantitative methods, these issues are examined within l0 Australian CCs of varying size from various sectors. Two-thirds of respondents stated that they intended to develop a career in the industry and 7 in 10 reported that they believed there were promotional opportunities emerging in their current organisation. Despite these findings, the evidence also suggests that more needs to be done both to create coherent career paths and to establish structured, accredited training programmes for CC employees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In terms of service work, teams tend to be more prevalent in call centres than in other service industries. While the literature highlights key debates surrounding the use of teams in call centres, most of it is drawn from studies on large call centres that range in size from several hundred to several thousand seats. This article sets out to consider how the functions and experience of teams varies on the basis of call centre size by conducting case studies in three large and three small call centres. Findings indicate that large call centres are more likely to monitor performance on a team basis and use teams as a means of maintaining structural control, while small call centres did not have the capacity to engage in rivalry and competition as a means of establishing team identity. Instead, teams provided social support and were associated with team 'longevity' - a feature that was not apparent in the large call centres. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on an under-researched employee category in the call centre literature-the team leader. The paper, drawing on data from nine Australian call centres, finds that the team leader role is integral to the effectiveness of call centres, yet it is a role that consists of considerable complexity and contradictions. The research demonstrates the critical role performed by team leaders: coach, mentor, trainer, performance evaluator, communicator and supervisor. It also shows team leaders as being far more positive about many of the features of the call centre work environment compared with those on the front line. However, there does appear to be a need for greater acknowledgement of their challenging role, the contradictions that are inherent in the job and the need, in many cases, for increased support being made available to assist. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Concerns about job quality have become more widespread, crossing all industries and occupations. The call centre sector in particular has risen to the forefront of discussions about job quality because of the rapid growth and development of these new forms of work organization over the past two decades. However, despite there being an extensive quality of work life literature, and emerging research on call centre job quality, there is yet to be a study that systematically links the quality of work with employment in the call centre context. This article outlines current debates, highlighting the importance of bringing together and marrying these two branches of research. A qualitative research agenda constituting case study analysis of two call centres is introduced. A framework grounded in a job characteristics approach, comprising 10 key job quality elements is also proposed as a means of examining the quality of work life in this context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A preface for the 2008 issue of the "Journal of Industrial Relations" is presented.