Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Employee Well-Being in the African Call Centre Digital Workspace

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Thriving in Digital Workspaces

  • 1238 Accesses

Abstract

This chapter examines the fourth industrial revolution and the new world of work, which encompasses new technology, automation and algorithms. Developed countries are changing their geographical base of operations by establishing call centres in developing countries, for example, in Africa, to conduct business. One growth expectation is the leveraging of distinctively ‘human’ skills, such as those required by customer service workers in Africa. The chapter first introduces the human–machine frontier that has been introduced in call centres today to increase customer experience (CX), comprising omnichannels which include virtual assistants, instant messaging, chatbot and mobile apps designed to facilitate interaction. Well-being in these digital workspaces and the accompanying changes taking place are then discussed, illustrating an increase in demand for new roles and difficult transitions. Owing to these unprecedented demands and challenges, some individuals may struggle to adapt, while others thrive and flourish. The focus of this study then turns to the construction of a psychological coping profile. This is done by investigating the relationship between individuals’ wellness attributes (sense of coherence, emotional intelligence and burnout) and their resiliency capacities (career adaptabilities and hardiness). This is an under-researched area, especially in the digital workspace of call centres in Africa. Finally, the findings are reported and interpreted in terms of an empirically derived psychological coping profile, which may assist in the design of wellness interventions.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 159.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Abdollahi, A., Talib, M. A., Yaacob, S. N., & Ismail, Z. (2015). The role of hardiness in decreasing stress and suicidal ideation in a sample of undergraduate students. Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 55(2), 202–222.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Amdurer, E., Boyatzis, R. E., Saatcioglu, A., Smith, M. L., & Taylor, S. N. (2014). Long term impact of emotional, social and cognitive intelligence competencies and GMAT on career and life satisfaction and career success. Front Psychology, 5, 1447. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2014.01447.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Antonovsky, A. (1979). Health, stress, and coping. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Antonovsky, A. (1987). Unraveling the mystery of health: How people manage stress and stay well. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Arbuckle, J. L. (2009). Amos 18 user’s guide. Chicago, IL: Amos Development Corporation.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bakker, A. B., Demerouti, E., & Schaufeli, W. B. (2003). Dual processes at work in a call centre: An application of the job demands–resources model. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 12, 393–417.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bar-On, R. (1997). Bar-On emotional intelligence inventory (EQ-i): Technical manual. Toronto: Multi-Health Systems.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bar-On, R., Handley, R., & Fund, S. (2005). The impact of emotional and social intelligence on performance. In V. Druskat, F. Sala, & G. Mount (Eds.), Linking emotional intelligence and performance at work: Current research evidence. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bar-On, R., & Parker, J. D. A. (2000). The Bar-On Emotional Quotient Inventory: Youth version (EQ-i:YV) technical manual. Toronto, Canada: Multi-Health Systems.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bar-On, R., Tranel, D., Denburg, N. L., & Bechara, A. (2003). Exploring the neurological substrate of emotional and social intelligence. Brain, 126, 1790–1800.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bartone, P. T., & Adler, A. (1999). Cohesion overtime in a medical peacekeeping task force. Military Psychology, 11, 85–107.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Beasley, M., Thompson, T., & Davidson, J. (2003). Resilience in response to life stress: The effects of coping style and cognitive hardiness. Personality and Individual Differences, 34, 77–95.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bimrose, J., & Hearne, L. (2012). Resilience and career adaptability: Qualitative studies of adult career counseling. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 81, 338–344. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2012.08.002.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brown, D. J., Arnold, R., Fletcher, D., & Standage, M. (2017). Human thriving: A conceptual debate and literature review. European Psychologist, 22(3), 167–179. https://doi.org/10.1027/1016-9040/a000294.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brunstein, J. C. (1993). Personal goals and subjective wellbeing: A longitudinal study. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 65, 1061–1070. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.65.5.1061.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carver, C. S., Lawrence, J. W., & Scheier, M. F. (1996). A control-process perspective on the origins of affect. In L. L. Martin & A. Tesser (Eds.), Striving and feeling: Interactions among goals, affect, and self-regulation (pp. 11–52). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Coetzee, M., & Stoltz, E. (2015). Employees’ satisfaction with retention factors: Exploring the role of career adaptability. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 89, 83–91.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Creed, P., Patton, W., & Prideaux, L. (2006). Causal relationship between career indecision and career decision-making self-efficacy: A longitudinal cross-lagged analysis. Journal of Career Development, 33(1), 47–65.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2008). Self-determination theory: A macrotheory of human motivation, development, and health. Canadian Psychology, 49(3), 182–185. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0012801.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Diener, E., Heintzelman, S. J., Kushlev, K., Tay, L., Wirtz, D., Lutes, L. D., et al. (2017a). Findings all psychologists should know from the new science on subjective wellbeing. Canadian Psychology, 58(2), 87–104.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Diener, E., Pressman, S., Hunter, J., & Delgadillo-Chase, D. (2017b). If, why, and when subjective wellbeing influences health, and future needed research. Applied Psychology: Health and Wellbeing, 9, 133–167. https://doi.org/10.1111/aphw.12090.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Esmaili, R., Khojasteh, L., & Kafipour, R.(2018). The relationship between emotional intelligence and burnout among EFL teachers teaching at private institutions. Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, 26(3), 1595–1616.

    Google Scholar 

  • Faguy, K. (2012). Emotional intelligence in healthcare. Radiologic Technology, 83(3), 237–253.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ferreira, N. (2012). Hardiness in relation to organisational commitment in the human resource management field. SA Journal of Human Resource Management, 10(2), 418–428. https://doi.org/10.4102/sajhrm.v10i2.418.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Freitas, C. P. P., Corrêa da Silva, C. S., Damásio, B. F., Koller, S. H., & Teixeira, M. A. P. (2016). Impact of job-related wellbeing on the relationship of self-efficacy with burnout. Paidéia (Ribeirão Preto), 26(63), 45–52.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Freudenberger, H. J. (1974). Staff burn-out. Journal of Social Issues, 30(1), 159–165. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4560.1974.tb00706.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Frost, A., & Sullivan, E. (2018). Customer contact executive MindXchange. Paper presented at the 14th Annual Customer contact MindXchange Conference, 2018. Fort Lauderdale Marriott Harbor Beach Resort & Spa, Fort Lauderdale, USA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goleman, D. (2001). Emotional intelligence: Perspectives on a theory of performance. In C. Cherniss & D. Goleman (Eds.), The emotionally intelligent workplace. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hartung, P. J., & Taber, B. J. (2008). Career construction and subjective wellbeing. Journal of Career Assessment, 16(1), 75–85.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harvey, J., Cohendet, P., Simon., L., & Borzillo, S. (2015). Knowing communities in the front end of innovation. Research-Technology Management, 58. https://doi.org/10.5437/08956308x5801198.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Holtgrewe, U., Kerst, C., & Shire, K. (2002). Re-organising service work: Call centres in Germany and Britain (pp. 1–18). Aldershot, UK: Ashgate.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jagasia, J., Baul, U., & Mallik, D. (2015). A framework for communities of practice in learning organizations. Business Perspectives and Research, 3(1), 1–20.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jakovljevic, M. (2018). Empathy, sense of coherence and resilience: Bridging personal, public and global mental health and conceptual synthesis. Psychiatria Danubina, 30(4), 380–384. https://doi.org/10.24869/psyd.2018.380.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Johnston, C. S., De Bruin, G. P., Györkös, C., Geldenhuys, M., Massoudi, K., & Rossier, J. (2013). Sense of coherence and job characteristics in predicting burnout in a South African sample. SA Journal of Industrial Psychology, 39(1). http://dx.doi.org/10.4102/sajip.v39i1.1096.

  • Kelly, R. D., Matthews, D., & Bartone, M. P. (2014). Grit and hardiness as predictors of performance among West Point cadets. Military Psychology, 26, 327–342. https://doi.org/10.1037/mil0000050.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kobasa, S. C. (1979). Stressful life events, personality, and health-inquiry into hardiness. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 37, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.37.1.1.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kobasa, S. C., Maddi, S. R., & Kahn, S. (1982). Hardiness and health: A prospective study. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 42, 168–177. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.42.1.168.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Konstam, V., Celen-Demirtas, S., Tomek, S., & Sweeney, K. (2015). Career adaptability and subjective wellbeing in unemployed emerging adults: A promising and cautionary tale. Journal of Career Development, 42(6), 463–477. https://doi.org/10.1177/0894845315575151

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lent, J., & Schwartz, R. (2012). The impact of work setting, demographic characteristics, and personality factors related to burnout among professional counselors. Journal of Mental Health Counseling, 34(4), 355–372.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lyons, S. T., Schweitzer, L., & Ng, E. S. W. (2015). Resilience in the modern career. Career Development International, 20(4), 363–383.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Maslach, C., & Leiter, M. P. (1997). The truth about burnout: How organizations cause personal stress and what to do about it. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Maslach, C., Schaufeli, W. B., & Leiter, M. P. (2001). Job burnout. In S. T. Fiske, D. L. Schacter, & C. Zahn-Waxler (Eds.), Annual review of psychology (Vol. 52, pp. 397–422).

    Google Scholar 

  • Mayer, J. D., & Salovey, P. (1997). What is emotional intelligence? In P. Salovey, & D. J. Sluyter (Eds.), Emotional development and emotional intelligence: Educational implications (pp. 3–31). New York, NY: Basic Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mishra, P., & Shrivastava, D. (2018). A study of the factors of emotional intelligence: Determining the performance of management teachers. IOSR. Journal of Business and Management (IOSR-JBM), 20(2), 26–39.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mwendwa, L. (2017). Factors influencing call centre agent attrition: A case of Kenya Power call centre (Unpublished Masters dissertation). University of Nairobi.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ndlovu, V. (2017). The relationship between hardiness and career adaptability of students studying at Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Colleges in Gauteng (Unpublished Masters dissertation). University of South Africa.

    Google Scholar 

  • Petrides, K. V., & Furnham, A. (2003). Trait emotional intelligence: Behavioural validation in two studies of emotion recognition and reactivity to mood induction. European Journal of Personality, 17, 39–57.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rothmann, S., & Rothmann, S. (2010). Factors associated with employee engagement in South Africa. SA Journal of Industrial Psychology, 36(2). https://doi.org/10.4102/sajip.v36i2.925.

  • Salanova, M., Llorens, S., & Schaufeli, W. B. (2011). “Yes, I can, I feel good, and I just do it!” On gain cycles and spirals of efficacy beliefs, affect, and engagement. Applied Psychology, 60(2), 255–285. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1464-0597.2010.00435.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Savickas, M. L. (1997). Career adaptability: An integrative construct for life-span, life-space theory. The Career Development Quarterly, 45, 247–259.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Savickas, M. L. (2002). Career construction: A developmental theory of vocational behavior. In D. Brown (Ed.), Career choice and development (4th ed., pp. 149–205). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Savickas, M. L. (2013). Career construction theory and practice. In S. D. Brown & R. W. Lent (Eds.), Career development and counseling: Putting theory and research to work (2nd ed., pp. 147–183). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Savickas, M. L., & Porfeli, E. J. (2012). Career adapt-abilities scale: Construction, reliability, and measurement equivalence across 13 countries. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 80, 661–673. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2012.01.011.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schaufeli, W. B., Dijkstra, P., & Vazquez, A. C. (2013). Re-organizing service work: Call centres in Germany and Britain. New York, NY: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schult, T., Mohr, D., & Osatuke, K. (2018). Examining burnout profiles in relation to health and well-being in the Veterans Health Administration employee population. Stress and Health, 34(4), 490–499. https://doi.org/10.1002/smi.2809

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schutte, N. S., Malouf, J. M., & Bhullar, N. (2009). The assessing emotions scale. In C. Stough, D. Saklofske, & J. Parker (Eds.), The assessment of emotional intelligence (pp. 119–135). New York, NY: Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Seligman, E. P., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2000). Positive psychology: An introduction. The American Psychologist, 55(5), 14. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.55.1.5.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shafto, M. G., Degani, A., & Kirklik, A. (1997). Canonical correlation analysis of data on human-automation interaction. In Proceedings of the 41st Annual Meeting of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society. Albuquerque, NM.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith, R. J. (2018). The role of hardiness in the relation between perceived daily discrimination and depressive symptoms in community college students (Unpublished Masters dissertation). University of Louisville.

    Google Scholar 

  • Söderfeldt, M., Söderfeldt, B., Ohlson, C.-G., Theorell, T., & Jones, I. (2000). The impact of sense of coherence and high-demand/low-control job environment on self-reported health, burnout and psychophysiological stress indicators. Work & Stress, 14(1), 1–15.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Spearman, C. (1904). ‘General intelligence’, objectively determined and measured. The American Journal of Psychology, 15(2), 201–293.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Super, D. E., & Knasel, E. G. (1981). Career development in adulthood: Some theoretical problems and a possible solution. British Journal of Guidance and Counseling, 9(2), 194–201.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Super, E. D., & Kidd, J. M. (1979). Vocational maturity in adulthood: Toward turning a model into a measure. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 14(3), 255–270.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tatarkiewicz, W. (1976). Analysis of happiness. Philosophy and Phenomenological Research, 38(1), 139–140.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tolentino, L. R., Sedoglavich, V., Lu, V. N., Garcia, P. R. J. M., & Restubog, S. L. D. (2014). The role of career adaptability in predicting entrepreneurial intentions: A moderated mediation model. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 85, 403–412.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Van der Colff, J. J., & Rothmann, S. (2009). Occupational stress, sense of coherence, coping, burnout and work engagement of registered nurses in South Africa. South African Journal of Industrial Psychology, 35(1), 1–10.

    Google Scholar 

  • Van der Westhuizen, S. C. (2018). Incremental validity of work-related sense of coherence in predicting work wellness. SA Journal of Industrial Psychology, 44, 1467. https://doi.org/10.4102/sajip.v44i0.1467.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ventura, M., Llorens, G., & Salanova, M. (2015). Professional self-efficacy as a predictor of burnout and engagement: The role of challenge and hindrance demands. The Journal of Psychology Interdisciplinary and Applied, 149(3–4), 277–302. https://doi.org/10.1080/00223980.2013.876380.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Vlachou, E. M., Damigos, D., Lyrakos, G., Chanopoulos, K., Kosmidis, G., & Karavis, M. (2016). The relationship between burnout syndrome and emotional intelligence in healthcare professionals. Health Science Journal, 10(5), 2. https://doi.org/10.4172/1791-809X.1000100502.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vogt, K., Jenny, G. J., & Bauer, G. F. (2013). Comprehensibility, manageability and meaningfulness at work: Construct validity of a scale measuring work-related sense of coherence. SA Journal of Industrial Psychology, 39(1), 1–8.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wong, C., Law, K. S., & Wong, P. (2004). Developing and validating of a forced-choice emotional intelligence measures for Chinese respondents in Hong Kong. Asia Pacific Journal of Management, 21, 535–539.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yürür, S., & Sarikaya, M. (2012).The effects of workload, role ambiguity, and social support on burnout among social workers in Turkey. Journal of Administration of Social Work, 36(5), 457–478.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zacher, H., & Wilden, R. G. (2014). A daily diary study on ambidextrous leadership and self-reported employee innovation. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 87(4), 813–820.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhou, W., Guan, Y., Xin, L., Mak, M. C. K., & Deng, Y. (2016). Career success criteria and locus of control as indicators of adaptive readiness in the career adaptation model. Journal of Vocational Behaviour, 94, 124–130.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zito, M., Emanuel, F., Molino, M., Cortese, C. G., Ghislieri, C., & Colombo, L. (2018). Turnover intentions in a call center: The role of emotional dissonance, job resources, and job satisfaction. Plos One, 13(2). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0192126

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Industrial and Organisational Psychology, University of South Africa, Pretoria, South Africa

    Nisha Harry

Authors
  1. Nisha Harry
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Nisha Harry .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Industrial and Organisational Psychology, University of South Africa, Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa

    Melinde Coetzee

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2019 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Harry, N. (2019). Employee Well-Being in the African Call Centre Digital Workspace. In: Coetzee, M. (eds) Thriving in Digital Workspaces. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-24463-7_6

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation