Work–Life Imbalance in Call Centres and Software Development

Abstract

The paper evaluates the centrality of work to employees in two growing employment sectors, call-centres and software development. It then examines evidence for extensions of work into household and family life in these two sectors. Extensions are identified as tangible, such as unpaid overtime, or intangible, represented by incursions imported from work, such as exhaustion and stress. The study finds that organizational pressures, combined with lack of work centrality, result in work intruding into non-work areas of employee lives, though intrusions manifest themselves in different ways according to type of work, levels of worker autonomy and organizational support. Copyright Blackwell Publishing Ltd/London School of Economics 2003..

Managing BPO service workers in India: Examining hope on performance outcomes

“…Again, we found that in the non-Western cultural context of India, hope was positively and significantly re- Another theoretical contribution, especially for the BPO industry, is to link hope to non-productive aspects of organizational environments. The counter-productive challenges (Hyman et al, 2003) workers faced may influence lesser levels of performance. From this study, we might infer relationships between counter-productive factors (e.g., burnout) and components of the hope construct.…”

“…The social and political conditions of India and the working conditions BPO workers experience give rise to examining the methods and mechanisms that may enhance individual and organizational performance. Performance issues are seriously impacted by overarching characteristics of the work environment including high levels of attrition, low job satisfaction and commitment, a high degree of worker burnout, and concerns for effective work-life balance (Hyman et al, 2003;Taylor & Bain, 2005). In this study, hope is shown to be highly related to performance as measured by commission and supervisor ratings.…”

“…Feelings of increased psychological control may reduce pressure associated with tight performance targets. Perceived lack of control of work and family life due to highly scripted and prescribed work behaviors and long and egregious extensions of work hours (Hyman et al, 2003) may be positively influenced through the pathways component of hope. Additionally, setting realistic goals and assessing strategies for attaining those goals may result in opportunities for enhanced employee voice in work design, including more worker input into how Indian BPO employees might more effectively perform their jobs.…”

“…Indian BPO workers are required to adjust to the client organization's customer base and often must mimic the accent of the client's customers (Taylor & Bain, 2005). This can result in ineffective emotional interactions and debilitating emotional labor for employees (Hyman et al, 2003). As Indian workers begin to interface with different cultures and integrate Indian and other cultural perspectives, individual propensity for hope may help ameliorate potential problems and positively influence performance outcomes (Nelson & Cooper, 2007).…”

“…Insufficient control, widespread workplace monitoring, creating difficult work targets, and the structure or lack of time away from the job (e.g., breaks and rest periods) create a pressurized and stressful environment for employees, which often results in negative workplace outcomes (Deery, Iverson, & Walsh, 2002). Additionally, psychological stress and strain for BPO workers can be caused by tight and bounded work structures and work schedules (Hyman, Baldry, Scholarios, & Bunzel, 2003) and the need for workers to adopt the customer accents of one or more specific clients (Taylor & Bain, 2005). This has created high attrition rates among Indian employees.…”