A unique working environment: health, sickness and absence management in UK call centres.

Taylor, Phil; Baldry, Chris; Bain, Peter; Ellis, Vaughan

Abstract

This article fills an important gap in our knowledge of call centres by focusing specifically on occupational ill-health. We document the recent emergence of health and safety concerns, assess the responses of employers and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), critique the existing regulatory framework and present a holistic diagnostic model of occupationally induced ill-health. This model is utilized to investigate quantitative and qualitative data from a case study in the privatized utility sector, where the relative contributions to employee sickness and ill-health from factors relating to ergonomics, the built environment and work organization are evaluated. The principal conclusions are that the distinctive character of call-handling is the major cause of occupational ill-health and that effective remedial action would involve radical job re-design. Finally, the limitations of recent HSE guidance are exposed and industrial relations processes and outcomes analysed.

Citation

Taylor, P., Baldry, C., Bain, P., & Ellis, V. (2003). A unique working environment: health, sickness and absence management in UK call centres. Work, Employment and Society, 17(3), 435-458. https://doi.org/10.1177/09500170030173002

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Publication Date: 2003-09
• Deposit Date: May 9, 2008
• Print ISSN: 0950-0170
• Electronic ISSN: 1469-8722
• Publisher: SAGE Publications
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 17
• Issue: 3
• Pages: 435-458
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/09500170030173002
• Keywords: call centres; health and safety; sickness absence; trade unions; work organization
• Public URL: http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/id/eprint/2151
• Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/09500170030173002