The job demands-resources model of work engagement in South African call centres
Date
2013-09
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
AOSIS Publishing
Abstract
Orientation: A ‘sacrificial human resource strategy’ is practised in call centres, resulting in poor
employee occupational health. Consequently, questions are posed in terms of the consequences
of call centre work and which salient antecedent variables impact the engagement and wellbeing
of call centre representatives.
Research purpose: Firstly, to gauge the level of employee engagement amongst a sample of
call centre representatives in South Africa and, secondly, to track the paths through which
salient personal and job resources affect this engagement. More specifically, the relationships
between sense of coherence, leadership effectiveness, team effectiveness and engagement were
investigated, thus testing the Job Demands-Resources model of work engagement.
Motivation for the study: To present an application of the Job Demands-Resources model of
work engagement in a call centre environment in order to diagnose current ills and consequently
propose remedies.
Research design: A cross-sectional survey design was used and a non-probability convenient
sample of 217 call centre representatives was selected. The measuring instruments comprise
the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale to measure engagement, the Team Diagnostic Survey to
measure team effectiveness, the leadership practices inventory to gauge leadership effectiveness,
and the Orientation to Life Questionnaire to measure sense of coherence. A series of structural
equation modelling analyses were performed.
Main findings: Contrary to the ‘electronic sweatshop’ image attached to call centre jobs
depicted in the literature, results show a high level of employee engagement for call centre
representatives in the sample. Also, personal resources such as sense of coherence and job
resources such as team effectiveness related significantly to engagement. A non-significant
relationship exists between leadership effectiveness and engagement.
Practical/managerial implications: Both the content and context of jobs need to be addressed
to increase the personal and job resources of call centre representatives.
Contribution/value-add: The Job Demands-Resources model of work engagement can be
used to improve the occupational health and performance of employees in call centres.
Description
CITATION: Janse van Rensburg, Y., Boonzaier, B. & Boonzaier, M. 2013. The job demands-resources model of work engagement in South African call centres. SA Journal of Human Resource Management / SA Tydskrif van Menslikehulpbronbestuur, 11(1): 1-13, doi: 10.4102/sajhrm.v11i1.484.
The original publication is available at http://www.sajhrm.co.za
The original publication is available at http://www.sajhrm.co.za
Keywords
Job demands-resources model, Call centers -- South Africa, Employee motivation -- South Africa
Citation
Janse van Rensburg, Y., Boonzaier, B. & Boonzaier, M. 2013. The job demands-resources model of work engagement in South African call centres. SA Journal of Human Resource Management / SA Tydskrif van Menslikehulpbronbestuur, 11(1): 1-13, doi: 10.4102/sajhrm.v11i1.484