Balancing acts: rationalisation and care in the management of mental health call centre counsellors in South Africa

Simple item page
dc.contributor.advisorVan Wyk, Ilanaen_ZA
dc.contributor.authorVeeriah, Kerinaen_ZA
dc.contributor.otherStellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Sociology and Social Anthropology.en_ZA
dc.date.accessioned2021-06-07T14:17:39Z
dc.date.available2021-06-07T14:17:39Z
dc.date.issued2021-03
dc.descriptionThesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2021.en_ZA
dc.description.abstractENGLISH ABSTRACT: Over the last 30 years, the international rise and proliferation of call centres have had an enormous impact on global work and labour relations. In the literature on the call centre industry, scholars have repeatedly characterised call centre workers as stressed, exploited, and above all, as subject to extraordinary electronic surveillance and control. As call centres moved into the provision of physical and mental healthcare, a number of scholars have noted that “telecare” workers were not only subject to the wider industry’s relentless rationalisation but were also particularly vulnerable to mental health issues due to the nature of their work. This study explores these issues at a mental health awareness telecare centre that I have called Mental health Awareness for South Africa [MhASA]. I focus on the ways in which the centre’s management, all permanent workers, approached and attempted to accommodate the conflicting goal of rationalised management practices with the need to care for their vulnerable volunteer counsellors. Towards this end, I interviewed six members of MhASA’s telecare centre, five of whom were permanent staff members while one was a senior volunteer counsellor.en_ZA
dc.description.abstractAFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Oor die afgelope 30 jaar het die toename in internasionale verspreiding van oproepsentrums ‘n enorme invloed op die wereld se werk en arbeidsverhoudinge gehad. In die literatuur oor die inbelsentrum bedryf het geleerdes herhaaldelik die oproepsentrum werkers as uitgestres, uitgebuit en bowenal onderhewig aan buitengewone elektroniese toesig en beheer gekenmerk. Aangesien oproepsentrums oorgaan tot die verskaffing van fisiese en geestelike gesondheidsorg, ‘n aantal geleerdes opgemerk het dat werknemers in die “telecare” nie net onderhewig was aan die meedoenlose rasionalisering van die bree bedryf nie, maar dat hulle ook veral kwesbaar was vir geestesgesondheid kwessies weens die aard van hul werk. Hierdie studie ondersoek hierdie kwessies by ‘n bewustheid sentrum vir geestesgesondheid wat ek Mental health Awareness for South Africa [MhASA] genoem het. My fokus le op die maniere waarop die sentrum se bestuur, alle permanente werkers, die botsende doel van gerasionaliseerde bestuurspraktyke benader en probeer akkommodeer met die behoefte om hul kwesbare vrywillige beraders te versorg. Hiertoe het ek ses lede van MhASA se “telecare” sentrum ondervra, waarvan vyf permanente personeellede was, en een ‘n senior vrywillige berader was.af_ZA
dc.description.versionMastersen_ZA
dc.format.extent76 pages : illustrationsen_ZA
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/110577
dc.language.isoen_ZAen_ZA
dc.publisherStellenbosch : Stellenbosch Universityen_ZA
dc.rights.holderStellenbosch Universityen_ZA
dc.subjectMental health -- Managementen_ZA
dc.subjectSouth Africa -- Personnel management -- Psychological aspectsen_ZA
dc.subjectTelecare -- South Africaen_ZA
dc.subjectTelecare (Medicine) -- South Africaen_ZA
dc.subjectMental illness -- Treatmenten_ZA
dc.subjectMentally ill -- Careen_ZA
dc.subjectMental health services -- South Africaen_ZA
dc.subjectMental health Awareness for South Africa (Mhasa)en_ZA
dc.subjectMental health counselingen_ZA
dc.titleBalancing acts: rationalisation and care in the management of mental health call centre counsellors in South Africaen_ZA
dc.typeThesisen_ZA
Files
Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
veeriah_balancing_2021.pdf
Size:
1.67 MB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Description:
Download
License bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
license.txt
Size:
1.71 KB
Format:
Item-specific license agreed upon to submission
Description:
Download
Collections
Masters Degrees (Sociology and Social Anthropology)