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A PROJECT REPORT ON
“STRESS MANAGEMENT IN CALL CENTER”
SUBMITTED BYPRIYANKA BARASKAR
PROJECT GUIDE
PROF. MUGDHA .S.BAPAT
K.V. PENDHARKAR COLLEGE
STRESS MANAGEMENT IN CALL CENTERS
Declaration
I Priyanka.G.Baraskar of K.V.PENDHARKAR COLLEGE hereby declare that we
have completed this project on “Stress Management in Call Center with the case study
of WNS” in the Academic Year 2010 as a part of our academic fulfillment. The
information submitted is true and original to the best of our knowledge and belief.
__________ _____________Date Priyanka.G.Baraskar
CERTIFICATE
I Prof.Mugdha.S.Bapat do hereby certify that Priyanka.G.Baraskar., student
of K.V.PENDHARKAR COLLEGE T.Y.BMS has completed their project on “Stress
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STRESS MANAGEMENT IN CALL CENTERS
Management in call center with the case study of WNS” as a part of his academic
fulfillment in the Academic year 2010. The information submitted is true and original to
the best of my knowledge and belief.
________________ ________________Signature of Signature of the
Project Guide
Authorized Signatory for ITM
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STRESS MANAGEMENT IN CALL CENTERS
INDEXSECTION I
INTRODUCTION TO STRESS
1. INTRODUCTION TO STRESS ………………………..4-13
2. INTRODUCTION TO CALL CENTRES……………...15-21
3. STRESS IN CALL CENTRE.......................................22-33
4. STRESS MANAGEMENT IN CALL CENTRE……36-47
5.PERSONAL EXPERIENCES …………………………...48-59
6. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION……….62-67
7. ANNEXURES 1. PAPER CUTTINGS
2. CERTIFICATES
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STRESS MANAGEMENT IN CALL CENTERS
1
INTRODUCTION
TO
STRESS
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STRESS MANAGEMENT IN CALL CENTERS
1. POEM ON STRESS
What's that st iffness in my neck? Feel that lump come in my throat Stomach dropping to my knees Feel l ike I just missed the boat
Panic rising to my head Heartbeat racing, breathing fast Can I do it? Will I fail How long will these feelings last?
Apprehension overwhelms Nervous twitching, fingers curled Tension headache, aching back All these symptoms now unfurled
Now my body's overun Hormones racing from my glands Must release i t, let it out How to do i t 's in my hands
Lost our way of fight or flight Stored up anger, unreleased Words and shouting flung about Now it 's time that raging ceased
Relaxation, that 's the key Integration of the mind Exercise, good food to eat Leave those worries far behind
Hold that stress out at arm's length Draw it, write it, let i t go Roll i t in a lit tle ball Throw it out, release that woe
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STRESS MANAGEMENT IN CALL CENTERS
Find the tools you have inside Make a choice to be serene Welcome stress, become its friend Don't put life in quarantine.
Objectives-:The reason behind preparing project on “STRESS MANAGEMENT IN CALL
CENTERS” is to find alternative solutions for the core issues hampering the development
of call centers. In order to do so, it was imperative to understand and study the key problem
in call center after a small survey it was found that stress itself is the main problem for the
employees in call centers. Following were the objectives of the report –
1. To study the prevailing stress factors in call centers.
2. To study the effects of stress in human being.
3. To know how the management manages stress in call centers
4. To show that employees are the asset of any organization if they are happy and satisfied,
their efficiency improves, and thus increases the profitability of the organization.
5. To visit call centers and learn why are they paid so lot of money.
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STRESS MANAGEMENT IN CALL CENTERS
2. STRESS
Definition-: Stress can be thought of any event that strains or exceeds an individual
ability to cope.
--LAZARAUS AND LAUNIER 1978
Harmful physical and emotional responses that occur when the requirements of the job do
not match the capabilities, resources, or needs of the worker.
WHAT IS STRESS?
Stress is the "wear and tear" our bodies experience as we adjust to our continually
changing environment; it has physical and emotional effects on us and can create positive
or negative feelings. As a positive influence, stress can help compel us to action; it can
result in a new awareness and an exciting new perspective. As a negative influence, it can
result in feelings of distrust, rejection, anger, and depression, which in turn can lead to
health problems such as headaches, upset stomach, rashes, insomnia, ulcers, high blood
pressure, heart disease, and stroke. With the death of a loved one, the birth of a child, a job
promotion, or a new relationship, we experience stress as we re-adjust our lives. In so
adjusting to different circumstances, stress will help or hinder us depending on how we
react to it.
Stress is a normal physical reaction that occurs when you feel threatened or
overwhelmed. The perception of a threat is as stressful as a real threat. You perceive a
situation as threatening or feel overwhelmed because you are dealing with an unusually
large number of everyday responsibilities. With increasing demands of home and work life,
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STRESS MANAGEMENT IN CALL CENTERS
many people are under enormous stress. The stress response narrows your ability to think
clearly and function effectively.
We all face different challenges and obstacles, and sometimes the pressure is hard
to handle. When we feel overwhelmed, under the gun, or unsure of how to meet the
demands placed on us, we experience stress. Stress is what keeps you on your toes during a
presentation at work or drives you to study for your midterm. But when the going gets too
tough and life's demands exceed your ability to cope, stress becomes a threat to both your
physical and emotional well-being. Stress is a psychological and physiological response to
events that upset our personal balance in some way. These events or demands are known as
stressors. We usually think of stressors as being negative, such as an exhausting work
schedule or a rocky relationship. However, anything that forces us to adjust can be a
stressor. This includes positive events such as getting married or receiving a promotion.
Regardless of whether an event is good or bad, if the changes it brings strain our coping
skills and adaptive resources. The end result is the subjective feeling of stress and the
body's biological stress response. Stress may be considered the 'wear and tear' our bodies
experience as we adjust to a continually changing organizational environment
EXPLORING THE QUESTION OF CONTROL.
Within organizational change, people will experience things they cannot control.
Some employees have to make some difficult or painful changes where desirable choices
seem non-existent. Unfortunately, people may direct their attention to the things they
cannot control, resulting in reduced awareness of available choices and feelings of being
trapped. This results in higher stress levels and decreased work place effectiveness.
Working with employees to identify what they could and could not control about the
changes they were experiencing lead to realizations like the following:
What we cannot control What we can control
Decisions made by government
Some decisions made by top management
How we behave or act
Our thoughts
Our contribution and performance at work
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STRESS MANAGEMENT IN CALL CENTERS
Other people
Consequences of our behaviour or actions
Our choices
What we say to others, positive or
negative input
Most stress consists of a collection of strong emotions and the negative self talk that adds
fuel to keep them alive, as shown on the sheet below. common words relating to stress are
1.1
9
TRAUMATIC STRESS
CHRONIC STRESS
EPISODIC ACUTE STRESS
ACUTE STRESS
STRESS
STRESS MANAGEMENT IN CALL CENTERS
This exercise helps participants sort out the work place stressors, what they are telling
themselves about them, and the physical and emotional effects they experience.
3. CATEGORIES OF STRESS
3.1
Stress can be broadly classified in the following categories:
Acute stress is what most people identify as stress. It makes itself felt through
tension headaches, emotional upsets, gastrointestinal disturbances, feelings of
agitation and pressure. It's easily treatable and can be brought under control in
six to eight weeks.
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STRESS MANAGEMENT IN CALL CENTERS
Episodic acute stress is more serious and can lead to migraines, hypertension,
stroke, heart attack, anxiety, depression, serious gastrointestinal distress. It's
quite treatable, but it takes general life style readjustments, four to six months,
and often requires professional help.
Chronic stress is the most serious of all. It's the stress that never ends. It grinds
us down until our resistance is gone. Serious systemic illness such as diabetes,
decreased immunocompetence, perhaps cancer is its hallmark. It can be treated,
even reversed, but it takes time - sometimes two to three years-and often requires
professional help.
Traumatic stress is the result of massive acute stress, the effects of which can
reverberate through our systems for years. Post traumatic stress disorder is
treatable and reversible and usually requires professional aid.
4. STRESS PATTERNS
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STRESS MANAGEMENT IN CALL CENTERS
Generally a call center employee undergoes the following two types of Stress
Pattern
4.1
1. Normal Pattern
This kind of stress is prevalent and inevitable among most of the call center
employees. But this kind of stress does not have any serious repercussions on the
health of the employees. In fact this kind of stress helps employees to work
harder and achieve the required goals.
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STRESS MANAGEMENT IN CALL CENTERS
2. Crisis Pattern
Stress under the crisis pattern is the most dreaded kind of stress pattern among
call center employees. Once it is identified among employees, employers must
take immediate remedial measures to ensure that it does not affect the work life
and personal life of the employees, which will ultimately lead to low output from
the employee.
5. IS STRESS GOOD
In small doses, stress can be a good thing. It can give you the push you need,
motivating you to do your best and to stay focused and alert. Stress is not necessarily a
negative phenomenon and it would therefore be a mistake to concentrate only on its
pathological effects. A moderate level of stress can be an important motivational factor and
can be instrumental in achieving a dynamic adaptation to new situations.
If health is considered as a dynamic equilibrium, stress is part of it. There is no
health without interaction with other people and with the environment. Only excesses of
stress are pathological.
Some stress is therefore normal and necessary, at work and outside it. Stress is good
because the increased levels of hormones flooding through the body increase performance.
There is a point, however where stress levels increase beyond the body's ability to deal
with it, and performance drops off very quickly and people 'burnout'.
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STRESS MANAGEMENT IN CALL CENTERS
5.1
2
INTRODUCTION
TO
CALL CENTERS
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STRESS MANAGEMENT IN CALL CENTERS
1. ABOUT CALL CENTERS
1. The part of an organization that handles inbound/outbound communications with
customers.
2. Industry term referring to a company phone center that handles such services as help
desk, customer support, lead generation, emergency response, telephone answering service,
inbound response and outbound telemarketing
3. A functional area within an organization or an outsourced, separate facility that exists
solely to answer inbound or place outbound telephone calls; usually a sophisticated voice
operations center that provides a full range of high-volume, inbound or outbound call-
handling services, including customer support, operator services, directory assistance,
multilingual customer support, credit services, card services, inbound and outbound
telemarketing, interactive voice response and web-based.
CALL CENTRES
Are one of the most rapidly growing forms of employment in India today and also one of the most controversial, having attracted negative press coverage
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STRESS MANAGEMENT IN CALL CENTERS
for the stressful ‘pressure-cooker’ working conditions which apply in some of the larger and more highly-regimented centres. Reports have also focused on staff recruitment and retention difficulties experienced in local call centre ‘hot spots’. Many of these problems appear to be associated with having large numbers of workers concentrated together in one location.
The study concluded that whilst no reliable statistics exist on call centre employment in India it is undoubtedly expanding quickly and probably currently accounts for between a quarter and three-quarters of a million jobs in India.
Furthermore, the rapid growth and speed of change in the sector has created very volatile conditions in the industry.
BENEFITS OF CALL CENTERS
Call centers are facilities that are specifically set up to manage telephone
calls from customers. They are intended to provide orderly cost efficient telephone-based
services. They serve as the primary telephone interface with customers for specific
services provided by the agencies. The call centers have structured environments where
calls are handled by a group of skilled professionals who provide the service required by
the caller or transfer the call to someone designated for that purpose.
The key customer benefits of the call centers include:
Convenient customer access to the services required
A positive experience from operators skilled in providing telephone services
Accurate and appropriate responses
High level of customer satisfaction
Improved efficiency
Monitor performance
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STRESS MANAGEMENT IN CALL CENTERS
Outsource & Self doing
Call center can either be of the companies own or they can even outsource this job to other
organization which is more preferred as compared to owning their own call center system.
This can be because of following reason.
Lower labor costs in offshore call center outsourcing
In many call centers in either North America or in Europe, labor costs are the largest share
of operating expenses. In India, labor costs are much lower, about 10- 20 percent of what it
is in the US. Because of this operating expenses are more evenly distributed across labor,
systems and telecom, and real estate and utilities. The savings, for some of these
companies, have been truly phenomenal going up to as much as $250 million annually.
Labor costs in India are quite low compared to the U.S. Someone answering complicated
financial questions on the phone in the U.S. may expect $40,000 a year, but in India, labour
costs are a fraction of what they are overseas.
A skilled and abundant work force
Many call centers in America or in Europe hire high school graduates. These employees
often appear to lack commitment and motivation, as can be observed by the high attrition
rates, about 40 percent or higher.
In India however, call centers hire university graduates from the enormous pools of skilled
labour (India alone produces 2 million English-speaking college graduates and 300,000
post-graduates annually). Although just some 5% of Indians are proficient in English, in a
country of more than one billion people, this still represents a labor pool of more than 50
million people. For these employees, a call center profession is not just a temporary job,
but a career they are committed to.
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STRESS MANAGEMENT IN CALL CENTERS
SOME OF THE STATISTICS
In a talk on how the US will actually benefit from outsourcing rather than incur losses,
Azim Premji, the chair man of Wipro, said that the US economy was projected to save
about $11 billion from outsourcing to India in the current year. · "Indian IT professionals in
the US spend $1.2 billion contributing to the domestic economy there. Indian firms paid
over $350 million to the US social security in 2002-03 and this amount is expected to cross
$1 billion in the next few years," he said.
In a recent report by Inductis, to understand the magnitude of the impact on the US
economy of offshore outsourcing, figures showed that 8 billion dollars was saved over the
last four years.
The Inducts report also showed that GE which employs 18,000 workers in India has
seen a total savings of 350 million dollars a year.
Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) and off shoring is expected to grow substantially in
the next five years. Approximately $300-400 billion of services will be moved offshore
and/or outsourced. India's share in the outsourcing market is likely to be 2/3rd.
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STRESS MANAGEMENT IN CALL CENTERS
2. SWOT ANALYSIS
STRENGTHS
o Highly skilled, English-speaking workforce.
o Abundant manpower
o Cheaper workforce than their Western
counterparts. According to Nasscom, The
wage difference is as high as 70-80 percent when compared to their Western
counterparts.
o Lower attrition rates than in the West.
o Dedicated workforce aiming at making a long-term career in the field.
o Round-the-clock advantage for Western companies due to the huge time
difference.
o Lower response time with efficient and effective service.
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STRESS MANAGEMENT IN CALL CENTERS
o Operational excellence
o Conducive business environment
WEAKNESSES
o Recent months have seen a rise in the level of attrition rates among call centers
workers who are quitting their jobs to pursue higher studies. Of late workers
have shown a tendency not to pursue call center as a full-time career.
o The cost of telecom and network infrastructure is much higher in India than in
the US.
o Manpower shortage
o Local infrastructure
o Political opposition from developed countries
OPPORTUNITIES
o To work closely with associations like Nasscom to portray India as the most
favoured call center destination in the world.
o Indian call centers should work closely with Western governments and assuage
their concerns and issues.
o India can be branded as a quality call centers destination rather than a low-cost
destination.
o $69 billion call centers business by 2010
o $97.5 billion IT (consulting, software solutions) market by 2010
THREATS
o The anti-outsourcing legislation in the US state of New Jersey. Three more
states in the United States are planning legislation against outsourcing
Connecticut, Missouri and Wisconsin.
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STRESS MANAGEMENT IN CALL CENTERS
o Workers in British Telecom have protested against outsourcing of work to
Indian BPO companies.
o Other call centers destinations such as China, Philippines and South Africa
could have an edge on the cost factor.
o Slowdown of demand
3. STATISTICS OF INDIAN CALL CENTRES
1. RECENT RANKINGS OF INDIAN CALL CENTERS.
Top 15 Call Center in India
SR.No 2004-05 2005-06
1 WNS GENPACT
2 WIPRO BPO WNS
3 HCL TECHNOLOGY BPO SERVICES WIPO BPO
4 IBM DAKSH HCL BPO SERVICES
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STRESS MANAGEMENT IN CALL CENTERS
5 EXL SERVICES ICICI ONESOURCE
6 MPHASIS BPO (FORMERLY MSOURCE) IBM DAKSH
7 INTELENET GLOBAL PROGEON
8 ICICI ONESOURCE AEGIS BPO SERVICES
9 GTL EXL SERVICE HOLDINGS
10 PROGEON 24/7 CUSTOMER
11 24/7 CUSTOMER.COM MPHASIS BPO
12 DATAMATICS TECHNOLOGIES
INTELENET GLOBAL SERVICES
13 HINDUJA TMT GTL
14 TRANSWORKS TCS BPO
15 TRACMAIL TRANSWORKSSOURCE: NASSCOM 2005 SURVEY
THE CURRENT AVERAGE SALARIES IN THE BPO WORLD IN
INDIA?
o Customer Care Representatives [CSRs]: Rs 8,000 - Rs 15,000 per month
o Team Leaders: Rs. 17,000 - Rs 26,000 per month
o Managers: Rs 3 lacs - Rs 5.5 lacs per annum
o Training Heads: Rs 8 lacs - Rs 12 lacs per annum
o Training Managers: Rs 5 lacs - Rs 8 lacs per annum
o Trainers: Rs 2 lacs - Rs 5 lacs per annum
SEGMENTS SKILLSCall center Good communication and language skills, accent understanding team
leadership, basic computing skills
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STRESS MANAGEMENT IN CALL CENTERS
1. MAIN REVENUE AREAS FOR INDIAN BPO COMPANIES?
India's BPO Market in 2008
Service Line First Estimate (1999) Second Estimate (2001)
HR 5.4 3.5-4.0
Customer Care 4.1 8.0-8.5
Payment Services 2.9 3.0-3.5
Content Development 2.6 2.5-3.0
Administration 1.3 1.5-2.0
Finance 0.7 2.5-3.0
Figures in $ billion
3
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STRESS MANAGEMENT IN CALL CENTERS
STRESS
IN
CALL CENTERS
1. STRESS FACTORS IN CALL CENTRES
24
STATUS BAR , OLDSTERS
MONOTONOUS JOB
LESS TIME TO SPEND WITH FAMILY
INTENSITY
STRESS MANAGEMENT IN CALL CENTERS
3.1
1. MONOTONOUS JOB
The primary source of stress reported is inherent to the nature of the job: spending
all day on the phone dealing with people one after another, day after day, is difficult. Doing
it under constant pressure to keep call volumes up, with no time between calls to ‘recover
from an awkward call’ or from ‘customer rejection’ is even more difficult. And doing it
with ‘very little authority or autonomy to rectify problems’ that arise is perhaps the most
difficult of all. Many studies report agents as wanting to ‘just get off the phones’. It was
pointed out that managers face an inherent conflict between the need to reduce staff
boredom and labor turnover, and the pressure to concentrate staff energies on telephone
based work.
2. WEIRD WORK TIMINGS
No prizes, for guessing the most severe ailment afflicting employees, working in
Indian call centers. Because of the time difference between India and the United States,
Indian employees work graveyard shifts, arriving at the office in the early evening
(6:30pm) and returning home shortly before dawn (3:30am). The adjustment to such odd
hours is hitting India hard, and carrying with it a host of health problems: digestive disease,
hair loss, back pain and stress to name just a few. Since this is a unique Indian problem,
again, no solution appears in sight. Obviously this affects first timers more severely, as
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STRESSFACTORS IN CALL CENTERS.
WEIRD WORKING TIME
VERBAL ABUSE
CONFLICTING ROLES TARGETS
LACK OF COMMUNICATIONS
FEAR OF INSECURITY
STRESS MANAGEMENT IN CALL CENTERS
they take time to acclimatize their biological clocks, but even experienced people or
managers are not able to completely escape from it. Some call centers are looking at
devising innovative mechanisms like flexible shifts with sleeping arrangements in the
office premises as possible solutions.
3. CONFLICTING ROLE REQUIREMENT ON EMPLOYEE.
This more nuance positioning may provide more insight into call center conditions,
as it allows considering the response of employees “forced to interpret the often
contradictory demands management place upon them” including “contradictions over
service quality versus the quantity of work output”. Staff faces some fundamental
contradictions over unity versus conflict, uncertainty versus certainty, quality versus
quantity and these are at the heart of the reproduction of stress, resistance and control. This
focus on the “contradictory” nature of demands strikes at the heart of the second inherent
sources of stress in (primarily inbound) call center works: the quality/quantity conflict.
Typically, organizational rhetoric in inbound call centers is concerned with ‘customer
care’, or ‘keeping customers happy’ (providing quality service), yet these goals are
juxtaposed with an ongoing pressure to keep call times down and call volumes up. This can
be easily understood as follows - Call centers are rooted in contradictory tensions and
structural paradoxes, and confront a number of trade-offs on that basis. These set a context
for attitudes towards the organization and can impose conflicting role requirements on
agents. A core example is that of the pressure for quantity versus the aspiration for quality,
the guiding logic of which is the conundrum of trying to get closer to the customer while
routinizing, centralizing, reducing costs and prescribing standards. The dichotomy is not
completely straightforward, it is important to note that part of providing quality service
from a management perspective is making sure customers do not wait too long for their
calls to be answered, even though the push to keep queue waiting times short is typically
categorized as part of the pressure towards quantity. As pointed out in the study by
Investors in People 2004, “efforts to attain what is perceived to be the desired balance
between the quantity and the quality of calls presents a perennial challenge”.
4. INTENSITY
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STRESS MANAGEMENT IN CALL CENTERS
Another stressor in call center work is its intensity. There is widespread consensus that
“call centers are a new, and particularly effective, manifestation of the increasingly capital
intensive ‘industrialization’ of service sector work, and work performed in them is highly
intensive and routine”.
Investor in People, 2004 quotes a call center employee describing the
intensity of the job. “It’s almost like the army. It’s much regimented. You punch in with a
time clock. You come in and you sit down, and the numbers are all computerized. As soon
as you finish a call, the minute you hang up another call comes up just this constant, all
day, repetitious constant sort of like beating on a drum, but day after day ”, says call center
employee. Descriptions such as “exhausting,” “robotic,” “controlled,” and agents
discussing the nature of their work often used are “machine-like”.
An organizational viewpoint of the situation is totally indifferent, they say:
Call centers are information handling organizations. As currently characterized, the job of
the agent is to be the voice of the organization, interfacing with the client or customer. The
organization rehearses the things it wants said and feeds them through the agent. The agent
is largely constructed as a mouthpiece rather than as a brain. A call-center worker who
articulated his feelings about the organization’s expectations of its agents in very similar
terms, Rahul: You are standing waiting to be used by the technology, and it’s a physical
embodiment of that. You are standing, waiting until that call comes in to use you to make
money. And you are simply another part of that machine. When this feeling of being a cog
in a machine which never stops as it grinds on, repeating the same actions over and over
again, is combined with ‘the cumulative emotional demands presented by the interpersonal
nature of the work’, stress is inevitable.
5. TARGETS
A major feature of some call center work that may
engender stress is performance targets. There are
various types of targets, which may vary between
inbound and outbound centers. Inbound centers
typically have targets for call duration, ‘wrap
time’, and daily call volume. Outbound centers
often also have sales or ‘completion’ targets,
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STRESS MANAGEMENT IN CALL CENTERS
which are closely monitored and upon which pay may be partially based. In addition, in
some sectors, inbound call centers are attempting to introduce the practice of cross selling,
where agents attempt to sell additional products to the customers who call in for another
purpose. In these centers, sales targets similar to those in outbound centers are
often in place.
According to behaviorists, targets are a significant source of stress for workers
as more and more importance is placed upon meeting them in an increasingly competitive
business environment. Sales targets, in particular, are difficult to accept, or meet, for staffs
who often consider themselves as service personnel, particularly when they are set
centrally and implemented locally: “Cross-selling is seen by employees, not as an
opportunity to engage in creative work, but as an additional and acute source of pressure”.
This is especially the case when sales targets are parachuted in on top of service targets set
originally when there was no pressure to produce sales.
As a CSR in the study emphasizes: “When somebody calls in for a balance you
have to try to get a sale or get them interested as well as turning the call round in 155
seconds” Even in centers that claim not to prioritize targets, researchers have found that
staff often feels significant pressure. Targets simply intensify the stress produced by the
quantity/quality debate, or, as one agent is quoted as saying, “They say that they’re not
really interested in numbers. They say that they are more into quality. Well, that’s a lie.
They’re usually more into numbers than anything”. It is important not to over generalize
however. While most call centers do have some targets, they are a source of stress that is
directly under management control. Some call centers are managed in such a way that
targets are set to realistically reflect local conditions, are interpreted in light of other, more
subjective information, and are not used punitively or to intensify work.
6. LACK OF COMMUNICATION
It is a call center disease that some call centers just gravitate to simply because everyone is
too busy with their job duties and with doing someone else's jobs that communication is
simply forgotten. Sounds harmless but if not addressed, it could slowly but surely drag
down a center's morale, employees' self esteems, work life balance, job security,
employees' productivities and the most important increase stress levels.
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STRESS MANAGEMENT IN CALL CENTERS
7. VERBAL ABUSE
60% call handlers may experience more verbal abuse than the typical office workers,
because they spend more time on the telephone. The Health and Safety Executive's
definition of work-related violence, 'any incident in which a person is abused, threatened or
assaulted in circumstances relating to their work', explicitly states it includes verbal abuse.
There are no clear criteria as to what constitutes an abusive call, as some call handlers may
feel less threatened than others by callers shouting, swearing and making insulting and
aggressive comments. Individuals may also vary over time as to how they cope with these
kinds of calls and how long it takes them to recover. All these factors should be given
careful consideration in a risk assessment.
It is a known fact that the call center jobs available in India today are all
uprooted from American countries. Approximately 170,000 new jobs have been created in
India over the past few years, leaving the employees from the outsourcing countries
redundant. This has caused a furor among the jobless international population; many of
them end up making abusive calls. While earlier, abusive calls would usually come from
drunken callers, now they come from sober people who are calling only to vent their
feeling about their jobs being off shored, or 'Bangalore' as it is now called, says a Mumbai
call center executive.
Employees working in call centers in India report the highest volume of
abusive and racist phone calls than ever before. "Earlier, people would get abusive if we
didn't answer their questions satisfactorily. Now, I get calls on some days up to five a shift
from people who are calling only to abuse," says a 22-year-old engineering graduate who
works in a major call centre in Malad. This has caused many Indian employees to suffer
from various emotional and physical stresses.
8. NO TIME TO SPEND WITH FAMILY
As the timing of call center persons are weird that is from 7pm onwards 3am or such, full
night goes in working in call centers and after coming home fully tired , he goes directly
for sleep not even having proper conversation with his family, it is truly said in this case
that when world is at sleep call center people is awake and when world wakes up they go
for sleep. It has been observed that even during holidays and Sundays midnight coolies
prefer to take rest at home rather than taking family away for outing.
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STRESS MANAGEMENT IN CALL CENTERS
9. FEAR OF INSECURITY
Even though there was a huge increase in payment of salaries to workers through the entry
of call centers. People working in call centers always has a feeling of insecurity in their
mind that if tomorrow they are out of call center then they cannot enter into other stream
that they initially choosed easily due to lack of experience in this field.
10. STATUS BAR IN FRONT OF OLDSTERS
Oldsters of the society have a feeling that working in a call center is not a job of
status .they still believe that working in night is not done among good families .many
proposals were broken just because of this reason.
2. SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF STRESS
Stress affects the mind, body, and behavior in many ways. The specific signs and
symptoms of stress vary from person to person, but all have the potential to harm your
health, emotional well-being, and relationships with others. Below is a partial list of stress
signs and symptoms that a person undergoing stress might experience.
Keep in mind that the signs and symptoms of stress can be caused by many psychological
or physical problems. Similarly, emotional symptoms such as anxiety or depression
30
STRESS MANAGEMENT IN CALL CENTERS
Intellectual symptoms: How stress can affect your mind.
Memory problems.
Difficulty making decisions.
Inability to concentrate.
Confusion.
Seeing only the negative.
Repetitive or racing thoughts.
Poor judgment.
Loss of objectivity.
Emotional symptoms: How stress can make you feel.
Moody and hypersensitive.
Restlessness and anxiety.
Depression.
Anger and resentment.
Easily irritated and “on edge”.
Lack of confidence.
Apathy.
Urge to laugh or cry at inappropriate times.
Physical symptoms: How stress can affect your body.
Headaches.
Digestive problems.
Muscle tension and pain.
Sleep disturbances.
Fatigue.
Chest pain, irregular heartbeat.
High blood pressure.
Weight gain or loss.
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STRESS MANAGEMENT IN CALL CENTERS
Asthma or shortness of breath.
Skin problems.
Decreased sex drive
Behavioral symptoms: How stress can affect your behavior.
Eating more or less.
Sleeping too much or too little.
Isolating yourself from others.
Neglecting your responsibilities.
Increasing alcohol and drug use.
Nervous habits (e.g. nail biting, pacing).
Teeth grinding or jaw clenching.
Overdoing activities such as exercising or shopping.
Losing your temper.
Overreacting to unexpected problems
3. EFFECTS OF STRESS
1. IRREGULARITY :
Absenteeism is very high in calls centers. Employees tend to be very irregular to the duty
due to various reasons. The professional counseling services to such irregular employees
on one to one basis will help to bring down the absenteeism. The counselor can educate
and explain the importance of attending duties to earn the salary and also to meet the
organizational goals.
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STRESS MANAGEMENT IN CALL CENTERS
2. GROWING MENTAL FATIGUE:
In last year's survey, this was not among the top disorders, but this year it has climbed up
the chart, affecting nearly one-fourth of the respondents. Not surprising, since, as the
industry matures, the initial glitz and glamour wears away and the real problems come to
the fore. Not only are there several health related issues, but, on top of that, the gradual
realization that there is limited scope in developing a career owing to fewer growth
opportunities is increasing the frustration levels. Coupled with growing mental fatigue and
increasingly punishing physical environments, depression is the obvious end result. Some
call centers have now devised different stress management programs mainly to counter
depression.
Severe Stomach Related Problems Continuing digestive problems lead to severe stomach
disorders like gastroenteritis, as endorsed by more than 24% of the respondents. Even
doctors in major cities agree-in recent times many of the patients with various stomach
ailments are from call centers
3. EYESIGHT PROBLEMS:
Globally call center industry employees are considered a high-risk group for eye-related
problems. While the quality of monitors might impact these disorders, sitting continually
without adequate breaks seems to be the truer reason. The number of people affected seems
to be on the rise-last year only 19% complained; this year it has gone up to 23%. At some
point of time, this problem might also afflict the IT services industry, but for the call center
industry, no remedy seems to be in sight.
4. EAR PROBLEMS:
More than 16% of the respondents inform that they have hearing problems. Again, no
surprises here, since a call center job involves taking calls throughout the shift, sitting with
headphones. While quality of headphones does make a difference, it would not be correct
to completely wish the problem away by thinking that changing headphones will solve it.
5. DIGESTIVE SYSTEM RELATED DISORDERS:
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STRESS MANAGEMENT IN CALL CENTERS
Working long and odd hours without any sleep, and eating food supplied by external
caterers everyday, has led to 41.9% of the respondents suffering from digestive problems.
Especially for the large number of girls working in the industry, the problem is even more
severe. Many call centers are now taking additional care to ensure their caterers supply
hygienic food; besides stipulating strict conditions to maintain the quality of the food they
serve
6. OTHER STRESS RELATED ISSUES …
The result of intense, stressful work may be an effect on workers’ health. There are often
high rates of absenteeism and sick leave reported in the literature, although there is
relatively little exploration of these issues, particularly when compared to turnover. Most
often, authors provide a brief list of known health issues. For example, Richardson, Belt
and Marshall write that “Health concerns have been expressed, including tension,
sleeplessness, headaches, eye-strain, repetitive strain injury (RSI), voice loss, hearing
problems and burn-out”, but they do not develop the point. More detailed descriptions of
the causes and effects of these ailments can be found in industry and trades union reports.
For example, the Trades Union Council (TUC) in its brochure targeted at call center
workers, cites the main illnesses to which call center staff are prone: “back strain and RSI,
stress, eyestrain, and voice and hearing loss”.
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STRESS MANAGEMENT IN CALL CENTERS
Managing stress
Among midnight coolies
1. MANAGING STRESS IN CALLCENTER
Stress management is to bring your nervous system back into balance, giving you a sense
of calmness and control in your life. Managing stress means balancing various aspects of it
— work, relationships and leisure — as well as the physical, intellectual and emotional
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STRESS MANAGEMENT IN CALL CENTERS
parts. People who effectively manage stress consider life a challenge rather than a series of
irritations, and they feel they have control over their lives, even in the face of setbacks.
Although it is not possible to give a universal prescription for preventing stress at
call centers, it is possible to offer guidelines on the process of stress prevention in
call centers. In all situations, the process for stress prevention programs involves
three distinct steps: problem identification, intervention, and evaluation
2. Changing Lifestyle
1) Get enough sleep: . The main problem of
midnight coolies are that all of a sudden when
they join call centers their sleeping patterns
36
STRESS MANAGEMENT IN CALL CENTERS
changes, which makes them restless. Adequate sleep fuels your mind, as well as
your body. Feeling tired will increase your stress because it may cause you to think
irrationally .so have good sleep during day time keeping other works aside.
2) Connect with others: Develop a support system and share your feelings.
Perhaps a friend, family member, teacher, clergy person or counselor can help you
see your problem in a different light. Talking with someone else can help clear your
mind of confusion so that you can focus on problem solving.
3) Exercise regularly: Find at least 30 minutes, three times per week to do something
physical. Nothing beats aerobic exercise to dissipate the excess energy. Physical
activity plays a key role in reducing and preventing the effects of stress. During
times of high stress, choose things you like to do. It also is beneficial to have a
variety of exercise outlets. Be physically fit in ways appropriate for your age, rather
than being sedentary.
4) Eat a balanced, nutritious diet: Be mindful of what
you put in your body. Healthy eating fuels your mind,
as well as your body. Take time to eat breakfast in the
morning, it will help keep you going throughout the
day. Eating several balanced, nutritious meals
throughout the day will give you the energy to think
rationally and clearly. Well-nourished bodies are better
prepared to cope with stress.
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STRESS MANAGEMENT IN CALL CENTERS
5) Reduce caffeine and sugar: Avoid consuming too much caffeine and sugar. In
excessive amounts, the temporary "highs" they provide often end in fatigue or a
"crash" later. You’ll feel more relaxed, less jittery or nervous, and you’ll sleep
better. In addition, you’ll have more energy, less heartburn and fewer muscle aches.
6) Don’t self-medicate with alcohol or drugs: While
consuming alcohol or drugs may appear to alleviate stress, it is
only temporary. When sober, the problems and stress will
still be there. Don’t mask the issue at hand; deal with it head
on and with a clear mind.
7) Do something for yourself everyday: Take time out from the hustle and bustle of
life for leisure time. Too much work is actually inefficient and can lead to burnout.
Recognize when you are most stressed and allow yourself some reasonable breaks.
When things feel especially difficult, take a walk or change your scenery. Most
importantly, have fun. Do things that make you happy.
3. Changing thinking and emotional response
1) Have realistic expectations: Know your limits. Whether personally or
professionally, be realistic about how much you can do. Set limits for yourself and
learn to say “no” to more work and commitments.
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STRESS MANAGEMENT IN CALL CENTERS
2) Reframe problems: See problems as opportunities. As a result of positive thinking,
you will be able to handle whatever is causing your stress. Refute negative thoughts
and try to see the glass as half full. It is easy to fall into the rut of seeing only the
negative when you are stressed. Your thoughts can become like a pair of dark
glasses, allowing little light or joy into your life.
3) Maintain your sense of humor: This includes the ability to laugh at yourself.
Watch a funny movie: the sillier the plot the better. The act of laughing helps your
body fight stress in a number of ways.
4) Express your feelings instead of bottling them up: In order to live a less stressful
life, learn to calm your emotions. A good cry during periods of stress, or sharing
your concerns with someone you trust can be healthy ways to bring relief to your
anxiety.
5) Don’t try to control events or other people: Many circumstances in life are
beyond your control, particularly the behavior of others. Consider that we live in an
imperfect world. Learn to accept what is, for now, until the time comes when
perhaps you can change things.
6) Ask yourself “Is this my problem?” If it isn't, leave it alone. If it is, can you
resolve it now? Once the problem is settled, leave it alone. Don't agonize over the
decision, and try to accept situations you cannot change.
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STRESS MANAGEMENT IN CALL CENTERS
4. Managing stress during stressful situations?
1) Manage time: One of the greatest sources of stress is over-commitment or poor
time management. Plan ahead. Make a reasonable schedule for yourself and include
time for stress reduction as a regular part of your schedule. When you try to take
care of everything at once it can seem overwhelming and as a result, you may not
accomplish anything. Instead, make a list of what tasks you have to do, and then
complete them one at a time, checking them off as they're completed.
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STRESS MANAGEMENT IN CALL CENTERS
2) Give priority to the most important tasks and do those first: If a particularly
unpleasant task faces you, tackle it early in the day and get it over with. You will
experience less anxiety the rest of the day as a result. Most importantly, do not
overwork yourself. Resist the temptation to schedule things back-to-back. All too
often, we underestimate how long things will take.
3) Delegate tasks and break up big projects: Being efficient and effective means
you must delegate tasks and prioritize, schedule, budget and plan your precious
time. Aim to work in short, intensive periods, which allow you to rest in between.
Break big projects into smaller, more manageable tasks so you don’t feel
overwhelmed and nothing gets done as a result.
5. Some more tips.
1) Take a mental vacation: Take a moment to close your eyes and imagine a place
where you feel relaxed and comfortable. Notice all the details of your chosen place,
including pleasant sounds, smells and the temperature. Or change your mental
"channel" by reading a good book or playing relaxing music to create a sense of
peace and tranquility
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STRESS MANAGEMENT IN CALL CENTERS
2) Take a warm bath or shower: Wash the stress away and give yourself some time
by yourself to reflect and quiet the mind. Soaking in the bathtub can make you feel
like you are a world away from your reality.
3) Use aromatherapy: Originating in ancient China, aromatherapy is based on the
healing properties of plants; from which concentrated aromatic oils are extracted.
The vapors of these “essential oils” are then inhaled and carried via the
bloodstream, which controls the release of hormones and emotions.
4) Care for a pet: Petting an animal can help reduce stress and lower blood pressure.
If an office is having a pet, for example say a dog then the employees can reduce
their stress by spending some time with it. As they many people like to express their
emotions before pets
5) Keep a journal: One strategy that many people have found effective in coping with
stress is keeping a journal, sometimes referred as a “stress diary.” Writing thoughts
down has a marvelous way of putting problems into perspective. Putting your
worries into words may help you see that you don’t really have that much to worry
about, or it may help you get organized and manage your stress, rather than letting
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STRESS MANAGEMENT IN CALL CENTERS
it manage you. Regardless, keeping a journal should help you identify your
concerns and establish a plan for moving forward. In your journal:
a. List the situations that produce stress in your life (e.g., moving to a new
location, work demands, balancing priorities, job promotion, etc.).
b. Describe how you cope with each type of stressful experience.
c. Evaluate your responses. Are they healthy or unhealthy, appropriate or
unproductive?
6) Handling the abuse
Usually a caller is calling in because they're frustrated, angry, upset, concerned—
something has happened and they're not happy. Therefore, it is crucial that agents
and especially the call center manager note these occurrences and become better
prepared and informed on handling them for the sake of their workers and their
callers. In these situations the task should become how to handle this type of
emotional call rather than instantly labeling it "abusive" and not acceptable.
7) Job rotation
a. Job sharing/intern program cam be instituted in a call center. CSRs who
meet or exceed job expectations are eligible to do a rotation for three months in other
groups. CSRs work half a day on the phones, the other half in the Correspondence
Dept, or in the Research Dept, Work Force Management, or Quality Assurance. This
breaks up their day, teaches them new skills, & provides us with a pool of trained staff
whenever needed. Thus it is suggested to have a job rotation program that alternate
telephone staff to do administrative tasks to break up the day to day grind.
8) Stress Management Training
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STRESS MANAGEMENT IN CALL CENTERS
Stress management programs teach workers about the nature and sources of stress, the
effects of stress on health, and personal skills to reduce stress-for example, time
management or relaxation exercises. It also assists to improve the ability of workers to
cope with difficult work situations. Stress management training may rapidly reduce
stress symptoms such as anxiety and sleep disturbances; it also has the advantage of
being inexpensive and easy to implement. However, stress management programs have
two major disadvantages:
The beneficial effects on stress symptoms are often short-lived.
They often ignore important root causes of stress because they focus on the worker and
not the environment.
9) Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
Employee Assistance Program is of prime importance when employees need a
thorough revision about the stress levels in their job. EAPs provide individual
counseling for employees with both work and personal problems.
At the organizational level a call center needs to broaden its outlook, because under this
approach instead of a single employee the firm focuses on dealing with stress in the
entire organization.
Under this approach the firm tries to reduce job stress by bringing in a consultant to
recommend ways to improve working conditions. This approach is the most direct way
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STRESS MANAGEMENT IN CALL CENTERS
to reduce stress at work. It involves the identification of stressful aspects of work (e.g.,
excessive workload, conflicting expectations) and the design of strategies to reduce or
eliminate the identified stressors. The advantage of this approach is that it deals directly
with the root causes of stress at work. However, managers are sometimes
uncomfortable with this approach because it can involve changes in work routines or
production schedules, or changes in the organizational structure.
As a general rule, actions to reduce job stress should give top priority to
organizational change to improve working conditions. But even the most conscientious
efforts to improve working conditions are unlikely to eliminate stress completely for all
workers. For this reason, a combination of organizational level change and employee
level change is often the most useful approach for preventing stress at work.
10 ) Reflexology-style
The tightness that you feel after
sitting in front of a computer for
hours can be overwhelming. You can
manipulate points on the feet to
reduce tension. to slip off shoes and
give urself a massage, reflexology-
style.
“Use your thumb and fingers to
gently rotate each toe, applying on-
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STRESS MANAGEMENT IN CALL CENTERS
and-off pressure by rocking your thumb from the first joint to its tip. Inching your thumb
along, work all surfaces of each toe. That’s called thumb-walking. Do that across the ridge
where your toes meet the ball of your foot. When you get to the outside edge of your foot,
at the base of your small toe, thumb-walk in a circle. Then stretch your toes, flex and
extend your feet, and do a few ankle rotations. Take a moment to enjoy the relief, and
you’re ready to get back to work.”
6. As the Manager
As the boss, one can ensure that subordinates are not put under undue stress and also that
they are helped to get out of stress situations as quickly as possible. The steps are
Recognize the stress levels
Show concern
Encourage talking
Listen
Empathize
Explain and show how it can be done
Provide support
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STRESS MANAGEMENT IN CALL CENTERS
Discuss and involve them in decisions
Show respect to the individuals
Avoid insult, denunciation, abuse, reprimand, particularly in public
Avoid manipulation, coercion, blaming
All the above, render support and help to reduce anxieties. It is not suggested that the
demands on people should be lowered. People like challenges. They must be given
challenging assignments. That is the only way to growth. But if there is a sensing of
extreme stress, it should be managed through reassurance, not by withdrawing the
assignment.
5
Personal47
STRESS MANAGEMENT IN CALL CENTERS
Experiences
1. SAMPLE SIZE
SR NO. CALL CENTERS VISITED SAMPLE SIZE
1 CONVERGES 20
2 SUTHERLAND 20
3 WNS 20
4 CITI GROUP 20
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STRESS MANAGEMENT IN CALL CENTERS
2. PEOPLE SURVEYED
CONVERGYS SUTHERLAND EMP. ID NAME EMP. ID NAME2.1E+08 Amit Desai IN051318 Aamir Ghori1E+08 Diveesh Thayyil IN051299 Amith Kottayi2.1E+08 FredJames Paul IN051294 Ashish Vaghela1E+08 Harmanbir Bajwa IN051314 AsifMohd Shaikh2.1E+08 Joydeep Ghosh IN051295 Azhar Patel1E+08 Leon Pereira IN051306 Ekta Bajaj2.1E+08 Lloyd Isaac IN051312 Gaurav Dasgupta2.1E+08 Madhuri Shinde IN051302 Irfan Tisekar1E+08 Mrugesh Patel IN051307 Joseph Fernandes2.1E+08 Nainesh Shetty IN051297 Kalam Salik2.1E+08 Neethi Rao IN051301 Manish Sharma1E+08 Parag Tarkar IN051300 Merit Richardson2.1E+08 Piyush Khanduri IN051305 Monil Hodar
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STRESS MANAGEMENT IN CALL CENTERS
1E+08 Praveen Sequeira IN051310 Nikhil Tawde2.1E+08 Ralman Pereira IN051317 Nikhil Parkar2.1E+08 Robin Bharde IN051304 Nisha Dias2.1E+08 Roma Francis IN051308 Prashant Kamble2.1E+08 Sagar Soni IN051296 Prathamesh Patne2.1E+08 Sameer Tawde IN051316 Priyank Patani2.1e+08 Vinay Warrier IN051309 Siddharth Shinde
WNS CITIGROUP EMP. ID NAME EMP. ID NAME10833 Afaq Dalvi 109804 Abhishek Jani10834 Allwin Abraham 109800 Anup Raja Allase10835 Angelo D'Souza 109815 Ashadeep Sharma10846 Anshul Maithani 109803 Charanjit Singh10826 Anusha Johnson 109805 Chirag Shethia10848 Aqeel Nathani 109806 Dagmer Rodrigues10832 Berlin D'souza 109801 Dikshit Shetty10845 Chintan Takwani 109820 Doris Pereira10827 Deepak Das 109814 Kaushik Chatterjee10850 Durgesh Malandkar 109817 Kumar Pai10840 Imran Nathani 109818 Milind Soni10844 Kamarjahan Shaikh 109809 Mohammed Abdullah10841 Kenneth D'souza 109816 Rahul Sangani10847 Monica Mishra 109823 Raj Kukreja10838 Mubin Sayed 109811 Ravi Gude
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STRESS MANAGEMENT IN CALL CENTERS
10837 Naresh Sharma 109812 Richard D'souza10842 Nimrod D'souza 109807 Roshan Sholapur10831 Sachin Gaikwad 109802 Shivanand Thakur10828 Sanat Hegde 109810 Shyam Nair10830 Vishal Sisode 109821 Xavier Mendonca
The list of names they are addressed with are as follows -
- Technical Support Officer - TSO (Convergys)
- Technical Support Officer (Sutherland)
- Process Officer - PO (Citigroup)
- Collections Executive - CE (WNS)
3. STRESS SURVEY
It was really a very pleasant experience for me to get appointments with the HR managers
of WIPRO, WNS, CONVERGES, SUTHERLAND, AND CITI GROUP. And take a
survey in all of this call centers and furnish my projects with real facts and to give the best
results and suggestions to improve conditions of call centers.
A small survey was conducted in order to gauge the exact conditions in a call center. The
study was conducted on targeted respondents that included the young population employed
in the outsourcing business and with undergraduate, graduate and post-graduate education
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STRESS MANAGEMENT IN CALL CENTERS
Survey Results:-
1) You deal with
International calls Domestic calls
2) The shifts are-
Permanent Rotational Flexible
3) Your normal day at work is-
Exciting Easy going Hard Boring
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STRESS MANAGEMENT IN CALL CENTERS
4) The environment of your workplace is-
Very Good Good Satisfactory Poor
5)5) Do you lie awake at night worrying & planning the next day?Do you lie awake at night worrying & planning the next day?
Yes No Maybe
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STRESS MANAGEMENT IN CALL CENTERS
6)6) Do you have frequent headaches or migraines?Do you have frequent headaches or migraines?
Yes No Maybe
7)7) Do you have difficulty in concentrating?Do you have difficulty in concentrating?
Yes No Maybe
8) Do you have cold or clammy hands, dry mouth or shortness of
breath?
Yes No Maybe
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STRESS MANAGEMENT IN CALL CENTERS
9)9) When conflicts arise do you overreact?When conflicts arise do you overreact?
Yes No Maybe
10) Do you get along well with your colleagues?
Yes No Maybe
11) Do you feel that you are under too much pressure?
Yes No Maybe
12) Does your communication with family and friends seem
disturbed?
Yes No Maybe
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STRESS MANAGEMENT IN CALL CENTERS
13) Your relationship with your boss/ team leader is-
Very Good Good Satisfactory Bad
14) According to you, your work targets set by the company are-
Achievable Hard to achieve Impossible to achieve
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STRESS MANAGEMENT IN CALL CENTERS
15) In case of inability to achieve the targets your TL/ Boss-
Has a talk with you Screams at you Gives you another chance
16) Suggestions given by the employees are acknowledged by the management.
Yes Somewhat No
17) MAJOR STRESS FACTORS IN CALL CENTERS
57
Out of 100 employees-:
40% felt shift timing is one of the reason…..70% felt pressure of the work is one the reason…..50% felt monotonous job is one of the reason…..30% felt improper environment as one of the reason….. FOR STRESS IN THEM
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
STRESS MANAGEMENT IN CALL CENTERS
18) Does employee find their future bright in call centers
58
Shift Pressure Monotonous Improper Timings of work job environment
STRESS MANAGEMENT IN CALL CENTERS
19) STRESSED OUT EMPLOYEES
5. COMMON MEASURES TAKEN
59
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
72% Yes stressed out
28% No stressed out
Yes No
STRESS MANAGEMENT IN CALL CENTERS
The common thing that I came to notice after taking an interview in all the four call centers
was as follows-:
Everything gets measured and this puts employees under pressure. They are now
making efforts to help their employees cope with stress because it is an occupational
hazard. For example, night shifts are rotated on a regular basis. They organize various
events like family gatherings and Valentine’s Day celebrations to lighten the atmosphere
in the office. According to an HR manager at WNS, an employee could be stressed because
of a tough supervisor or if he is not able to perform well in his job. So, there is a lot of
emphasis on the training of team leaders (TL) and supervisors to avoid a strained
relationship between the employee and the TL.
Converges has an executive who is required to spend at least two hours daily at the
shop floor talking to employees about their day-to-day life.
In Citigroup they arrange for ‘feel good’ activities like an outdoor picnic or an
official dinner once in three months. This helps employees to talk to their senior
management in an informal environment. Employees are also given recognition by being
designated as ‘employee of the week’ and ‘employee of the month’.
In converges they arrange sports events on a monthly basis. An assistant manager ,
“We organize sports events like cricket tournaments to ensure that our employees are
engaged in physical activities.”
At Sutherland they conduct in-house workshops at frequent intervals in which
employees rejuvenate themselves through yoga and meditation they also play games and
indulge in activities like dumb charades and scrabble. Sutherland appoints professional
counselors who talk to the employees about both professional and personal problems like
long working hours and family demands. Besides teaching breathing exercises and yoga,
the counselors help the employees to look at things from a different perspective. They are
encouraged to take ownership and be accountable for their job in the organization.
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STRESS MANAGEMENT IN CALL CENTERS
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STRESS MANAGEMENT IN CALL CENTERS
6
Conclusion and
Recommendations
1 RECCOMENDATIONS
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STRESS MANAGEMENT IN CALL CENTERS
Stress management plan
Low morale, health and job complaints, and employee turnover often provide the first signs
of job stress. But sometimes there are no clues, especially if employees are fearful of losing
their jobs. Lack of obvious or widespread signs is not a good reason to dismiss concerns
about job stress or minimize the importance of a prevention program.
Step 1 - Identify the the source of stress-: The best method to explore the scope and source
of a suspected stress problem in an organization depends partly on the size of the
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STRESS MANAGEMENT IN CALL CENTERS
organization and the available resources. Group discussions among managers, labor
representatives, and employees can provide rich sources of information. Such discussions
may be all that is needed to track down and remedy stress problems in a small company. In
a larger organization, such discussions can be used to help design formal surveys for
gathering input about stressful job conditions from large numbers of employees.
Regardless of the method used to collect
data, information should be obtained about
employee perceptions of their job conditions
and perceived levels of stress, health, and
satisfaction. The list of job conditions that
may lead to stress and the warning signs and
effects of stress provide good starting points
for deciding what information to collect.
Regardless of the method used to collect
data, information should be obtained about
employee perceptions of their job conditions
and perceived levels of stress, health, and satisfaction. The list of job conditions that may
lead to stress and the warning signs and effects of stress provide good starting points for
deciding what information to collect.
Objective measures such as absenteeism, illness and turnover rates, or performance
problems can also be examined to gauge the presence and scope of job stress. However,
these measures are only rough indicators of job stress-at best.
Data from discussions, surveys, and other sources should be summarized and analyzed to
answer questions about the location of a stress problem and job conditions that may be
responsible-for example, are problems present throughout the organization or confined to
single departments or specific jobs?
Step 2- Design and Implement
Interventions. Once the sources of stress at work
Hold group discussions with
employees.
Design an employee survey.
Measure employee perceptions of job
conditions, stress, health, and
satisfaction.
Collect objective data.
Analyze data to identify problem
locations and stressful job conditions.
Target source of stress for
change.
Propose and prioritize
intervention strategies.
Communicate planned
interventions to employees.
Implement Interventions.
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STRESS MANAGEMENT IN CALL CENTERS
have been identified and the scope of the problem is understood, the stage is set for design
and implementation of intervention strategy. In small organizations, the informal
discussions that helped identify stress problems may also produce fruitful ideas for
prevention. In large organizations, a more formal process may be needed. Frequently, a
team is asked to develop recommendations based on analysis of data from Step 1 and
consultation with outside experts.
Certain problems, such as a hostile work environment, may be pervasive in the
organization and require company-wide interventions. Other problems such as excessive
workload may exist only in some departments and thus require more narrow solutions such
as redesign of the way a job is performed. Still other problems may be specific to certain
employees and resistant to any kind of organizational change, calling instead for stress
management or employee assistance interventions. Some interventions might be
implemented rapidly (e.g., improved communication, stress management training), but
others may require additional time to put into place (e.g., redesign of a manufacturing
process).
Step 3 - Evaluate the Implemented. Evaluation is an essential step in the intervention
process. Evaluation is necessary to determine whether the intervention is producing desired
effects and whether changes in direction are needed.
Time frames for evaluating interventions should
be established. Interventions involving
organizational change should receive both short-
and long-term scrutiny. Short-term evaluations
might be done quarterly to provide an early
indication of program effectiveness or possible
need for redirection. Many interventions produce
initial effects that do not persist. Long-term
Conduct both short- and long-term
evaluations.
Measure employee perceptions of
job conditions, stress, health, and
satisfaction.
Measure employee perceptions of
job conditions, stress, health, and
satisfaction.
Include objective measures.
Refine the intervention strategy and
return to Step 1.
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STRESS MANAGEMENT IN CALL CENTERS
evaluations are often conducted annually and are necessary to determine whether
interventions produce lasting effects.
Evaluations should focus on the same types of information collected during the problem
identification phase of the intervention, including information from employees about
working conditions, levels of perceived stress, health problems, and satisfaction. Employee
perceptions are usually the most sensitive measure of stressful working conditions and
often provide the first indication of intervention effectiveness. Adding objective measures
such as absenteeism and health care costs may also be useful. However, the effects of job
stress interventions on such measures tend to be less clear-cut and can take a long time to
appear.
The job stress prevention process does not end with evaluation. Rather, job stress
prevention should be seen as a continuous process that uses evaluation data to refine or
redirect the intervention strategy.
Take action-:
After evaluation and implementation see where
are the faults and where are the success
accordingly continue doing the strategy and
practice it regularly. After that you will see that
all the employees are relieved from stress and
all are working happily and efficiently. And a
better working place is created.
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STRESS MANAGEMENT IN CALL CENTERS
2. CONCLUSIONS
In the world of call centers it is very essential to control stress so as to make
employees feel good and give his hundred percent to the organization. To make employee
to work efficiently it is necessary to make a good working atmosphere in the work place,
stress not only makes people mentally ill but physically also.
We have also learned that stress is not always bad, it also helps in motivating the
workers when in small quantity. Stress can be managed in call centers by taking them to
picnic, organizing family gathering, avoiding monotonous job etc, so managing stress is
not at all difficult it only needs some tactic .
Again as mentioned in recommendation the call centers can first and foremost find
out the factors that are affecting employees and then by adopting proper measures can then
avoid or quarantine the stress factors in working place . The professionals can do
wonders in BPO sectors as well. People are the backbone of BPO industry and it is
certain that professional HR or Human Psychologist can make inroad in this
emerging organization and facilitate the growth of organization in an immense way.
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