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Executive Summary
The performance of many organizations and individual workers is undermined by challenges such as burnout. Call center agents are among the leading service providers who have experienced a high rate of employee burnout. Different research studies have been conducted to determine the most effective strategies that can be implemented to reduce burnout among call center agents. Burnout among call center agents is associated with low employee turnover, leading to excessive workload. Emotional labor is one of the factors that contribute to Call Center Burnout. Call Center Burnout hurts productivity and satisfaction at work. Luckily, strategies such as the use of the Human Resource (HR) department play a vital role in reducing Call Center Burnout through HR practices. The use of modern forms of technology such as call center technology also helps to reduce employee burnout. General participation and active collaboration among all the stakeholders will help to reduce burnout among call center agents.
Introduction
Call Center Burnout is a psychological condition that negatively affects the performance of an individual at work. It is also one of the leading medical and psychological conditions that have undermined the performance of healthcare systems in different countries. It is important to note that ineffective management of workplace situations leads to Call Center Burnout. Workers with call center burnout often experience weakness and exhaustion at work. They also experience increased mental distance from their job, accompanied by cynicism or negativism towards the job. All the effects of Call Center Burnout reduce an individual’s performance at work since it reduces professional efficacy. Work-related stress leads to burnout if it occurs for a long period. It manifests as feelings of dread or helplessness, which causes huge problems to both the individual and the organization. In addition, chronic stress at work can lead to other mental conditions such as anxiety and depression that manifest in physical form or symptoms such as heart disease. Most victims of Call Center Burnout are customer care services providers since their job is fast to keep up with, and it requires a lot of emotional labor. However, all experiences Call Center Burnout due to the changes that occur in all organizations. It implies that Call Center Burnout is a condition that is contributed by an external environmental factor. Call Center Burnout is an adverse psychological condition that undermines workers’ performance, health, and safety; therefore, this paper examines Call Center Burnout while elaborating on why it happens and the best ways to prevent it.
Literature Review
A research article published by Molino et al. (2016) claims that emotional labor is one of the factors that contribute to Call Center Burnout. The article defines emotional labor as the process where workers regulate their expressions and feelings at work while serving the customers with high-quality services. The process of interaction with customers in a call center requires an indevotional to portray certain emotions that are acceptable by the organization. Labor emotions must not be necessarily similar to a worker’s true feelings. The same is defined as emotional dissonance. It represents a vital job feature, especially for call center services. The study’s main aim was to determine whether emotional dissonance arbitrates the relationship between work demands and job resources, such as job autonomy and support from colleagues and supervisors. Also, a job demands-resources model was used as a framework to determine another affective discomfort at work. The findings from the study indicate that call center agents experience a great emotional dissonance and customer verbal aggression as compared to information service agents. The results also show a full arbitration of emotional resonance among the call center workers. Luckily, the article states that suggestions for practitioners in originations came up with suggestions that will help them reduce burnout and promote the health, safety, and wellbeing of their workers. As a result, it is recommended that the findings in the research article should be used to further study to understand the causes and mitigation measures for Call Center Burnout.
According to Ogrysko (2021), burnout among call center agents is associated with low employee turnover, leading to excessive workload. For example, The Department of Veterans Affairs has experienced low employee turnover, making it difficult for the organization to have a clear sense of the exact number of workers needed to complete a specific task. The inspector general of the organization stated that their organization has not been able to appropriately determine the number of workers needed for direct patient care roles as a result of low employee turnover. The findings from the article also discovered that other challenges that contribute to burnout include recruitment challenges and other challenges such as non-competitive payment. It explains why the organization experienced a shortage of staff. Fortunately, the organization has established a model called the validated staffing model to help support workers and reduce burnout among the workers. The model supports that all workers should be engaged in the process to determine the appropriate personal needs of the workers since they may have different options or definitions of their work needs. It explains how the use of different staffing models to determine individual needs may help to prevent the occurrence of burnout and increase employee turnover. Thus, it is recommended that the information published in the article should be used to study how employee turnover and burnout can be reduced.
The findings from the study by Ogrysko (2021) correspond to the information provided by an article by White, Aiken, and McHugh (2019). The two studies examine how burnout is caused by job dissatisfaction among Registered Nurses. The study by White, Aiken, and McHugh (2019) was conducted among registered nurses in hospitals across Florida, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and California. 687 RNs were interviewed on how job dissatisfaction contributes to employee burnout across the four states. The findings from the study indicate that 30% of RNs across the states exhibited a low level of burnout. It was also discovered that 31% of RNs are dissatisfied with their job. In addition, 72% of the workers miss one or more tasks during their last shift. Due to work pressure and lack of adequate time and resources leads to job dissatisfaction that contributes to burnout. The study also determines the difference in performance rates of RNs who are satisfied and those who have job dissatisfaction. It was discovered that RNs with a high level of job satisfaction portray a high performance that is not associated with low burnout. On the other hand, RNs who portrayed job dissatisfaction performed poorly since they registered high medical errors, especially during their last shifts. The article provides a solution to job dissatisfaction by suggesting that the working environment should be improved for effective reduction of dissatisfaction rates and to reduce burnout.
Klint et al. (2021) state that Call Center Burnout hurts productivity and satisfaction at work. The leading factors that contribute to the condition include community fairness, values, reward, and control. Other factors include stressful conditions at work and ineffective management of work conditions. The article also states that there are different dimensions of Call Center Burnout. One of the dimensions is emotional exhaustion which includes physical exhaustion and emotional stress. Another dimension is cynicism and depersonalization, which is caused by the first dimension of burnout. The last dimension is low self-esteem or decreased sense of self-accomplishment. People with a low sense of personal accomplishment feel like their efforts are not enough or do not contribute to the performance and growth of the organization. It explains why the symptoms of burnout are similar to those of other mental conditions such as anxiety, stress, and depression. High burnout is related to increased medical errors and poor patient safety for healthcare workers.
A study by Castanheira and Chambel (2010) illustrates how the Human Resource (HR) department plays a vital role in reducing Call Center Burnout through HR practices. It is important to note that HR practices are related to job dissatisfaction, discomfort, and stress. All these are interlinked, and they can lead to burnout both collectively or independently. A theoretical framework known as the Job Demands-Control (JD-C) was used to examine job demands such as quantitative demands and emotional dissonances to appropriately determine the role played by HR practices in reducing employee burnout. The study has also made it easy for HR managers to reduce burnout through HR practices by distinguishing between HR involvement systems and HR control systems. HR involvement systems include practices that involve monitoring of performance and practices. On the other hand, HR involvement systems include practices relating to training, performance-related pay, and employee participation. Generally, the findings from the study support that the use of various HR practices will help improve job satisfaction, commitment to reducing burnout among call center agents. The findings discovered that the HR systems could reduce burnout by verifying that they lead to more emotional dissonance among the workers. For instance, the HR involvement system alleviates the workers’ quantitative demands and emotional dissonance to help reduce burnout. The two HR systems help to decrease cynicism and exhaustion among its workers to reduce burnout.
According to a study by Kwon and Yoon (2011), social support and emotional labor help to reduce burnout and increase employee satisfaction at work. The study was conducted among call center agents in the airline industry. The article is relevant for this study since it examines the impacts of mention on emotional labor and the differences in levels of emotional labor. It also provides recommendations for the improvement of the competitive power of call center agents in airline companies. It was discovered that emotional labor affects the rate of burnout.
Background
Call Center Burnout is a global health problem that affects call center agents’ health, well-being, and performance. It arises due to many reasons, such as external and environmental factors that lead to job dissatisfaction. Thus, all organizations must provide a safe and conducive working environment for their workers to avoid cases of burnout and low employee turnover. Most employees who experience job dissatisfaction face all the work pressure and challenges, such as a lack of adequate support from their colleagues or supervisors. Lack of adequate resources, such as financial resources, has been noted as contributing to the increase in burnout among employees. As a result, all organizations should ensure that active participation and collaboration are upheld among all the relevant stakeholders to ensure that measures that promote the well-being and safety of employees are implemented. Research is one of the best tools that organizations and individuals have used to find the most relevant solution to various problems since it enhances accuracy during decision-making. It explains why this research article should be used to find the best solutions to employee burnout among call center agents. Similarly, the article makes it easy for organizations to identify and implement the most appropriate strategies to solve the issue since it outlines the procedure for the implementation of such measures.
Framework
Since Call Center Burnout is a serious issue that undermines call center agents’ performance, health, and safety, it is vital to establish or identify the best solutions. One of the solutions to Call Center Burnout is the investment in call center technology. The rise in the use of modern forms of technology has reduced work overload among workers in various industries. Similarly, implementing a call center technology system will help reduce call center burnout among employees since it reduces burnout. For instance, call center software can enhance collaboration among call center teams and empower employees by displaying relevant information at a fast rate. Another solution to Call Center Burnout is the recognition of burnout among the employees. The first step toward finding the appropriate solution to a particular problem is the acceptance that the problem exists. However, detecting or recognizing burnout among call center agents takes empathy and a keen eye. It explains why identifying burnout at its initial stages is a step toward recognizing and finding an early solution. Addressing unfair treatment is another solution that can help keep employees committed and motivated hence reducing burnout. Most cases of employee burnout are caused by unfair treatment at work. Addressing unfair treatment is similar to providing a conducive working environment for all employees regardless of the hierarchy levels. The same can also be achieved by sorting out unreasonable demands and unmanageable workloads in the workplace.
Governance of Quality Assessment
Another important stage when solving the issue of employee burnout is the practical implementation of the solutions that will help reduce Call Center Burnout. The best way to implement the identified strategies is through active participation and general indolence among all stakeholders, such as the workers and the supervisors. In other words, everyone’s option should count during decision-making on the best strategies to implement to reduce call center burnout. The implementation of these strategies should reduce employee stress and increase job satisfaction. Appropriate manager support will ensure that burnout is reduced since it helps to reduce workloads and remove unnecessary workplace demands. Changing management expectations and work environment reduces stress to reduce the rate of burnout among the call center agents. Another step toward the implementation of Call Center Burnout is the provision of safe working environments by eradicating works risks and other hazards that may cause physical or emotional damage to the workers. It is similar to creating a working environment that is from all physical, psychological, and emotional hazards. Implementing incentives such as cash incentives among the call center agents has been one of the best ways to implement employee burnout since it keeps employees motivated.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Call Center Burnout is an adverse psychological condition that undermines workers’ performance, health, and safety; therefore, this paper has examined Call Center Burnout while elaborating on why it happens and the best ways to prevent it. It is among the leading issues that have undermined the ability of all organizations to provide a safe working environment for their call center agents. It has also led to work-related stress that has contributed to low employee turnover in many organizations. Luckily, different strategies and measures have been implemented to reduce employee burnout and stress. One of the solutions is the implementation of call center technology since it helps make work easier for the call center agents. Another solution is the provision of a safe working environment for the employees. Adequate support and resources such as financial resources also help provide a solution to employee burnout. Finally, it is essential to note that research is another critical tool that can be used to find the best solution to problems such as employee burnout.
