Stress, health and wellbeing in call centre employees

Abstract

Call centre staff are at risk of stress, poor psychological wellbeing and physical health problems. The current research, comprising four studies, assesses wellbeing in a call centre in more depth than has previously been attempted. Study 1 is a longitudinal study of psychological wellbeing. Study 2 investigates health outcomes. Study 3 is a qualitative study of wellbeing and Study 4 reviews staff support services. Results show that one in three employees experiences high work stress. High rates of depression, anxiety and obesity and low levels of physical activity were also identified. This reinforces previous research findings suggesting that poor health and wellbeing in call centres is a cause for concern. Future publications will report further findings from the four studies.