CONCEPT OF EMOTIONAL LABOUR IN THE INDIAN BUSINESS PROCESS OUTSOURCING INDUSTRY
Keywords:
distribution, agriculture, transition, experience, advancesAbstract
The last two decades of the twentieth century witnessed a major global shift in the distribution of employment away from agriculture and industry in to the service sector. Concomitant with this transition has been the creation of a relatively new labour market characterized by work roles that emphasize interactions between front-line service workers and customers. As a consequence a new type of work demand, that of emotional labour, has emerged as a key component of interactive service work. One such example of work requiring emotional labour is that of work of Business Process Outsourcing employees. This work requires constant interaction with customers, and the requirement to regulate emotions at work. It is not unusual to experience constant abuse from angry customers, and in these situations the Business Process Outsourcing worker must maintain organizational standards with respect to customer service—adherence to the organizational value that the customer is always right. Paradoxically, while the unique role of the Business Process Outsourcing/call centre is the creation and maintenance of good customer relationships, call centers themselves have evolved in response to significant technological advances as well as global demands for cost-cutting initiatives. Therefore Business Process Outsourcing workers faced with the opposing goals of optimizing productivity while delivering superior customer service. Even in call centers driven by quality rather than quantity, call centre work is of itself demanding, repetitive, and often stressful.References
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