The impact of physical environment on employee commitment in call centres: The mediating role of employee well‐being

Purpose – The purpose of the paper is to examine the effect of the physical environment on employee commitment. It explores how favourable working conditions can affect an employee's sense of well‐being which in turn can generate higher levels of employee commitment.Design/methodology/approach – A questionnaire instrument based upon previously validated measures was completed by 65 front line call centre employees. The Baron and Kenny four‐step procedure for testing mediation effects was adopted.Findings – The statistical analysis confirms that employee well‐being mediates the relationship between physical environment and employee commitment.Originality/value – The call centre industry needs to make employees more autonomous by reducing the level of scripting, encouraging greater involvement and participation in work systems and setting targets and the organization of regular team events.

[1]  J. Mathieu,et al.  A review and meta-analysis of the antecedents, correlates, and consequences of organizational commitment , 1990 .

[2]  S J Schurman,et al.  Action Research on Occupational Stress: Involving Workers as Researchers , 1989, International journal of health services : planning, administration, evaluation.

[3]  A. Teggin,et al.  Understanding stress. , 1981, South African medical journal = Suid-Afrikaanse tydskrif vir geneeskunde.

[4]  R. Eisenberger,et al.  Perceived Organizational Support and Employee Diligence, Commitment, and Innovation , 1990 .

[5]  J. Brand,et al.  Effects of control over office workspace on perceptions of the work environment and work outcomes , 2005 .

[6]  Pekka Ilmakunnas,et al.  Do Job Disamenities Raise Wages or Ruin Job Satisfaction , 2006 .

[7]  Howard E. Freeman,et al.  Mental Health of the Industrial Worker. , 1966 .

[8]  A. Bandura Social Foundations of Thought and Action , 1986 .

[9]  Kate Mulholland,et al.  Gender, emotional labour and teamworking in a call centre , 2002 .

[10]  Maeve Houlihan,et al.  Eyes wide shut? Querying the depth of call centre learning , 2000 .

[11]  R. Liden,et al.  Perceived Organizational Support And Leader-Member Exchange: A Social Exchange Perspective , 1997 .

[12]  G. Spreitzer Social structural characteristics of psychological empowerment , 1996 .

[13]  Eileen Appelbaum,et al.  Worker Participation in Diverse Settings: Does the Form Affect the Outcome, and If So, Who Benefits? , 1995 .

[14]  Cary L. Cooper,et al.  Does privatization affect corporate culture and employee wellbeing , 2002 .

[15]  L. Darling-Hammond,et al.  Effective Teacher Selection: From Recruitment to Retention , 1987 .

[16]  Carolyn M. Anderson,et al.  Why Employees Speak to Coworkers and Bosses: Motives, Gender, and Organizational Satisfaction , 1995 .

[17]  M. Robertson,et al.  The Role of Environmental Control on Environmental Satisfaction, Communication, and Psychological Stress , 2004 .

[18]  Maeve Houlihan,et al.  Managing to manage? Stories from the call centre floor , 2001 .

[19]  Suvi Nenonen Analysing the intangible benefits of work space , 2004 .

[20]  Alan Hedge,et al.  The Open-Plan Office , 1982 .

[21]  P. Ilmakunnas,et al.  Do Job Disamenities Raise Wages or Ruin Job Satisfaction? , 2004 .

[22]  N. Conway,et al.  Employee well-being and the psychological contract : a report for the CIPD , 2004 .

[23]  Paul R Jackson,et al.  Call centers as lean service environments: job-related strain and the mediating role of work design. , 2006, Journal of occupational health psychology.

[24]  J. House,et al.  Industrial relations, worksite stress reduction, and employee well-being: A participatory action research investigation. , 1993 .

[25]  K. Hambridge Action research. , 2000, Professional nurse.

[26]  Brian H. Kleiner,et al.  Recent developments in office design , 1996 .

[27]  Kent F. Spreckelmeyer Office Relocation and Environmental Change , 1993 .

[28]  D. Holman Employee wellbeing in call centres , 2002 .

[29]  E. Weiss Perceived workplace conditions and first-year teachers’ morale, career choice commitment, and planned retention: a secondary analysis , 1999 .

[30]  Randall B. Dunham,et al.  The impact of personal control on performance and satisfaction , 1989 .

[31]  Roderick D. Iverson,et al.  Work Relationships in Telephone Call Centres: Understanding Emotional Exhaustion and Employee Withdrawal , 2002 .

[32]  Leisa D. Sargent,et al.  The effects of work control and job demands on employee adjustment and work performance , 1998 .

[33]  Manuel London,et al.  Relationships between Feedback and Self-Development , 1999 .

[34]  Susan Klitzman,et al.  Work environment and the well‐being of clerical and VDT workers , 1987 .

[35]  P. M. Podsakoff,et al.  Self-Reports in Organizational Research: Problems and Prospects , 1986 .

[36]  Cary L. Cooper,et al.  Understanding stress: A psychological perspective for health professionals. , 1990 .

[37]  R. F. Tredgold,et al.  Mental Health of the Industrial Worker , 1966, Mental Health.

[38]  T. Begley,et al.  Coping strategies as predictors of employee distress and turnover after an organizational consolidation: A longitudinal analysis , 1998 .

[39]  David Holman,et al.  Phoning in sick? An overview of employee stress in call centres , 2003 .

[40]  Peter E.D. Love,et al.  The impact of work settings on organisational performance measures in built facilities , 2002 .

[41]  S. Jex,et al.  Factors influencing employee perceptions of customer service climate , 1996 .

[42]  J. S. Phillips,et al.  Notes on the Practical and Theoretical Consequences of Implicit Leadership Theories for the Future of Leadership Measurement , 1986 .

[43]  David Holman,et al.  Employee Well-being in Call Centres , 2004 .

[44]  Larissa Larsen,et al.  Plants in the Workplace , 1998 .

[45]  M Brill Workspace design and productivity. , 1992, The Healthcare Forum journal.

[46]  So young Lee,et al.  Expectations of employees toward the workplace and environmental satisfaction , 2006 .

[47]  Neal Schmitt,et al.  Human resource practices, organizational climate, and customer satisfaction , 2001 .

[48]  Alison Dean,et al.  Links between service climate, employee commitment and employees' service quality capability , 2006 .

[49]  D. A. Kenny,et al.  The moderator-mediator variable distinction in social psychological research: conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations. , 1986, Journal of personality and social psychology.

[50]  Neil Rankin,et al.  The psychology of work. , 2008, Occupational health & safety.