Mitigating Burnout Through Organizational Justice: Customer Support Workers’ Experiences of Customer Injustice and Emotional Labor

2021 ◽  
pp. 089331892110120
Author(s):  
Heewon Kim ◽  
Rebecca B. Leach
Keyword(s):  
Procedural Justice ◽  
Customer Service ◽  
Emotional Labor ◽  
Call Center ◽  
Service Industries ◽  
Interpersonal Justice ◽  
Negatively Associated ◽  
Customer Support ◽  
Decision Making Processes

Employee burnout is a critical organizational concern that can be prevalent among customer support workers whose day-to-day tasks inherently include emotional labor. This study examines emotional labor and burnout among call center workers in customer service industries, specifically focusing on the influences of injustices from customers and supervisors. The findings demonstrate that: (a) customer injustice was associated with an increase in emotional labor, which in turn exacerbated customer support workers’ disengagement and exhaustion; (b) interpersonal justice perceived in the interactions with supervisors was negatively associated with disengagement; and (c) procedural justice perceived in supervisors’ decision-making processes was also negatively associated with disengagement. The findings indicate the mitigating role of interpersonal and procedural justice in reducing burnout among customer support workers.

Relationship between Emotional Labor and Customer Orientation among Airline Service Employees: Mediating Role of Depersonalization

2017 ◽  
Vol 57 (3) ◽  
pp. 324-341 ◽  
Author(s):  
JungHoon (Jay) Lee ◽  
Chihyung “Michael” Ok ◽  
Seung-Hoon Lee ◽  
Choong-Ki Lee
Keyword(s):  
Emotional Labor ◽  
Call Center ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Customer Orientation ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Conservation Of Resources ◽  
Surface Acting ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
Service Staff

Drawing on Hobfoll’s conservation of resources theory and Maslach’s burnout theory, this study proposed and tested a conceptual model depicting relationships among the two forms of emotional labor strategies, depersonalization and customer orientation (CO). The model also examined the mediating role of depersonalization in the relationship between emotional labor and CO. Multigroup analyses were conducted to examine moderating effects of job position and job responsibility. Data obtained from cabin crews, airport service staff, and call center representatives working for an airline company in Korea were used to gauge these relationships. Results of structural equation modeling revealed that deep acting affects CO positively while surface acting affects CO negatively. The results further suggest that these relationships are mediated by both reduced and increased depersonalization, and the strength of the direct relationships may differ by employee position and area of service work. Theoretical and management implications are discussed based on the findings.

scholarly journals IMPACT OF EMOTIONAL LABOR ON ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITMENT WITH MEDIATORY ROLE OF SELF-EFFICACY AMONG CALL CENTRE EMPLOYEES IN PAKISTAN

2014 ◽  
Vol 02 (01) ◽  
pp. 15-22
Author(s):  
Qudsia Jabeen ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Commitment ◽  
Emotional Labor ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Call Centers ◽  
Call Centre ◽  
Efficacy Data ◽  
Negatively Associated ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

The purpose of this paper was to examine the impact of emotional labor on organizational commitment with mediatory role of self-efficacy. Data were collected from 120 employees working in different Call Centers across Pakistan using a questionnaire. Results indicate that emotional labor is negatively associated with organizational commitment even though the relationship is insignificant. While mediatory role of self-efficacy is established, implications are also discussed.

scholarly journals The Unrecognized Role of VA Call Center and Primary Care Clerical Staff in Assisting Patients with Obtaining Needed Care

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael McGowan ◽  
Melissa Medich ◽  
Danielle Rose ◽  
Susan Stockdale
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Customer Service ◽  
Call Center ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Healthcare Systems ◽  
Future Research ◽  
High Turnover ◽  
Customer Service Training ◽  
Service Training

Abstract Background VA clerks, or medical support assistants (MSAs), are a critical part of patients’ primary care (PC) experiences and are often the first points of contact between Veterans and the healthcare system. Despite the important role they might play in assisting Veterans with accessing care, research is lacking on the specific tasks they perform and what training and preparation they receive to perform their roles. Objective Our primary aim in this study was to document MSA perceptions of their roles, the tasks they undertake helping Veterans with accessing healthcare, and additional training they may need to optimally perform their role. Design Thematic analysis of semi-structured qualitative interviews with VA call center and PC MSAs (n=29) collected as part of in-person site visits from August to October 2019. Participants MSAs at administrative call centers and primary care clinics in one large VA regional network representing 8 healthcare systems serving nearly 1.5 million Veterans. Key Results We identified three key findings from the interviews: (1) MSAs perform tasks in addition to scheduling that help Veterans obtain needed care; (2) MSAs may not be fully prepared for their roles as first points of contact; and (3) low status and lack of recognition of the important and complex tasks performed by MSAs contribute to high turnover. Conclusions As healthcare systems continue expanding virtual access, the roles of administrative call center and PC MSAs as first points of contact will be increasingly important for shaping patient experiences. Our research suggests that MSAs may need better training and preparation for the roles they perform assisting Veterans with accessing care, coupled with an intentional approach by healthcare systems to address MSAs’ concerns about recognition/compensation. Future research should explore the potential for enhanced MSA customer service training to improve the Veteran patient experience.

Online Customer Service and Emotional Labor: An Exploratory Study

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kumi Ishii ◽  
Kris M Markman
Keyword(s):  
Job Satisfaction ◽  
Customer Service ◽  
Emotional Labor ◽  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Service Industries ◽  
Service Work ◽  
Emotional Communication ◽  
Surface Acting ◽  
Service Workers ◽  
Face To Face

The recent growth of service industries as well as the rise of e-commerce has increased the number of online customer service workers. Research on face-to-face service work has shown that these workers are expected to display certain emotions in the course of their work, a phenomenon known as emotional labor. However, little is known about emotional communication among online customer service workers. We explored emotional labor in an online context by examining the degree of emotional presence in mediated service interactions and its relationship with workers’ acting strategies (i.e., surface acting, deep acting). Further, we examined if emotional presence and acting strategies predict job satisfaction as well as burnout. Data collected from 130 online customer service workers indicated that they perceive the highest emotional presence in phone conversations, followed by email and chat. Although there was little relationship between emotional presence and acting strategies, those who engage in surface acting are less satisfied with their job and more likely to experience burnout. In addition, those who feel a higher degree of emotional presence over the phone tend to experience higher job satisfaction and less burnout. These findings suggest that online customer service workers also engage in emotional labor.

A Conceptual Framework Illustrating the Effects of E-CRM on Customer Loyalty

2019 ◽  
pp. 123-134
Author(s):  
Maysam Saifi
Keyword(s):  
Conceptual Framework ◽  
Customer Service ◽  
Customer Relationship Management ◽  
Customer Loyalty ◽  
Business Strategy ◽  
Banking Industry ◽  
Relationship Management ◽  
Customer Relationship ◽  
Customer Support

Customer relationship management (CRM) is recognized as a business strategy to identify the most profitable customers in the banking industry and to devote time and attention to gain their loyalty. The purpose of this chapter is to propose a conceptual framework representing sub-factors of electronic customer relationship management (e-CRM) and customer loyalty as a base model to examine the effect of e-CRM on customer loyalty. E-CRM is a well-structured and systematized process of CRM that automatizes processes of marketing, sales, and customer service. This study helps us to have a better understanding of the role of e-CRM in customer loyalty in Tejarat Bank. The main focus is on e-CRM including factors such as e-banking, customer support, security, and additional services.

scholarly journals Gender-Specific Association between Emotional Labor and Health-Promoting Behavior in Call Center Workers

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 79-89
Author(s):  
Hye-Jin Kim ◽  
Jina Choo
Keyword(s):  
Women Workers ◽  
Emotional Labor ◽  
Call Center ◽  
Average Score ◽  
Health Promoting Behaviors ◽  
Negatively Associated ◽  
Health Promoting ◽  
Men Workers ◽  
Gender Specific ◽  
Call Center Workers

Background: This study aimed to examine whether emotional labor was significantly associated with health-promoting behaviors among both women and men at call center workers.Methods: A cross-sectional, correlational study was conducted among 709 workers (470 women and 239 men) at K call center workplace in Seoul, South Korea. Emotional labor and health-promoting behaviors were measured using the Emotional Labor and Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile-II (HPLP-II).Results: Of all the call center workers, the average score of emotional labor was 3.5 out of 5.0. Women had a higher average emotional labor score (3.6 points) than men (3.5 points). The average score of health-promoting behaviors was 2.0 out of 4.0 in the overall workers and each group of women and men workers, respectively. Emotional labor was significantly associated with health-promoting behaviors among each group of women and men. Among women workers, emotional labor was significantly negatively associated with the spiritual growth and stress management subscales of the HPLP-II, while among men workers, it was significantly negatively associated with all HPLP-II subscales.Conclusions: Emotional labor may be associated with health-promoting behaviors and its associations with the subscales of health-promoting behaviors may differ by gender. Therefore, nursing strategies for reducing emotional labor should be concerned in the context of gender-specific associations with emotional labor.

Role of Dispositional Uncertainty in Employees' Responses to Procedural Justice

2006 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chris A. Henle ◽  
Bennett J. Tepper ◽  
Robert A. Giacalone
Keyword(s):  
Procedural Justice
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