Work-related Stress

HSE's definition of work-related stress is 'the adverse reaction people have to excessive pressures or other types of demand placed on them'.  Call centre employees will differ in their vulnerability to work-related stress and which factors affect them, and individuals will also vary over time.  Prolonged or particularly intense stress can lead to physical and psychological ill health including heart disease, back pain, gastrointestinal disturbances, anxiety and depression.  Work-related stress can have consequences for organisations including increased sickness absence, reduced staff morale and performance, and increased turnover.  

HSE's guidance booklet 'Tackling work-related stress.  A manager's guide to improving and maintaining employee health and well-being' identifies seven categories of risk factors for work-related stress.

• Factor 1: Culture.  This is key to managing work-related stress, and a positive culture helps to reduce the risk.  Two elements of a positive culture are regular and open two-way communication between call handlers and managers and consultation with staff including, where possible, participation in decisions that may affect them.  The collective knowledge and experience of the call handlers in an organisation can be a valuable resource, especially if the managers have little or no experience of handling calls themselves.  Staff welfare must also be a priority.  Organisations with positive cultures will have a clear sickness/absence policy and should encourage call handlers to recover fully before returning to work from sick leave in order to protect the health of other employees, as, even with excellent control systems for environmental conditions, bacteria and viruses spread more easily in open plan offices.
   
• Factor 2: Demands.
  • Work overload: Call handlers are at risk from work-related stress when they are given too much work to do in the time allocated or are not trained how to do the work.  Quantitative and qualitative performance monitoring and targets create sress.  If call handlers feel they have too much to do, they may not take their breaks.  Call centres should emphasise the importance of rest breaks or changes in activity as these are essential if the risk of work-related stress is to be reduced.
     
  • Capability and capacity: Call centres must ensure that call handlers are capable of doing their job i.e. they must have the necessary skills and knowledge to be able to meet the demands of the job.  When setting targets, make sure they are achievable.  New call handlers should start with lower targets than experienced call handlers and the number of calls should be increased over a period of time.  This system may also be appropriate for those returning from sick leave.  Quiet periods and equipment failures should be taken into consideration when setting and assessing targets.
     
  • Work underload: Call handlers may experience work-related stress if they feel their work is repetitive and boring rather than making the most of their skills and challenging them.  Scheduling alternative tasks such as coaching new call handlers, becoming involved in projects such as helping to develop promotional material, or taking different types of call (remember, when properly trained and supported, some call handlers even enjoy the satisfaction of successfully dealing with complaints) may provide opportunities for call handlers to use their individual skills and knowledge.
     
  • Physical environment: Sometimes, the physical working environment is excellent, but people still complain.  These complaints often arise because people feel they have no control over their working environment.  For example they may not be able to open a window to let in fresh air, because the windows do not open or other people will find it too draughty.  A thorough cleaning and maintenance regime will reduce the risk of work-related stress arising from unhygienic and inoperable workstation equipment.
     
  • Psychosocial environment: Working shifts that fit with their lifestyle can be an attraction of becoming a call handler.  However, if shifts continually change and call handlers are only given short notice about what shifts they are scheduled to work, it may become difficult to make domestic and social arrangements, and the initial attraction may become a stressor.  Call handling can be a very intensive job, and holidays are important for reducing the risk of work-related stress.  Again, to make domestic arrangements easier, call handlers must be allowed to book their holiday as far in advance as possible.  Some prefer to take odd days and have long weekends, but for those who request it, at least one period of seven days leave per year should be authorised. 
     
• Factor 3: Control.  Many call handlers have little control over when they take calls, as calls are distributed automatically.  How long call handlers spend on each call is often controlled by quantitative targets and what they say during a call is controlled by qualitative targets and scripts.  Such limited control could mean call handlers are at risk of work-related stress.  Involving call handlers in decision making can help to increase job satisfaction and limit the risk of work-related stress.
   
• Factor 4: Relationships.  The term describes the way people interact at work for business purposes and includes bullying and harassment.  The pressure of meeting targets and satisfying customers can threaten relationships.  Rivalry may develop between call handlers as they strive to meet personal targets, but emphasising the importance of group targets may help to reduce this risk.  Setting clear standards against which quantitative and qualitative performance can be measured may help to avoid the problems of arbitrary objectives and inconsistent monitoring.  Introducing an effective policy against bullying and harassment, after consulting staff, should help to reduce the number of incidents and the risk of stress arising as a result.
   
• Factor 5: Change.  Currently, the call centre industry is expanding rapidly, and there are many changes associated with expanding businesses including mergers and takeovers.  Business restructuring may mean teams are re-organised, and working with different colleagues under a different team leader may be unsettling for some call handlers.  Changing business objectives may also mean procedures and performance targets change.  Technology is also changing rapidly and automation may be a threat to job security in the future.  Clear communication and consultation with call handlers is essential to reduce the risk of change giving rise to work-related stress.  Remember, for some call handlers, small but frequent changes such as changes to shift schedules or changing workstations due to hot-desking can be just as, or even more, stressful  than large but infrequent changes.
   
• Factor 6: Role.
  • Role conflict: Call handlers may experience work-related stress if they do not feel that the target time for a call allows them to answer all a caller's questions as fully as they would like.  They may feel, consequently, that the quality of their service is being compromised in order to meet call volume targets.  Call handlers may be required to bring new products or promotions to the attention of callers.  For some, this is good customer service.  Others, though, regard it as a sales pitch, and, if they started working in the call centre industry to provide a service rather than make sales, it may result in work-related stress from role conflict
     
  • Role ambiguity: To limit the risk of work-related stress, it is essential that call handlers are clear about what is expected of them in their day-to-day work.
     
• Factor 7: Support, training and factors unique to the individual
  • Support: Support, particularly from line managers but also from peers, is very important in protecting employees from work-related stress.  This support can be both practical and emotional.  Team leaders should encourage improvement with praise, and feedback on performance should be constructive.  Pressure to meet targets may mean that call handlers do not have the time to support their peers.  Call handlers who are required to hot-desk may not always sit with the other members of their team so may be isolated from their support.  Social events arranged by work but after work may help to provide the required support, but some may have commitments which mean they cannot participate so feel even more isolated.  Call handlers may need emotional support following distressing calls.
     
  • Training: Call handlers should not be expected to read training material or maintain their knowledge of products and promotions between calls, unless there are extended intervening periods.  The majority of training should be conducted in allocated time, away from the telephones.  Newly appointed team leaders with no prior experience of personnel management should be trained and even those with experience may benefit from refresher training.  This may also help to reduce the risk of the call handlers working under the new appointees suffering work-related stress.
     
  • Individual factors: The risk of work-related stress may also be reduced by ensuring that work does not dominate a call handler's life to the detriment of out-of-work activities and interests.  Call handlers should be encouraged to develop a balance between work and home life. 

Call handlers should be made aware of the risks which may lead to work-related ill health and how the company is controlling these risks and how they, as individuals, can help to reduce these risks.  Call handlers should be trained so the risk of work-related stress occurring is reduced rather than training call handlers how to manage stress once it has occurred.  Managers should be trained to recognise stress in call handlers and intervene to reduce the level of stress. This training should be provided in consultation with the call handlers and managers or their representatives⁶.  

Legislation: Work-related stress can cause ill health.  Therefore, action to prevent or reduce it is included in the duty of employers under the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health of their employees at work.  The risk of ill health from work-related stress must also be assessed and regularly reviewed by employers under The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 in consultation with staff or their representatives.  'Tackling work-related stress.  A manager's guide to improving and maintaining employee health and well-being' provides advice about assessing and preventing work-related stress and lists other sources of advice.  This is complimented by 'Tackling work-related stress.  A guide for employees'.  Local Authority Circular 81/4 'Work-related Stress' provides advice to local authority enforcement officers and is available to the public.  Measures introduced to tackle work-related stress should be done in consultation with call handlers or their representatives.  To reduce or eliminate harassment and bullying so reduce the risk of these two forms of behaviour generating stress and leading to stress-related illnesses effective policies on bullying and harassment should be drawn up.  This should also be done in consultation with staff or their representatives. 

User Comments: The physical working environment and hot-desking are major sources of stress for many call handlers.  Some were frustrated by the lack of opportunities to break the monotony of answering calls by doing other tasks, develop skills or be promoted.  Others were stressed by the verbal abuse from callers and their team leaders constantly urging, sometimes even shouting at them, to answer calls.   For many, though, they felt that more breaks and greater say about when to take breaks would have probably made them less vulnerable to work-related stress.

Good practice:

• When setting targets for call handlers who are required to hot-desk, take into consideration that they must find an available workstation and make the necessary adjustments before taking calls.
• Allow sufficient time either during a call or between calls for call handlers to finish the business of a call before taking another.
• Make it clear to call handlers how work is allocated.
• Provide a separate room, pleasantly decorated and furnished with comfortable chairs, where call handlers can relax and chat during breaks.
• Remember to provide call handlers with details of new campaigns and promotions, so they can answer callers' questions competently.
• Rather than making call handlers follow a script, give them more control by offering them prompts for the information that must be covered in a call but allow them to decide what to actually say. Remember though, some, particularly inexperienced call handlers, may prefer a script.
• Offer lunchtime or after work hobby and interest classes.
• Encourage call handlers to exercise. Although on-site gyms and swimming pools are real bonuses for many call handlers, memberships of or discounted rates with local sports centres are also attractive benefits.
• Employee Assistance Programmes (EAP) can help call centre employees avoid or reduce work-related stress by providing advice on domestic issues such as finances as well as work-related matters.
• Have a clear and easy procedure for call handlers to report issues that are causing them stress. Ideally, these reports would be to occupational health or health and safety staff so that issues about line management are not inhibited. Respond to the reports promptly and show that they are being taken seriously. Provide feedback on the results of any investigations and the reason behind any subsequent actions or decisions. Allow the reports to be made anonymously and treat them in confidence.
• Emphasise that stress is taken seriously by producing a separate 'Company Policy on Stress' in addition to the legal requirement to cover stress as a mental health issue in the company's risk assessment. (HSE)