ABSTRACT
Call centre work is described as one of the most rapidly growing forms of employment in Europe (Kinnie et al. 2000; Deery and Kinnie 2004) and the Swedish Institute for Working Life (2003) defi nes call centres as one of the most expansive businesses in Sweden. Call centres deal with customer relations using sophisticated telephone and computer-based systems (Tengblad et al. 2002; Norman 2005). In part, the expansion of this business is due to the development of modern information and communication technology. The connection between call centres and modern technology is one reason why this kind of service work has been discussed as a symbol for ‘the work of the future’ (Thompson and Warhurst 1998). Information and communication technology enables new industries and occupations associated with high-qualifi ed jobs, yet this new technology enables both positive and negative changes in work organizations. Consequently, the use of technology to centralize and control the work process negatively affects the working environment (Sandgren 2000; Le Grand et al. 2002) in terms of time pressure, low variation, and high levels of control (Kinnie et al. 2000; Tengblad et al. 2002; Norman 2005). In addition, call centres have been criticized for being too Tayloristic and routine, work that includes high levels of control and surveillance developed by management (Fernie and Metcalf 1998; Thompson and Warhurst 1998; Richardson and Belt 2001).
