ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the establishment of a telecommunications call centre in one region of Victoria, Australia. It presents demographic details of a sample of frontline employees based on survey data. The chapter considers the background of employees in relation to their assessment of the terms and conditions they are experiencing in the call centre, and also their self-reported levels of stress. It investigates the establishment of a new call centre in a Less Favoured Regions (LFR) in Australia in view of the costs and benefits outlined by Richardson and Belt. The chapter explores the characteristics of the workforce that has been recruited, and employees' responses to the nature and demands of their new employment. It analyses interviews and survey data from a telecommunications call centre in a LFR, which had been open for less than one year at the time of data collection. The chapter concludes by identifying issues for call centres in LFR.
