JOB SATISFACTION OF CALL CENTER EMPLOYEES

Normal 0 RESEARCH PAPER				12
ON				Job Security
JOB SATISFACTION OF CALL CENTER EMPLOYEES				2.03
ABSTRACT				13
Job satisfaction plays a vital role in life of man,				From Table - 2, it is observed that salary is rated
because it affects positively on the personal and				highest for providing job satisfaction. The nature of
social adjustment of the individual. On the contrary				the job with its scope for creative execution finds a
job dissatisfaction adversely affects on the physical				higher rating compared to the issues like job security.
and mental health of the individual. The relationship				Extended working hours and fear of loss of job due
between job satisfaction and employee's				to venture failure creates the highest dissatisfaction
performance has always been discussed in				with rating scores below the average values.
organisational behaviour and human resource				Table: 3 Mean differences in overall job satisfaction
management literature. A highly satisfied employee				according to some personalfactors.
need not necessarily be a profound performer.
However, an employee, who is dissatisfied, can cause				Groups
irreparable damage to the orgnisational effectiveness.				Mean
Performance management system should be based				S.D.tp
on ideological underpinnings and a holistic context by				Age up to 25 years
strengthening the linkages among the key				63.62
components such as performance planning,				7.00
performance execution, performance appraisal,				0.08
recognition and reward, and performance				N.S.
improvement on a continuous basis. The paper				Age above 25 years
discusses performance management and job				63.33
satisfaction of call center employees in Indore.				7.94
Present study is based on the primary data collected				Experience up to 1 year
from 188 call center employees through a pre-tested,				65.18
structured, comprehensive questionnaire. The key				10.21
issues were identification and definition of key				-1.95
performance areas, role clarity and direction,				Experience above 1 year
performance feedback and potential appraisal, and				65.48
job rotation as a powerful tool to develop and				6.32
unleash employee's potential. Factor analysis				-1.96
highlighted the significance of three sub-systems of				< .05
performance management system, i.e., performance				Female
planning and development, employee involvement and				64.14
empowerment, and organisation-employee rapport.				6.08
The paper concludes that the conducive and				-3.3
congenial physical, social, and psychological conditions				N.S.
present in the workplace have potential to enhance				Male
the job satisfaction of the call center employees.				64.65
Introduction:				7.00
Job satisfaction is a complex phenomenon, because				Married
it is related to various casual factors like personal,				63.62
social, cultural, environmental and financial. The				7.61
nature of the job is an important factor in deciding				Unmarried
the level of job satisfaction of employees. More				62.28
important is the long-term prospect of employment in				8.43
the organization that, which creates a sense of				-0.10
involvement and commitment to the job among				N.S.
employees.				From the analysis of table - 3 it is evident that there
Job satisfaction is an individual's attitude towards the				is no significant influence of personal factors on the
job or it is an individual's reaction to the job itself.				overall job satisfaction except experience.
Job satisfaction is also a positive emotional state that				Table: 4 Level of satisfaction with various aspects of
when a person fulfill his needs and aspirations. Job				job:
satisfaction may be general or specific. Many				Aspects of job
factors influence job satisfaction of the employees.				Percentage ofsatisfiedemployees
First and most important determinant is supervision				Percentage ofdissatisfiedemployees
and style of leadership. Employee oriented				Chi
leadership styles enhances a greater amount of job				Squarep
satisfaction. On the other hand production oriented				Job Security
leader may cause low job satisfaction. Job content				56
factors like achievement, responsibility, recognition				94
and advancement leads to job satisfaction..				6.76
Job satisfaction is intrinsic as well as extrinsic in				< .01
nature. A satisfied employee derives his level of				Working Hours
satisfaction from various sources. It is a feeling of				70
affiliation that he drives out ofhis job context and				80
the context in which he operates the job. There are				1.96
various definitions of job satisfaction. The resultant				NS
psyche leads to higher level of involvement, greater				Job Status
degree of participation, greater cost consciousness				60
and timely maintenance of job schedules. Locke				90
(1976) defined job satisfaction as a pleasurable				4.00
emotional state resulting from the perception of				<.05
one's job as fulfilling one's important job values,				Salary
provided these values are compatible with one's				120
needs. Job satisfaction is the most widely researched				30
subject in the area of human resource management.				33
According to an estimate of Locke (1976) about				<.01
4000 articles have been published till 1976 in the area				Working
of job satisfactions. Yet there is perhaps not a single				Condition
area in social science fraught with ambiguity or				45
conflicting opinion of methodological nuances than the				105
work satisfaction. Paradoxically there are very few				16
areas more researched than Job satisfaction.				<.01
Brayfield-Rothe (1951) used a scale to measure				Recognition for
overall job satisfaction. This scale contains 18 items in				Good Work
relation to job satisfaction put in a semantic five				101
point scale (strongly agree, agree, not sure, disagree,				49
and strongly disagree). So the possible total scores				6.76
varied from 18 to 90 with the undecided or neutral				<.01
point at 45. A total score above neutral point explains				Participatory
‘ satisfaction' and below is the level of				Management
dissatisfaction. The degree of satisfaction can be				90
observed from the relative distance of the				60
respondents from the neutral points.				4.84
As stated , large number of studies have been				<.05
conducted on job satisfaction. These studies have				Peer Group
brought variations in findings of job satisfactions and				Relation
also on the context of the job behavior. In the earlier				99
decades of study, Rothisberger and Dickson (1939)				51
found no clear relationship between job satisfaction				7.84
and performance whereas Vroom (1964) found a				<.01
very weak relationship between job satisfaction and				Open
turnover. Studies conducted in the eighties and				Communication
nineties found out that job factors are not				94
unidirectional in their effects. They served to be both				56
sources of positive and negative satisfaction. The				6.76
personal factors like skill, experience, education,				<.01
mental health have a significant influence on the				Work
overall job satisfaction. The latter studies have also				Autonomy
identified that job security, recognition for good work				102
and good environment are treated as more				48
important than promotion making. These findings are				5.76
mostly observed in technology driven and heavy				<.01
equipment industries like computers, satellite, four				Behavior of
wheeler industries.				Boss
The important factors identified in the earlier studies				105
related to job satisfaction are the poor working				45
condition, peer group behavior, routine nature of the				14.44
job and the working hours. These particular findings				<.01
from the majority of the researches conducted in				From the analysis of Table - 4, it is found that a
westernbusiness environments were typically from				significant percentage of the respondents were
software based industries and business operating				dissatisfied with job security, job status, working
with severe time constraints, stiff deadlines and				hours, working condition. On the other hand, it is
varying work order In contrastlack of alternative job				observed that a high percentage of respondents are
opportunity, job insecurity, profit centered company				satisfied on parameters like salary, recognition for
policies withlimited employee welfare orientation,				good work, peer group relation, work autonomy and
absence of recognition were major causes of				behavior of boss through participatory management
dissatisfaction .				style and the facility of open communication with the
Job satisfaction leads to various problems. Some of				boss.
these are absenteeism, turnover and negative				Table 5: Level of satisfaction with family and social
publicity. Absenteeism is inversely related to the				life of call center employees
level of job satisfaction. Job dissatisfaction produces				Factor
a lack of will to work and forces the employee to go				Percentage ofsatisfiedemployees
away from work as far as possible. It is also				Percentage ofdissatisfiedemployees
found that dissatisfied worker quit the job over time				Chi-squarep
and seek satisfaction elsewhere.				Family life
Objectives of the Study:				39
To find out the level of job satisfaction of call center				111
employees.				23.04
To find out the level of job satisfaction of male and				<.01
female call center employees.				Social life
To study overall job satisfaction according to some				30
personal factors.				120
To study level of satisfaction with various aspects of				38.44
job.				<.01
To study level of satisfaction with family and social				From the analysis of table No.5, it is observed that a
life of call center employees.				majority of the respondents are dissatisfied with
The Brayfield - Rothe Scale of 18 items was used.				their family and social life. These may be attributed
The scale for Perceived Importance of Job Facets				to the fact of extended working hours, non-regular
was used to measure relative importance of the				life style and work pressure reflected in social
specific job factors. Specific aspects of the job				behavior of the call center employees.
(functional commonalities were associated and				Table 6: Correlation between job satisfaction and
attempts were made to keep the nature and				performance of respondents
hierarchial diversity of job content to possible
minimum) in the form of fourteen items were given				No. of respondentsrtp
in a five point scale. A pilot study over a small sample				150
(respondents known to the researcher and whose				.69
opinion are not accounted for in the latter study)				2.80
was undertaken to modify the questionnaire. A split				<.01
-Half technique tested the reliability of the				From tale - 6, it is found that there is a significant
questionnaire where the reliability coefficient (0.75)				positive correlation between job satisfaction and
was statistically significant. A part of the questionnaire				performance. The sense of accomplishment due to
also covered the job facets and life satisfaction				project mode of operation and creative execution is
components covering job related factors and				one of the factor responsible for the high correlation
personal factors. In this section the first part covered				between job satisfaction and performance.
ten factors concerning the satisfaction regarding				Table 7: Correlation between job satisfaction and
specific aspects of the job. The response pattern				perception of job security of the
was in a dichotomous format. The question related				Call center employees
to satisfaction with family and social life were also				No. of respondentsrtp
put in dichotomous format with options of				150
satisfaction / dissatisfaction. Open-ended questions				- .31
were put to supplement the exploration through				2.85
structured questionnaire and to understand the major				<.05
causes of job dissatisfaction.				The result from the table - 7 reveals that there is a
Results:				significant negative correlation between the level of
Some of the relevant and significant results of the				satisfaction and perception of the employees on the
study are presented in the followingtables.				job security. The concept of high volatility of call
Table 1: Level of satisfaction with the job and the				center business has gone in to the mind of
organization				employees for which their apprehensions regarding
Respondent's				tenure of job in the life of the company has a
With the job				negative correlation.
With the institute				Table 8: Correlation between Job satisfaction and Job
Satisfaction				status
109				No. of respondentsrtp
37				150
Dissatisfaction				- .45
41				2.69
113				<.01
The results from the table shows that majority				Though call center are offering an exorbitantly
respondents (73%) are satisfied with the job they				high salary structure, the respondents did not find the
are doing whereas a majority (75%) is dissatisfied				usual job status associated with the salary. So we
with the organisation in which they are working. This				observe job satisfaction having a negative correlation
finding is self-contradictory. As an explanation it is				with job status.
observed that the nature and content of the job is				Table 9: Important causes of job dissatisfaction as
the driving fore behind satisfaction whereas the				perceived by the call center employees
apprehensions and operational problems for long term				Causes of Dissatisfaction
survival of the institute are the indicators of				Percentage
dissatisfaction.				Volatile Nature of Industry
Table: 2 The mean ranks and rank orders of the				73%
college professors, assistant professors and lecturer's				Turn Around of Venture Capitalists
ratings ofperceived importance of specific job				70%
aspects to the overall satisfaction.				Faulty Business Model
Aspects of job				68%
Mean Ranks				Market non-responsiveness
Rank Orders				60%
Salary				Lack of Job Security
4.14				60%
1				Lack of Job Status
Autonomy in Operation				59%
4.08				Problem of Family & Social Life
2				57%
Recognition for Good Work				CONCLUSION:
4.02				The present study highlights some of the major
3				reasons for creating job dissatisfaction among call
Desired Job				center employees. Although conventional sources of
4				dissatisfaction like salary, promotion, security,
4				autonomy for work are not relevant in call center
Opportunity for				business but the level of satisfaction is limited due to
Compensatory Overtime				some emerging phenomenon like volatile industry
4				structure, flat organizational design, literally a
4				non-responsive market and other allied factors. So
Open Communication				the probability of managing these dissatisfaction
3.92				indicators at the organization level seems a remote
5				solution. The intervention of psycho-social machinery
Job Status				for creation of intra-organisation and inter-industry
3.88				job confidence is the call of the day for increasing
6				job satisfaction levels in the call center industry.
Participatory Decision				References
Making				1. Gadel M.S.(1953): Personnel Psychology, volume 6.
3.85				2. Hertzberg F., Mausner, B., Peterson, R.O. Capwell,
7				D.F. (1957), Job Attitudes : Review of Research and
Work Autonomy				Opinion. Pittsburg : Psychological Service of Pittsburg
3.80				3. Katzell R.S.(1964): Personal values, job satisfaction
8				and job behaviour.
Working Environment				4. Nicholson , N; Broon, C.A. and Shadwick - Jones,
3.77				T.K. (1977) Absence from workand personal
9				characteristics, Journal of Applied Psychology, 62,
Relation with Colleagues				(315-327).
3.61				5. Wernimont P.F.(1966): intrinsic and extrinsic factors
10				in job satisfaction and jobinvolvement. Abnormal
Job Variety				psychology, vol 50.
2.66				Keywords: Performance planning, performance
11				appraisal, job satisfaction, employee involvement,
Working Hours				employ's empowerment, congenial conditions.
2.51

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JOB SATISFACTION OF CALL CENTER EMPLOYEES

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