'Fun and surveillance': the paradox of high commitment management in call centres

Much of the research into telephone call centres has focused on the coerciv e employment systems which are adopted in these organizations. This appears to contrast with the high levels of customer service and satisfaction whic h are often required for them to be successful. Our research, which is base d on two case studies of call centres studied in depth, challenges this 'sa tanic mills' image. We explore the ways in which both companies sought to b alance the pressures in the product and labour markets and employee needs t o develop strategies which combined elements of commitment and control. The y developed sophisticated human resource practices, which resembled the hig h commitment management approach, while, at the same time, maintaining a hi ghly controlled and measured work environment. Consequently, there was a gr eater alignment between their HR practices and control systems, the needs o f employees and the high quality of interactions with customers expected. T his suggests that high commitment practices are not automatically associate d with extensive employee discretion, as has been argued in the manufacturi ng sector. HR practices of this kind can be used to offset some of the wors t features of call centre working. These findings illustrate the variety of HR practices in call centres and suggest some possible reasons for this di versity.