Title: Potential long term effects of call centre workplaces on rural economies

Authors: Jennifer Adelstein

Addresses: C/- Department of Sociology, University of New South Wales, Kensington, New South Wales, 2033, Australia

Abstract: Call centre location studies indicate that establishing call centres in regional centres can solve the high unemployment of rural areas and revitalize the economies of country towns. However, research also shows that the stress experienced by call centre staff results in a ||churn and burn|| mentality to employment, with staff dissatisfaction and high turnover. This article assesses the extent to which call centres represent one potential of the ||post-industrial|| and ||information society|| theses. It looks at the issues prevalent in Australian call centre workplaces and postulates their longer term effects on regional economies in Australia and elsewhere.

Keywords: call centres; Panopticon; electronic surveillance; stress; technology; workplace environment; rural economy; power hierarchy; monitoring systems.

DOI: 10.1504/IJHRDM.2000.000995

International Journal of Human Resources Development and Management, 2000 Vol.1 No.1, pp.81-89

Published online: 18 Aug 2003 *

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