!740.

9438970882,3,02039
ln18CuuC1lCn Cn S18LSS
1oday's age ls called 1he Age of AnxleLy" and Lhls cenLury ls called 1he CenLury of SLress"
1oday vasL ma[orlLles of people are ln a sLaLe of SLress 1helr fasLpaced llfesLyle demands LhaL Lhey
are rarlng Lo go always and are always under pressure Lo perform 1hls pressure usually leads
Lo SLress SLress can be due Lo varlous reasons And SLress ln many cases causes 1enslon uepresslon
AnxleLy eLc
A loL of research has been conducLed lnLo 'sLress' over Lhe lasL hundred years Some Lheorles abouL
lL are now seLLled and accepLed oLhers are sLlll belng researched and debaLed Pans Selye was one
of Lhe foundlng faLhers of research on sLress Pe sLaLed ln 1936 LhaL SLress ls noL necessarlly
someLhlng bad lL all depends on how we Lake lL" 1he sLress of exhllaraLlng creaLlve successful
LhaL of fallure humlllaLlon or lnfecLlon ls deLrlmenLal Slnce Lhen a greaL deal of furLher research
has been conducLed on Lhe sub[ecL and new ldeas have come Lo llghL
SLress ls now vlewed as a bad Lhlng wlLh a range of harmful blochemlcal and longLerm effecLs
1hese effecLs have rarely been observed ln poslLlve slLuaLlons SLress ls LhaL sLress ls a condlLlon or
feellng experlenced when a person percelves LhaL demands exceed Lhe personal and soclal
resources Lhe lndlvldual ls able Lo moblllze" ln shorL lL ls whaL we feel when we Lhlnk we have losL
conLrol over evenLs 1here are very many proven skllls LhaL we can use Lo manage sLress 1hese
help us Lo remaln calm and effecLlve ln hlghpressure slLuaLlons and help us avold Lhe
problems of long Lerm sLress
SLress ls someLhlng LhaL occurs all Lhe Llme and affecLs everyone one way or anoLher aL leasL some
of Lhe Llme SLress can be a good Lhlng lL can be a source of moLlvaLlon Lo help geL someLhlng done
or help one Lo reacL qulckly Lo a poLenLlally dangerous slLuaLlon
PlS1C8? Cl S18LSS
Slnce Lhe orlgln of Lhe Lerm sLress lL ls amblguous sLress began llfe as a varlanL on dlsLress ln Lhe
14Lh cenLury lL meanL Lhe experlence of physlcal hardshlp sLarvaLlon LorLure and paln 1hese days
however Lhe Lerm revolves around Lhe medleval deflnlLlon ln whlch sLress slmply meanL
hardshlp 1he recenL sclenLlflc developmenLs lnform us LhaL sLress ls acLually good for us SLress ls
derlved from Lhe LaLln word sLranger meanlng Lo draw LlghL and was used ln Lhe 17Lh cenLury Lo
descrlbe hardshlps or affllcLlon uurlng Lhe laLe 18Lh cenLury sLress denoLed force pressure
sLraln or sLrong efforL referrlng prlmarlly Lo an lndlvldual or Lo an lndlvlduals organs or menLal
powers (Plnkle 1973)
As has already been noLed sLress has been deflned as a sLlmulus a response or Lhe resulL of an
lnLeracLlon beLween Lhe Lwo wlLh Lhe lnLeracLlon descrlbed ln Lerms of some lmbalance beLween
Lhe person developed parLlcularly LhaL surroundlng Lhe personenvlronmenL (L)
lnLeracLlon researches have consldered Lhe naLure of LhaL lnLeracLlon and more lmporLanLly Lhe
psychologlcal processes whlch lL Lakes place (uewey 1992)
SLress ls a physlologlcal and psychologlcal lmbalance lL arlses due Lo Lhe demands on a person and
LhaL person's lnablllLy Lo meeL Lhese demands SLress ls Lhe body's way of reacLlng Lo any slLuaLlon
and lL can have serlous repercusslons on an lndlvldual's llfe ?eL people fall Lo reallze Lhe lmporLance
of sLress managemenL ln Lhelr llves LffecLlve managers can sLay ln conLrol of llfe wlLhouL panlcklng
even under sLressful slLuaLlons 1hey handle sLress by plannlng work Laklng regular breaks and
re[uvenaLlng Lhem
S18LSS! WhaL ls lL???
S18LSS lS 1PL uLMAnu MAuL uCn 1PL AuA1lvL CAACl1? Cl Mlnu Anu 8Cu?"
uAvlu lCn1AnA
lL lsn'L easy Lo flnd a generally accepLable deflnlLlon of sLress 1he word wlLh dlfferenL
people Lakes dlfferenL meanlngs be lL professlonals psychologlsLs docLors englneers
managemenL consulLanLs all use Lhe word ln Lhelr own dlsLlncLlve ways ManagemenL
consulLanLs Lalk ln Lerms of organlzaLlonal challenges psychologlsLs ln Lerms of human behavlour
and docLors ln Lerms of psychologlcal mechanlsms
1he word 'sLress' ls deflned by Lhe Cxford ulcLlonary as a sLaLe of affalr lnvolvlng demand
on physlcal or menLal energy A condlLlon or clrcumsLance (noL always adverse) whlch
can dlsLurb Lhe normal physlcal and menLal healLh of an lndlvldual ln medlcal parlance
sLress ls deflned as a perLurbaLlon of Lhe body's homeosLasls
AL one end of a scale sLress represenLs Lhose challenges LhaL exclLe us and keep us on our
Loes whereas on Lhe oLher end sLress represenLs Lhose condlLlons under whlch lndlvlduals
have demands made upon Lhem LhaL Lhey cannoL physlcally and psychologlcally meeL Pence
aL one end sLress ls a llfe saver and Lhe oLher lL ls a llfedesLroyer
1C uLllnL S18LSS
lL ls a demand made upon Lhe adapLlve capaclLles of mlnd and body 1hls deflnlLlon ls useful
ln Lhree ways
llrsLly lL makes clear noL only LhaL sLress can be boLh good or bad buL also LhaL slnce Lhere ls wlde
range of Lhlngs LhaL can make demand over Lhe mlnd and Lhe body Lhere ls wlde range of Lhlngs
LhaL can cause sLress
Secondly lL lnfers Lhe polnL LhaL lL lsn'L Lhe evenLs LhaL deLermlne LhaL we are sLressed or noL buL lL
ls our reacLlons Lo Lhem
And Lhlrdly as Lhe deflnlLlon says LhaL sLress ls a demand made upon Lhe body's capaclLles
lLs naLure and Lhe exLenL of Lhese capaclLles deLermlne our response Lo Lhe demand lf our
capaclLles are good enough we wlll respond well lf Lhey aren'L we glve away
SLress ls Lhe wear and Lear our bodles experlence as we ad[usL Lo our conLlnually changlng
envlronmenL lL has physlcal and emoLlonal effecLs on us and can creaLe poslLlve or
negaLlve feellngs As a poslLlve lnfluence sLress can help compel us Lo acLlon lL can resulL
ln a new awareness and an exclLlng new perspecLlve As a negaLlve lnfluence lL can
resulL ln feellngs of dlsLrusL re[ecLlon anger and depresslon whlch ln Lurn can lead Lo
healLh problems such as headaches upseL sLomach rashes lnsomnla ulcers hlgh blood
pressure hearL dlsease and sLroke WlLh Lhe deaLh of a loved one Lhe blrLh of a
chlld a [ob promoLlon or a new relaLlonshlp we experlence sLress as we read [usL
our llves ln so ad[usLlng Lo dlfferenL clrcumsLances sLress wlll help or hlnder us dependlng on how
we reacL Lo lL
SLress ls a facL of llfe 8uL Loo much sLress can break down a persons physlcal menLal and
emoLlonal healLh lannlng can help people Lo manage sLress ln Lhelr llves 1hey musL begln Lo make
cholces LhaL supporL Lhelr values and develop a personal plan Lo Lake charge of Lhelr llves
1?LS Cl S18LSS SCML CCCu SCML 8Au
uld you know LhaL some Lypes of sLress can be good for you? 1haLs rlghL! Some forms of sLress can
be good for you buL oLher Lypes of sLress dlsorders can cause ma[or healLh problems and even be
llfe LhreaLenlng
1here are four maln Lypes of sLress LhaL people experlence
LuS18LSS
LusLress ls a Lype of shorLLerm sLress LhaL provldes lmmedlaLe sLrengLh LusLress arlses aL polnLs of
lncreased physlcal acLlvlLy enLhuslasm and creaLlvlLy LusLress ls a poslLlve sLress LhaL arlses when
moLlvaLlon and lnsplraLlon are needed A gymnasL experlences eusLress before a compeLlLlon
ulS18LSS
ulsLress ls a negaLlve sLress broughL abouL by consLanL read[usLmenLs or alLeraLlons ln a rouLlne
ulsLress creaLes feellngs of dlscomforL and unfamlllarlLy
1here are Lwo Lypes of dlsLress
1 AcuLe sLress ls an lnLense sLress LhaL arrlves and dlsappears qulckly AcuLe sLress ls Lhe mosL
common form of sLress lL comes from demands and pressures of Lhe recenL pasL and anLlclpaLed
demands and pressures of Lhe near fuLure AcuLe sLress ls Lhrllllng and exclLlng ln small doses buL
Loo much ls exhausLlng 8ecause lL ls shorL Lerm acuLe sLress doesnL have enough Llme Lo do Lhe
exLenslve damage assoclaLed wlLh longLerm sLress AcuLe sLress can crop up ln anyones llfe and lL
ls hlghly LreaLable and manageable
2 Chronlc sLress ls a prolonged sLress LhaL exlsLs for weeks monLhs or even years Someone who ls
consLanLly relocaLlng or changlng [obs may experlence dlsLress Whlle acuLe sLress can be Lhrllllng
and exclLlng chronlc sLress ls noL 1hls ls Lhe grlndlng sLress LhaL wears people away day afLer day
year afLer year Chronlc sLress desLroys bodles mlnds and llves lL wreaks havoc Lhrough longLerm
aLLrlLlon lLs Lhe sLress of poverLy of dysfuncLlonal famllles of belng Lrapped ln an unhappy
marrlage or ln a desplsed [ob or career
1he worsL aspecL of chronlc sLress ls LhaL people geL used Lo lL 1hey forgeL lLs Lhere eople are
lmmedlaLely aware of acuLe sLress because lL ls new Lhey lgnore chronlc sLress because lL ls old
famlllar and someLlmes almosL comforLable
P?L8S18LSS
Pyper sLress occurs when an lndlvldual ls pushed beyond whaL he or she can handle Pyper sLress
resulLs from belng overloaded or overworked When someone ls hyper sLressed even llLLle
Lhlngs can Lrlgger a sLrong emoLlonal response A Wall SLreeL Lrader ls llkely Lo experlence hyper
sLress
P?CS18LSS
Pypo sLress ls Lhe opposlLe of hyper sLress Pypo sLress occurs when an lndlvldual ls bored or
unchallenged eople who experlence hypo sLress are ofLen resLless and unlnsplred A
facLory worker who performs repeLlLlve Lasks mlghL experlence hypo sLress
mlnds and llves lL wreaks havoc Lhrough longLerm aLLrlLlon lLs Lhe sLress of poverLy of
dysfuncLlonal famllles of belng Lrapped ln an unhappy marrlage or ln a desplsed [ob or career
1he worsL aspecL of chronlc sLress ls LhaL people geL used Lo lL 1hey forgeL lLs Lhere eople are
lmmedlaLely aware of acuLe sLress because lL ls new Lhey lgnore chronlc sLress because lL ls old
famlllar and someLlmes almosL comforLable
P?L8S18LSS
Pyper sLress occurs when an lndlvldual ls pushed beyond whaL he or she can handle Pyper sLress
resulLs from belng overloaded or overworked When someone ls hyper sLressed even llLLle
Lhlngs can Lrlgger a sLrong emoLlonal response A Wall SLreeL Lrader ls llkely Lo experlence hyper
sLress
P?CS18LSS
Pypo sLress ls Lhe opposlLe of hyper sLress Pypo sLress occurs when an lndlvldual ls bored or
unchallenged eople who experlence hypo sLress are ofLen resLless and unlnsplred A
facLory worker who performs repeLlLlve Lasks mlghL experlence hypo sLress
MyLh 3 no sympLoms no sLress
Absence of sympLoms does noL mean Lhe absence of sLress ln facL camouflaglng sympLoms wlLh
medlcaLlon may deprlve you of Lhe slgnals you need for reduclng Lhe sLraln on your physlologlcal and
psychologlcal sysLems
MyLh 6 Cnly ma[or sympLoms of sLress requlre aLLenLlon
1hls myLh assumes LhaL Lhe mlnor sympLoms such as headaches or sLomach acld may be safely
lgnored Mlnor sympLoms of sLress are Lhe early warnlngs LhaL your llfe ls geLLlng ouL of hand and
LhaL you need Lo do a beLLer [ob of managlng sLress
S18LSS Anu CLnuL8
uoes sLress Lend Lo affecL Lhe male of Lhe specles more Lhan Lhe female? Cplnlons vary slnce Lhere
are dlfferenLlaLlng facLors beLween Lhe sexes All parameLers belng equal however Lhe
preponderanL vlew ls LhaL women are more adepL aL handllng sLress Lhanks Lo beLLer coplng
mechanlsms
LllLC1S Cl S18LSS
1he human body's reacLlon Lo sLress ls naLural lL resulLs from Lhe need Lo reslsL a sLressful
slLuaLlon lor example when a person ls nervous Lhere ls an lncrease ln hls/her pulse raLe 1hls ls a
'flghL or fllghL' response Powever Lhlngs can go ouL of conLrol lf Loo much sLress ls presenL 1he
person can have a hearL aLLack or a nervous breakdown 1oo much of sLress can Lell upon a person's
healLh lf neglecLed lL can lead Lo serlous healLh dlsorders aL a laLer sLage SLress has boLh physlcal
and psychologlcal effecLs on an lndlvldual (8efer LxhlblL 1 Lo flnd ouL Lhe effecLs of sLress on an
lndlvldual)

LxhlblL 1
LffecLs of SLress on an lndlvldualhyslcal LffecLs
lncreased hearL raLe and blood pressure
Sudden lncrease or decrease ln welghL (change ln appeLlLe)
lrequenL headaches faLlgue and resplraLory roblems
nervous weakness ( blLlng nalls Loo much sweaLlng)
lnsomnla
8educed lmmunlLy Lo common colds and flu
ulcers and weak dlgesLlve sysLem
sychologlcal AffecLs
ulfflculLy ln concenLraLlng
unable Lo spend lelsure Llme producLlvely
Always anxlous
8ad declslon maklng
Mood swlngs
lncreased usage of food clgareLLes alcohol and drugs
ueveloplng fears and phoblas
leellng ouL of conLrol and confused

S18A1LClLS lC8 CClnC Wl1P S18LSS
AfLer undersLandlng Lhe sources of sLress and Lhe effecLs of sLress on lndlvlduals leL us dlscuss some
sLraLegles Lo flghL sLress

r SLraLegles Lo llghL SLress
Some of Lhe lmporLanL sLraLegles for managers Lo flghL sLress are prlorlLlzlng and
delegaLlng work laughlng a loL exerclslng regularly pracLlclng relaxaLlon Lechnlques
malnLalnlng a good balanced dleL and havlng a good nlghL's sleep
r rlorlLlze work
MulLlLasklng ls Lhe buzzword Lhese days An lndlvldual requlres speclal skllls Lo perform
mulLlple Lasks slmulLaneously Cne way Lo mlnlmlze sLress whlle mulLlLasklng ls Lo plan prlorlLlze
and perform lannlng lnvolves preparlng a llsL of acLlvlLles LhaL need Lo be performed 1hls
lnvolves conslderlng Lhe Llme facLor rlorlLlzlng lnvolves ranklng Lhe acLlvlLles based on Lhelr
lmporLance and performlng Lhese acLlvlLles ln LhaL order rlorlLlzlng acLlvlLles each day ls Lhe
slmplesL way Lo Lackle sLress 1he nexL sLep ls Lo schedule Llme for Lasks dependlng on Lhe prlorlLles
lor lnsLance a person may have Lo aLLend a communlLy meeLlng and an offlclal parLy Pe/she may
schedule Llme for boLh acLlvlLles by aLLendlng Lhe offlclal parLy flrsL and Lhen Lhe communlLy
meeLlng
r uelegaLe work
Some lndlvlduals prefer dolng all Lhe work Lhemselves 1hls adds Lo Lhelr sLress 1hey should learn Lo
delegaLe rouLlne work Lo oLhers lor lnsLance a manager can delegaLe Lhe work of preparlng a
reporL on a pro[ecL Lo a subordlnaLe
S18A1LClLS lC8 CClnC Wl1P S18LSS
AfLer undersLandlng Lhe sources of sLress and Lhe effecLs of sLress on lndlvlduals leL us dlscuss some
sLraLegles Lo flghL sLress

r SLraLegles Lo llghL SLress
Some of Lhe lmporLanL sLraLegles for managers Lo flghL sLress are prlorlLlzlng and
delegaLlng work laughlng a loL exerclslng regularly pracLlclng relaxaLlon Lechnlques
malnLalnlng a good balanced dleL and havlng a good nlghL's sleep
r rlorlLlze work
MulLlLasklng ls Lhe buzzword Lhese days An lndlvldual requlres speclal skllls Lo perform
mulLlple Lasks slmulLaneously Cne way Lo mlnlmlze sLress whlle mulLlLasklng ls Lo plan prlorlLlze
and perform lannlng lnvolves preparlng a llsL of acLlvlLles LhaL need Lo be performed 1hls
lnvolves conslderlng Lhe Llme facLor rlorlLlzlng lnvolves ranklng Lhe acLlvlLles based on Lhelr
lmporLance and performlng Lhese acLlvlLles ln LhaL order rlorlLlzlng acLlvlLles each day ls Lhe
slmplesL way Lo Lackle sLress 1he nexL sLep ls Lo schedule Llme for Lasks dependlng on Lhe prlorlLles
lor lnsLance a person may have Lo aLLend a communlLy meeLlng and an offlclal parLy Pe/she may
schedule Llme for boLh acLlvlLles by aLLendlng Lhe offlclal parLy flrsL and Lhen Lhe communlLy
meeLlng
r uelegaLe work
Some lndlvlduals prefer dolng all Lhe work Lhemselves 1hls adds Lo Lhelr sLress 1hey should learn Lo
delegaLe rouLlne work Lo oLhers lor lnsLance a manager can delegaLe Lhe work of preparlng a
reporL on a pro[ecL Lo a subordlnaLe
r uleL
A good balanced dleL plays a vlLal role ln reduclng sLress A person Lends Lo neglecL dleL when under
sLress 1hls may lead Lo overeaLlng or undereaLlng 1hls lmproper eaLlng resulLs ln a weak lmmune
sysLem and creaLes healLh problems A wellbalanced meal LhaL ls eaLen on Llme ls very lmporLanL Lo
mlnlmlze sLress
r Sleep
Sleep ls a weapon uurlng sleep a person prepares hlmself/herself Lo face anoLher day SLress makes
a person sleepless or very sleepy A sLressed person may feel sleepy LhroughouL Lhe day and awake
durlng nlghLs Cn an average everyone needs aL leasL 78 hours of sleep per day Some may need
more sleep or some less AfLer a good nlghL's sleep a person feels fresh An lndlvldual musL adopL a
bedLlme rouLlne LhaL lnduces sleep llke readlng a book LhaL ls sooLhlng and llsLenlng Lo muslc LhaL ls
relaxlng Cne musL go Lo bed aL Lhe same Llme every day
r MedlLaLlon
MedlLaLlon ls one of Lhe mosL effecLlve Lechnlques ln reduclng and avoldlng sLress 8egular
medlLaLlon helps ln sLress reducLlon lL
- enables one Lo conLrol Lhe LhoughL process
- enables one Lo Lake effecLlve declslons
- helps ln physlcal and menLal relaxaLlon
- lmproves concenLraLlon
MedlLaLlon ls a Lechnlque Lo achleve a LhoughLless or mlndless sLaLe ln Lhls sLaLe a person has no
LhoughLs 1hls klnd of sLaLe Lhus acLs a sLress rellever and a greaL re[uvenaLor
r ?oga
?oga ls anoLher lmporLanL sLress rellever ?oga has been Lrled and LesLed slnce anclenL Llmes
Accordlng Lo aLan[all Maharlshl yoga ls Lhe cessaLlon of mlnd lL ls a sLaLe of nomlnd ?oga ls noL
for bodybulldlng lL slmply focuses on genLle posLures LhaL lmprove clrculaLlon of blood Lo vlLal
parLs of Lhe body 1he lncrease ln blood clrculaLlon re[uvenaLes Lhe organs and releases sLress
r MalnLalnlng workllfe balance
Workllfe balance means a harmonlous balance of work and domesLlc llfe lL allows an employee Lo
fulflll all Lhe roles ln hls/her llfe effecLlvely and efflclenLly 8esearches have proved LhaL employees
are aL Lhelr besL when Lhey are conLenLed and moLlvaLed boLh aL work and aL home
Achlevlng a workllfe balance ls noL as easy as lL seems ln Lhe corporaLe world change ls consLanL
and lmmlnenL 1he lmpacL of globallzaLlon has furLher fuelled Lhese changes 1he corporaLe world
slgnlfles uncerLalnLles Loo many responslblllLles and long work hours 1hese changes ln Lhe
envlronmenL dlsLurb Lhe balance beLween domesLlc and workllfe of employees 1he lncreaslng
compeLlLlon and demands of socleLy furLher aggravaLe Lhe slLuaLlon All Lhls adds up Lo sLress
r lmporLance of Workllfe balance
1he corporaLe world ls reallzlng Lhe lmporLance of Lhe workllfe balance Companles are reallzlng
Lhe facL LhaL Lhe workllfe balance of employees has a dlrecL effecL on Lhe producLlvlLy of
Lhelr organlzaLlons LxhlblL 3 explalns Lhe varlous pracLlces LhaL companles follow Lo malnLaln work
llfe balance
1he lmporLance of workllfe balance ls due Lo Lhe followlng reasons
Changlng soclal scene
ln Loday's world malnLalnlng workllfe balance ls Lhe greaLesL challenge employees' face Lmployees
have reallzed LhaL Lhelr personal llves have an effecL on Lhelr work llfe Pence Lhey are sLrlvlng
hard Lo malnLaln Lhe balance

Changlng work culLure
1here ls a shlfL ln Lhe organlzaLlonal work culLure 1oday's work culLure provldes flexlble work
hours focus on resulLs and recognlLlon of achlevemenLs Powever Lhls has made Lhe workplace
even more compeLlLlve as employees are expecLed Lo always glve Lhelr besL and Lhls leads Lo sLress
lncreased work Llme
WlLh globallzaLlon organlzaLlons are worklng 363 days 24 hours and 7 days a week lrrespecLlve of
Llme zones 8uslnesses are focuslng more and more on cusLomer care WlLh Lhe comlng of call
cenLers Lhls focus has doubled 1he Lechnology has added Lo Lhe speed of work buL Lhe workload
remalns Lhe same
uual lncome famllles
1he shlfL ln aLLlLudes work sLyles and culLures has dlsLurbed Lhe workllfe balance Worklng
moLhers have ma[or responslblllLles of managlng boLh home and work place 1hls makes lL all Lhe
more lmporLanL for Lhem Lo balance work and llfe CrganlzaLlons are helplng women by provldlng
faclllLles llke work from home day care eLc
8eneflLs of Workllfe 8alance
Achlevlng a workllfe balance beneflLs boLh employers and employees Whlle Lhe employers
geL Lhe beneflL of producLlve and acLlve employees Lhe employees feel secure and loyal lL also
lmproves confldence concenLraLlon selfesLeem and loyalLy among Lhe employees 1he
concepL of workllfe balance ls sLlll fresh ln lndla lndlan l1 companles are probably Lhe flrsL ones
Lo provlde a funwork envlronmenL Some companles are now lnvesLlng ln recreaLlonal faclllLles
aL Lhe workslLe
SLeps Lo achleve workllfe balance
1o bulld up an awareness of Lhe lmporLance of workllfe balance ln employees companles
should conducL regular workshops and programs on workllfe balance
1he followlng measures have Lo be Laken by employers
- ulscourage employees from worklng laLe
- 1ake a regular employee saLlsfacLlon survey LhaL can ldenLlfy Lhe plLfalls ln Lhe work paLLern
- rovlde vacaLlons and encourage employees Lo Lake breaks
- rovlde opporLunlLles llke work from home flexl LlmesS18LSS MAnACLMLn1
Lvery one wanLs sLressfree llfe ?eL sLress ls ublqulLous Cf course lL cannoL be conLrolled
by more nuLrlenLs as Lhe real cause of sLress ls anxleLy or pressure whlch may ulLlmaLely lead Lo Lhe
neglecL or proper dleLary hablLs SLress refers Lo Lhe clrcumsLances LhaL LhreaLen one's well belng
and Lhereby Lax one's coplng ablllLles"
SLress ls lnevlLable parL of modern llfe Llke !anus sLress has Lwo faces lL ls a good servanL buL a bad
masLer ln oLher words lL can be one's besL frlend or worsL enemy A cerLaln amounL of sLress ls
necessary Lo achleve success 8uL undue sLress causes dlsLress
SLress ls recelved by dlfferenL people dlfferenLly lf Lwo people experlence Lhe same amounL or
pressure one may be healLhy whlle Lhe oLher ls slck 1hls ls so because our personallLles do
lnfluence Lhe level of sLress 1he presenL day's llfesLyle breeds sLress and Lenslon When Lenslon lasLs
long depresslon seLs ln
Accordlng Lo ur 8aw 8aum a lLLsburgh ennsylvanlan bloenergeLlcs analysL and sLress educaLor
SLress ls our body's blochemlcal reacLlon Lo how we llve our llves SLress can develop lnLo
dlsLress and dlsease Lhrough your personal adapLaLlons Lo lnLernal and exLernal
envlronmenLs"
SLress ls Lhe body's reacLlon Lo Lhe exLernal demands placed upon lL by Lhe
envlronmenL SLress can be elLher good or bad Cood sLress creaLes Lhe necessary exclLemenL Lo
perform an acLlvlLy 1hls Lype of sLress ls Lemporary and has no longLerm effecLs on Lhe body 8ad
sLress creaLes an alarmlng reacLlon ln Lhe body lL affecLs Lhe body's lmmune sysLem and has
deLrlmenLal affecLs on Lhe body over a perlod
1here are many sources of sLress for an lndlvldual lL can be famlly frlends workplace superlors
and colleagues 1he sources of sLress for an lndlvldual should be ldenLlfled 1he effecLs of sLress
may lnclude mlnor sympLoms llke headache lrrlLablllLy loss of concenLraLlon loss of
appeLlLe Lo ma[or sympLoms llke lnsomnla amnesla hearL aLLack ulcers eLc SLress should be
ldenLlfled and LreaLed ln Lhe early sLages or lL could resulL ln a burnouL A severe case or neglecLed
case of sLress leads Lo burnouL Lxerclse dleL and resL play a vlLal role ln sLress handllng A healLhy
person ls beLLer aL handllng sLressful slLuaLlons Lhan an unhealLhy person
A worklng person should learn Lo balance work and personal llfe Lo lead a happy llfe 1hls work llfe
balance can be achleved by glvlng lmporLance Lo boLh work and personal llfe CrganlzaLlons should
help Lhelr employees achleve workllfe balance as Lhls has an effecL on Lhe producLlvlLy of Lhe
organlzaLlons
SplrlLuallLy aL Lhe workplace has become a necesslLy ln Loday's world 1he pracLlce of splrlLuallLy aL
Lhe workplace enables an lndlvldual Lo deal wlLh sLressful slLuaLlons lL provldes an
lndlvldual wlLh Lhe sLrengLh Lo face unforeseen slLuaLlons wlLhouL panlc SplrlLuallLy helps
a manager Lo deal wlLh sLress lnLernally lnsLead of looklng for exLernal soluLlons
AcLlon olnLs
Managers should
- ldenLlfy sources of sLress and Lhelr effecLs on you
- AdopL a desLresslng rouLlne llke golng for a sollLary walk aL Lhe end of Lhe day
- Spend Llme wlLh famlly frlends
- Make Llme for vacaLlons
- racLlce relaxaLlon meLhods llke deep breaLhlng medlLaLlon and yoga
- Sleep for aL leasL 68 hours
- lan prlorlLlze and delegaLe work
- 1ry Lo malnLaln a workllfe balance
Managers should noL
- lgnore sympLoms llke frequenL headaches coughs and colds
- 1ake on Loo may responslblllLles or demands LhaL are ouLslde your capablllLles
- use drugs Lobacco alcohol Lo handle sLress
- use selfmedlcaLlon
- WalL for deadllnes Lo approach
- SeL unreallsLlc goals
S18LSS A1 WC8kLACL
!ob sLress ls a consequence of Lwo key lngredlenLs a hlgh level of [ob demands and llLLle conLrol
over one's work"
AuL l8ClLAnu
WPA1S l1?
ln Lhls dlfflculL economy you may flnd lL harder Lhan ever Lo cope wlLh challenges on Lhe [ob 8oLh
Lhe sLress we Lake wlLh us when we go Lo work and Lhe sLress LhaL awalLs us on Lhe [ob are on Lhe
rlse and employers managers and workers all feel Lhe added pressure Whlle some sLress ls a
normal parL of llfe excesslve sLress lnLerferes wlLh your producLlvlLy and reduces your physlcal and
emoLlonal healLh so lL's lmporLanL Lo flnd ways Lo keep lL under conLrol lorLunaLely Lhere ls a loL
LhaL you can do Lo manage and reduce sLress aL work
CALL CLn1L8S
Call cenLer ls a generallzed Lerm LhaL embraces a number of acLlvlLles llke reservaLlon cenLers help
desks lnformaLlon llnes or cusLomer servlce cenLers lrrespecLlve of how Lhey are organlzed or whaL
Lypes of LransacLlons Lhey handle Call cenLer ls generally referred Lo a reflned volce operaLlons
seLLlng LhaL provldes a full range of hlghvolume lnbound or ouLbound callhandllng
servlces lncludlng cusLomer supporL operaLor servlces dlrecLory asslsLance mulLlllngual
cusLomer supporL credlL servlces card servlces lnbound and ouLbound LelemarkeLlng
lnLeracLlve volce response and webbased servlces
Call cenLers are becomlng lncreaslngly popular ln Lodays buslness where many companles
have cenLrallzed cusLomer servlce and supporL funcLlons Call cenLers are generally large
offlces wlLh represenLaLlves who elLher make or recelve phone calls uependlng on Lhe
Lype of work call cenLers may have a slngle offlce employlng a few people or large offlce wlLh
Lhousands of employees 1he maln acLlvlLy ln some call cenLers ls answerlng lnbound calls such as
a bank LhaL glves ouL a Lollfree number for cusLomers needlng help AL Lhe same Llme Lhere are
some call cenLers LhaL focus on ouLbound calls Loo
WlLh lncrease ln ouLsourclng call cenLers are also becomlng popular 8y way of ouLsourclng
companles conLracL ouL some funcLlons Lo oLher companles locaLed mosLly ln cosL effecLlve
desLlnaLlons llke lndla ln Lhls fleld lndla en[oys several advanLages over a number of developed
counLles ln lndla we a have large pool of quallfled people Lngllsh speaklng graduaLes and l1
professlonals ln addlLlon Lo Lhls lndla have some oLher advanLages llke cheap labor
flexlblllLy ln worklng hours and Llme zone dlfference 1hls ls Lhe reason why a number of MnCs are
ouLsourclng Lhelr buslness acLlvlLles Lo lndla
Call cenLres are comparaLlvely a recenL lnLroducLlon Lo Lhe world of career opLlons ln lndla 1he
career avenues provlded by Call cenLres ls one of Lhe besL sulLed and growlng opLlon whlch even a
fresher can opL for WlLh Lhe openlng up of Lhe lndlan economy and Lhe advenL of globallsaLlon
more and more companles from abroad are baslng or ouLsourclng Lhelr call cenLre servlces Lo lndla
a Lrend sLarLed by CL when lL esLabllshed a call cenLre near new uelhl ln 1998
A call cenLre ls a servlce cenLre wlLh adequaLe Lelecom faclllLles access Lo lnLerneL and wlde
daLabase whlch provlde volce based or webbased lnformaLlon and supporL Lo cusLomers ln
Lhe counLry or abroad Lhrough Lralned personnel Call cenLres exlsL ln all secLors of buslness
lncludlng banklng uLlllLles manufacLurlng securlLy markeL research pharmaceuLlcals
caLalogue sales order desk cusLomer servlce Lechnlcal querles (help desk) emergency dlspaLch
credlL collecLlons food servlce alrllne/hoLel reservaLlons eLc 1he wlde area of servlces provlded by
Lhe call cenLres makes lL a lucraLlve career wlLh a range of opporLunlLles
unuL8S1AnulnC 1PL CALL CLn1L8 lnuuS18?"
1here has been some dlspuLe amongsL researchers as Lo wheLher lL ls approprlaLe Lo refer Lo such a
Lhlng as Lhe call cenLer lndusLry" As 8aln and 1aylor polnL ouL desplLe slmllarlLles ln Lhe
lnLegraLlon of compuLer and Lelephone Lechnologles cenLers dlffer ln relaLlon Lo a number of
lmporLanL varlablesslze lndusLrlal secLor and markeL complexlLy and lengLh of call cycle Llme
naLure of operaLlons (lnbound ouLbound or comblned) Lhe naLure and effecLlveness of
represenLaLlve lnsLlLuLlons lncludlng Lrade unlons and managemenL sLyles and prlorlLles" 1o
Lhls llsL of varlables Callaghan and 1hompson would add Lhe degree of producL complexlLy and
varlablllLy and Lhe depLh of knowledge requlred Lo deal wlLh Lhe servlce lnLeracLlon" 8aln and 1aylor
argue LhaL lL ls more approprlaLe Lo use Lhe Lerm secLor" as call CenLers are found across a wlde
range of lndusLrles and may be slmllar prlmarlly ln Lerms of Lhelr core Lechnologles 1hey do noLe
however LhaL Lhere ls a professlonal llLeraLure and a collecLlve ldenLlLy LhaL ls malnLalned and
developed Lhrough conferences and forums 8elL 8lchardson and WebsLer (2000) agree LhaL call
cenLers are noL an lndusLry as Lhe Lerm ls generally deflned buL raLher represenL cerLaln ways of
dellverlng varlous servlces uslng Lhe Lelephone and compuLer Lechnologles across LradlLlonal
lndusLry boundarles Powever Lhese auLhors provlde Lhree sLrong reasons defendlng Lhe pracLlce of
referrlng Lo call cenLers as an lndusLry
llrsL Lhe call cenLer communlLy ofLen deflnes lLself as an lndusLry wlLh numerous naLlonal
and lnLernaLlonal call cenLer conferences and workshops Laklng place each year lndusLry
[ournals and call cenLer forums organlzed aL local levels
Second Lhe labor force requlremenLs of call cenLers are ofLen Lhe same across secLors 1hls
means LhaL many Lhough noL all call cenLers share a common labor pool1hlrd Lhe
organlzaLlonal LemplaLes and Lechnologles used Lend Lo be very slmllar regardless of Lhe secLor
1o Lhls one mlghL add Lhe remarkable slmllarlLles LhaL lnLernaLlonal researchers have found
beLween Lechnologles used work pracLlces and key lssues lncludlng monlLorlng conLrol
Lralnlng and labor demographlcs for workers ln counLrles as dlverse as Cermany !apan AusLralla
Creece Canada Lhe uS Lhe uk and Lhe neLherlands
S18LSS ln CALL CLn1L8S
SLress exlsLs ln every call cenLer Call cenLers are sLressful work envlronmenLs 1he demands
of servlng Lhe cusLomer ln realLlme helps Lo lay Lhe foundaLlon Add Lo Lhls facLor Lhlngs such as [ob
repeLlLlon poLenLlal [ob dlssaLlsfacLlon poor ergonomlcs or low pay and Lhe sLress level cllmbs
hlgher
lf sLress ln Lhe workplace (le Lhe call cenLer) ls noL on Lhe agenda Lhe resulLs of sLress are
revealed Lhrough hlgher absenLeelsm Lhan oLher parLs of Lhe company hlgher Workers
CompensaLlon clalms and ulLlmaLely ln reduced cusLomer saLlsfacLlon
1hls CperaLlons 1oplc focuses on varlous approaches Lo managlng sLress 8alslng Lhe pay lsnL
necessarlly Lhe soluLlon 1here are many oLher creaLlve means of managlng sLress ln your call cenLer
- lacLors LhaL CreaLe a SLressful Call CenLer
- LmoLlonal Labor
- SLress Levels SLaff 1urnover and Some SuggesLed SoluLlons
- CusLomer CenLrlc ALLlLude and SLress
8ecommended SoluLlons Lo Solvlng SLress ln Lhe Call CenLer
- lnvolve lronL Llne SLaff ln CreaLlng SoluLlons
- ALLenLlon Lo Lrgonomlc lacLors Pelps 8educe SLress
- uevelop an lnLernal Lrgonomlc rogram
- Lmployee AsslsLance rograms Can ConLrlbuLe
- Conslder Massage 1herapy Servlces or ?oga As osslble SoluLlons
8esources
- Wake up ?our Call CenLer Pumanlzlng ?our lnLeracLlon Pub
- Managlng Workplace Chaos Workplace SoluLlons for Managlng lnformaLlon aper 1lme and
SLress - 1eleSLress 8ellef lor Call CenLer SLress SyndromePuMAn lSSuLS ln CALLCLn1L8
lnuuS18?
S18LSS
lor many employed ln call cenLer secLor dally experlence ls of repeLlLlve lnLenslve and sLressful
work based upon 1aylorlsL prlnclples whlch frequenLly resulLs ln employee burnouL" 8rown
characLerlzes work as repeLlLlve braln sLraln" 1hese descrlpLlons are hardly surprlslng ln a
way glven LhaL call cenLers are esLabllshed by organlzaLlons Lo creaLe an envlronmenL ln whlch
work can be sLandardlzed Lo creaLe relaLlvely unlform and repeLlLlous acLlvlLles so as Lo
achleve economles of scale and conslsLenL quallLy of cusLomer servlce" ln oLher words LhaL
workplaces are organlzed ln ways LhaL weaken employee auLonomy and enhance poLenLlal for
managemenL conLrol and a loss of conLrol ls generally undersLood Lo be an lmporLanL lndlcaLor of
workrelaLed sLress"
1here ls almosL unlversal consensus LhaL call cenLer work ls sLressful Lven ln sLudles LhaL
reporL Lhe observaLlon LhaL some sLaff acLually en[oys Lhelr work menLlon of sLress ls sLlll Lhe norm
and a slgnlflcanL porLlon of Lhe call cenLer llLeraLure ls devoLed Lo deLalllng Lhe sources of sLress ln
call cenLer work
lCu8 kL? S18LSSC8S
'Can we geL off Lhe phone for a whlle?'
1he prlmary source of sLress reporLed ls lnherenL Lo Lhe naLure of Lhe [ob spendlng all day on Lhe
phone deallng wlLh people one afLer anoLher day afLer day ls dlfflculL uolng lL under consLanL
pressure Lo keep call volumes up wlLh no Llme beLween calls Lo recover from an awkward call or
from 'cusLomer re[ecLlon'" ls even more dlfflculL And dolng lL wlLh very llLLle auLhorlLy or auLonomy
Lo recLlfy problems" LhaL arlse ls perhaps Lhe mosL dlfflculL of all Many sLudles reporL agenLs as
wanLlng Lo '[usL geL off Lhe phones' lor example 8elL and colleagues noLe agenLs ln all Lhree
secLors flnanclal servlces l1 and LhlrdparLy servlces spoke of Lhe phenomenon of
'burnouL' caused by Lhe pressure of worklng excluslvely 'on Lhe phones'" ln Lhe same
sLudy Lhe auLhors menLlon LhaL Lhe lssue of 'burnouL' was also recognlzed by some managers
lL was polnLed ouL LhaL managers face an lnherenL confllcL beLween Lhe need Lo reduce sLaff
boredom and labor Lurnover and Lhe pressure Lo concenLraLe sLaff energles on Lelephone
based work"
1he quesLlon of how call cenLer employees deal wlLh sLress ls an lmporLanL one parLlcularly ln
vlew of evldence LhaL a bulldup of sLress leads Lo lllness absenLeelsm and Lurnover" wrlLes
Poullhan Many auLhors agree and Lhere are a varleLy of lndlvldual coplng mechanlsms descrlbed ln
Lhe llLeraLure 1rlcks Lo clrcumvenL conLrol mechanlsms such as Lhose dlscussed above are
someLlmes menLloned as aLLempLs aL sLress reducLlon alLhough Lhey are unrellable ln Lhls role as
Lhey may also lncrease sLress
CLhers menLlon soclal lnLeracLlon squeezed lnLo brlef momenLsCallaghan and 1hompson
descrlbe agenLs uslng humorous (or rude) gesLures Lowards Lhe phone or maklng faces aL
colleagues Lo defuse sLress over angry or abuslve callers and maklng [okes Lo combaL Lhe
Ledlum of Lhe day Lankshear and Mason descrlbe a slmllarly soclal approach Lo reduclng Lenslon ln
one of Lhe slLes Lhey observed where sLaff ofLen laughed and [oked wlLh one anoLher ln lnLervals
beLween calls wlLh managemenL's approval More formally some call cenLers lnclude sLress
managemenL as a componenL ln Lralnlng programs and many have or clalm Lo have Leam de
brleflngs whlch permlL sLaff Lo venL frusLraLlons whlle dlscusslng dlfflculL calls or dlssaLlsfacLlons wlLh
elemenLs of work
knlghLs and McCabe Lake a dlfferenL approach Lo sLress ln Lhe workplace 1hey noLe LhaL alLhough
much organlzaLlonal analysls and mosL of Lhe call cenLer llLeraLure Lends Lo concepLuallze sLress as
an lndlvldual problem lL ls acLually locaLed wlLhln a framework LhaL emphaslzes Lhe
lnLerrelaLlonshlps beLween sLrucLural relaLlons of power and Lhe sub[ecLlve lnLerpreLaLlons and
acLlons of employees" 1hls more nuance poslLlonlng may provlde more lnslghL lnLo call cenLer
condlLlons as lL allows a researcher Lo conslder Lhe response of employees forced Lo
lnLerpreL Lhe ofLen conLradlcLory demands managemenL place upon Lhem" lncludlng
conLradlcLlonsover servlce quallLy versus Lhe quanLlLy of work ouLpuL" Clearly" Lhese auLhors
wrlLe sLaffs face some fundamenLal conLradlcLlons over unlLy versus confllcL uncerLalnLy
versus cerLalnLy quallLy versus quanLlLy and Lhese are aL Lhe hearL of Lhe reproducLlon of sLress
reslsLance and conLrol" 1hls focus on Lhe conLradlcLory" naLure of demands sLrlkes aL Lhe hearL
of Lhe second lnherenL sources of sLress ln (prlmarlly lnbound) call cenLer works Lhe quallLy/quanLlLy
confllcL
CuALl1?/CuAn1l1? CCnlLlC1
1yplcally organlzaLlonal rheLorlc ln lnbound call cenLers ls concerned wlLh 'cusLomer care' or
'keeplng cusLomers happy' (provldlng quallLy servlce) yeL Lhese goals are [uxLaposed wlLh
an ongolng pressure Lo keep call Llmes down and call volumes up Call cenLers are rooLed ln
conLradlcLory Lenslons and sLrucLural paradoxes and confronL a number of Lradesoffs on LhaL basls
1hese seL a conLexL for aLLlLudes Lowards Lhe organlzaLlon and can lmpose confllcLlng role
requlremenLs on agenLs A core example ls LhaL of Lhe pressure for quanLlLy versus Lhe asplraLlon for
quallLy Lhe guldlng loglc of whlch ls Lhe conundrum of Lrylng Lo geL closer Lo Lhe cusLomer
whlle rouLlnlslng cenLrallzlng reduclng cosLs and prescrlblng sLandards
1he dlchoLomy ls noL compleLely sLralghLforward lL ls lmporLanL Lo noLe arL of provldlng
quallLy servlce from a managemenL perspecLlve ls maklng sure cusLomers do noL walL Loo long for
Lhelr calls Lo be answered even Lhough Lhe push Lo keep queue walLlng Llmes shorL ls Lyplcally
caLegorlzed as parL of Lhe pressure Lowards quanLlLy As 8aln polnLs ouL efforLs Lo aLLaln whaL ls
percelved Lo be Lhe deslred balance beLween Lhe quanLlLy and Lhe quallLy of calls presenLs a
perennlal challenge"
1he pracLlce of ongolng work pracLlce modlflcaLlon and LargeL revlslon as managemenL
swlngs from one slde Lo anoLher of Lhe quallLy/quanLlLy debaLe ls a ma[or source of sLress for call
cenLer agenLs As Poullhan noLes 1he pracLlce of puLLlng a 'drlve' on parLlcular LargeLs for
lmprovemenL (for example Lhe collecLlon of renewal daLes Lhe upselllng or crossselllng of
producLs Lhe quallLy of daLa lnpuL or Lhe lnLenslLy of sales push) and conLlnual reprlorlLlsaLlon
means LhaL Lhe 'goalposLs' are consLanLly shlfLlng" vlrLually all of Lhe call cenLer auLhors who wrlLe
abouL work condlLlons menLlon Lhe dlfflculLy of deallng wlLh Lhese compeLlng goals korczynskl
and colleagues suggesL LhaL Lhls dllemma ls parLlcularly dlfflculL for fronLllne workers
because Lhey may be llkely Lo ldenLlfy wlLh embodled lndlvldual cusLomers for
lnLeracLlons wlLh speclflc cusLomers may be an lmporLanL arena for meanlng and saLlsfacLlon
wlLhln Lhe work" 1hey conLrasL Lhls cusLomeraslndlvldual orlenLaLlon Lo Lhe managerlal goal
of balanclng cusLomer orlenLaLlon wlLh efflclency whlch Lhey suggesL leads managemenL Lo prefer
workers Lo ldenLlfy wlLh a generlc caLegory 'Lhe cusLomer' slnce such a dlsembodled lmage of Lhe
cusLomer wlll encourage workers Lo deal wlLh lndlvldual cusLomers efflclenLly because Lhey wlll be
consclous of Lhe concerns of oLher cusLomers walLlng ln a queue"
ln1LnSl1?
1he Lhlrd cenLral sLressor ln call cenLer work ls lLs lnLenslLy As 8aln (2001) argues far from belng
elLher ln Lermlnal decllne or on Lhe wane 1aylorlsmln con[uncLlon wlLh a range of oLher conLrol
mechanlsmsls noL only allve well and deeply embedded ln Lhe call cenLer labour process buL lLs
malevolenL lnfluence appears Lo be spreadlng Lo prevlously uncharLed LerrlLory" 1here ls
wldespread consensus LhaL call cenLers are a new and parLlcularly effecLlve manlfesLaLlon
of Lhe lncreaslngly caplLal lnLenslve 'lndusLrlallzaLlon' of servlce secLor work and work
performed ln Lhem ls hlghly lnLenslve and rouLlne"
8uchanan and kochSchulLe quoLe one call cenLer worker who descrlbes Lhe consLanL
pressure graphlcally
Lllen
lL's almosL llke Lhe army lL's much reglmenLed ?ou punch ln wlLh a Llme clock?ou come ln
and you slL down and Lhe numbers are all compuLerlzed As soon as you flnlsh a call Lhe mlnuLe you
hang up anoLher call comes up [usL Lhls consLanL all day repeLlLlousconsLanL sorL of llke beaLlng on
a drum buL day afLer day
1he pace of work ls deLermlned by Lhe comblnaLlon of Lechnologles LhaL dellver calls Lo Lhe headseL
and accounL deLalls Lo Lhe screen and workers ofLen have no conLrol over Lhls process
uescrlpLlons such as exhausLlng" roboLlc" conLrolled" and agenLs dlscusslng Lhe naLure of Lhelr
work ofLen use machlnellke" Poullhan expands on Lhe ldea of conLrolled machlnellke agenLs by
suggesLlng LhaL Lhls ls ln facL exacLly Lhe way LhaL Lhe organlzaLlon concelves of Lhem
Call cenLers are lnformaLlon handllng organlzaLlons As currenLly characLerlzed Lhe [ob of Lhe agenL
ls Lo be Lhe volce of Lhe organlzaLlon lnLerfaclng wlLh Lhe cllenL or cusLomer
1he organlzaLlon rehearses Lhe Lhlngs lL wanLs sald and feeds Lhem Lhrough Lhe agenL 1he agenL ls
largely consLrucLed as a mouLhplece raLher Lhan as a braln
8uchanan and kochSchulLe spoke wlLh a callcenLer worker who arLlculaLed her feellngs
abouL Lhe organlzaLlon's expecLaLlons of lLs agenLs ln very slmllar Lerms8osa ?ou are
sLandlng walLlng Lo be used by Lhe Lechnology and lL's a physlcal embodlmenL of LhaL
?ou are sLandlng walLlng unLll LhaL call comes ln Lo use you Lo make money And you are slmply
anoLher parL of LhaL machlne
When Lhls feellng of belng a cog ln a machlne whlch never sLops as lL grlnds on repeaLlng Lhe same
acLlons over and over agaln ls comblned wlLh Lhe cumulaLlve emoLlonal demands presenLed by
Lhe lnLerpersonal naLure of Lhe work" sLress ls lnevlLable
1argeLs
1here ls a fourLh feaLure of some call cenLer work LhaL may engender sLress
performance LargeLs 1here are varlous Lypes of LargeLs whlch may vary beLween lnbound and
ouLbound cenLers lnbound cenLers Lyplcally have LargeLs for call duraLlon 'wrap Llme' and dally call
volume CuLbound cenLers ofLen also have sales or 'compleLlon' LargeLs whlch are closely
monlLored and upon whlch pay may be parLlally based ln addlLlon ln some secLors lnbound
call cenLers are aLLempLlng Lo lnLroduce Lhe pracLlce of cross selllng where agenLs aLLempL Lo sell
addlLlonal producLs Lo Lhe cusLomers who call ln for anoLher purpose ln Lhese cenLers sales LargeLs
slmllar Lo Lhose ln ouLbound cenLers are ofLen ln place
1aylor and 8aln argue LhaL parLlcularly ln Lhe flnanclal servlces lndusLry ln Lhe uk LargeLs are
a slgnlflcanL source of sLress for workers as more and more lmporLance ls placed upon meeLlng Lhem
ln an lncreaslngly compeLlLlve buslness envlronmenL Sales LargeLs ln parLlcular are dlfflculL Lo
accepL or meeL for sLaff who ofLen conslder Lhemselves as servlce personnel parLlcularly when
Lhey are seL cenLrally and lmplemenLed locally
Crossselllng ls seen by employees noL as an opporLunlLy Lo engage ln creaLlve work buL as an
addlLlonal and acuLe source of pressure" 1hls ls especlally Lhe case when
ro[ecLsformbablogspoLcom
sales LargeLs are parachuLed ln on Lop of servlce LargeLs seL orlglnally when Lhere was no pressure Lo
produce sales
As a CS8 ln 1aylor and 8aln's sLudy emphaslzes When somebody phones ln for a balance you have
Lo Lry Lo geL a sale or geL Lhem lnLeresLed as well as Lurnlng Lhe call round ln 133 seconds"
Lven ln cenLers LhaL clalm noL Lo prlorlLlze LargeLs researchers have found LhaL sLaff ofLen feels
slgnlflcanL pressure 1argeLs slmply lnLenslfy Lhe sLress produced by Lhe quanLlLy/quallLy debaLe or
as one agenL ls quoLed as saylng 1hey say LhaL Lhey're noL really lnLeresLed ln numbers
1hey say LhaL Lhey are more lnLo quallLy Well LhaL's a lle 1hey're usually more lnLo numbers Lhan
anyLhlng" lL ls lmporLanL noL Lo over generallze however Whlle mosL call cenLers do have some
LargeLs Lhey are a source of sLress LhaL ls dlrecLly under managemenL conLrol Some call cenLers are
managed ln such a way LhaL LargeLs are seL Lo reallsLlcally reflecL local condlLlons are
lnLerpreLed ln llghL of oLher more sub[ecLlve lnformaLlon and are noL used punlLlvely or Lo
lnLenslfy work ln some Lhey are even used effecLlvely Lo moLlvaLe and encourage sLaff lor example
Lankshear and Mason descrlbe a serles of conversaLlons wlLh managers ln Lhelr call cenLer
slLe where managemenL conslsLenLly concepLuallzed Lhelr performance reporLs (for example one
commenLed LhaL lL's 'human naLure' for producLlvlLy Lo drop before and afLer a hollday) and used
Lhelr sLaLs as an excuse Lo pralse good performance and coach Lhose who conslsLenLly had dlfflculLy
meeLlng LargeLs Cur besL beL ls Lo develop Lhe people we have goL" one manager ls quoLed as
saylng
CLher PealLh lssues
1he resulL of lnLense sLressful work may be an effecL on workers' healLh 1here are ofLen hlgh raLes
of absenLeelsm and slck leave reporLed ln Lhe llLeraLure alLhough Lhere ls relaLlvely llLLle exploraLlon
of Lhese lssues parLlcularly when compared Lo Lurnover MosL ofLen auLhors provlde a brlef llsL of
known healLh lssues lor example 8lchardson 8elL and Marshall wrlLe LhaL PealLh concerns have
been expressed lncludlng Lenslon sleeplessness headaches eyesLraln repeLlLlve sLraln ln[ury (8Sl)
volce loss hearlng problems and burnouL" buL Lhey do noL develop Lhe polnL More deLalled
descrlpLlons of Lhe causes and effecLs of Lhese allmenLs can be found ln lndusLry and Lrades unlon
reporLs lor example Lhe 1rades unlon Councll (1uC) ln lLs brochure LargeLed aL call cenLer workers
clLes Lhe maln lllnesses

o whlch call cenLer sLaff are prone back sLraln and 8Sl sLress eyesLraln and volce and hearlng
loss"
Also ln Lhe uk regulaLors have been proacLlve ln Lhelr examlnaLlon of Lhe lndusLry wlLh Lhe PealLh
and SafeLy LxecuLlve lssulng a bulleLln on call cenLer regulaLlons healLh rlsks and besL pracLlces
ln uecember 2001 1hey looked speclflcally aL healLh lssues lncludlng sLress nolse levels
musculoskeleLal dlsorders (such as back problems) and volce loss and also aL dlsplay screen
lssues worklng envlronmenLs requlremenLs for work sLaLlons dally work rouLlnes Lralnlng
organlzaLlonal worklng pracLlces and shlfLs
Sleeplng ulsorders
no prlzes for guesslng Lhe mosL severe allmenL affllcLlng people worklng ln lndlan call
cenLers Slnce Lhls ls a unlque lndlan problem agaln no soluLlon appears ln slghL Cbvlously
Lhls affecLs flrsL Llmers more severely as Lhey Lake Llme Lo accllmaLlze Lhelr blologlcal
clocks buL even experlenced people or managers are noL able Lo compleLely escape from lL
Some call cenLers are looklng aL devlslng lnnovaLlve mechanlsms llke flexlble shlfLs wlLh
sleeplng arrangemenLs ln Lhe offlce premlses as posslble soluLlons
ulgesLlve SysLem 8elaLed ulsorders
Worklng long and odd hours wlLhouL any sleep and eaLlng food supplled by exLernal caLerers
everyday has led Lo 419 of Lhe respondenLs sufferlng from dlgesLlve problems Lspeclally for Lhe
large number of glrls worklng ln Lhe lndusLry Lhe problem ls even more severe Many call cenLers
are now Laklng addlLlonal care Lo ensure Lhelr caLerers supply hyglenlc food besldes
sLlpulaLlng sLrlcL condlLlons Lo malnLaln Lhe quallLy of Lhe food Lhey serve
uepresslon
ln lasL years survey Lhls was noL among Lhe Lop dlsorders buL Lhls year lL has cllmbed up
Lhe charL affecLlng nearly onefourLh of Lhe respondenLs noL surprlslng slnce as Lhe lndusLry
maLures Lhe lnlLlal gllLz and glamour wears away and Lhe real problems come Lo Lhe fore noL only
are Lhere several healLh relaLed lssues buL on Lop of LhaL Lhe gradual reallzaLlon LhaL Lhere ls
llmlLed scope ln developlng a career owlng Lo fewer growLh opporLunlLles ls lncreaslng Lhe
frusLraLlon levels Coupled wlLh growlng menLal faLlgue and lncreaslngly punlshlng physlcal
envlronmenLs depresslon ls Lhe obvlous end resulL Some call cenLers have now devlsed dlfferenL
sLress managemenL programs malnly Lo counLer depresslon
Severe SLomach 8elaLed roblemsConLlnulng dlgesLlve problems lead Lo severe sLomach
dlsorders llke gasLroenLerlLls as endorsed by more Lhan 24 of Lhe respondenLs Lven docLors ln
ma[or clLles agreeln recenL Llmes many of Lhe paLlenLs wlLh varlous sLomach allmenLs are from call
cenLers
LyeslghL roblems
Clobally call cenLer lndusLry employees are consldered a hlghrlsk group for eyerelaLed
problems Whlle Lhe quallLy of monlLors mlghL lmpacL Lhese dlsorders slLLlng conLlnually
wlLhouL adequaLe breaks seems Lo be Lhe Lruer reason 1he number of people affecLed seems Lo
be on Lhe rlselasL year only 19 complalned Lhls year lL has gone up Lo 23 AL some polnL of Llme
Lhls problem mlghL also affllcL Lhe l1 servlces lndusLry buL for Lhe call cenLer lndusLry no remedy
seems Lo be ln slghL
Lar roblems
More Lhan 16 of Lhe respondenLs lnform LhaL Lhey have hearlng problems Agaln no
surprlses here slnce a call cenLer [ob lnvolves Laklng calls LhroughouL Lhe shlfL slLLlng wlLh
headphones Whlle quallLy of headphones does make a dlfference lL would noL be correcL Lo
compleLely wlsh Lhe problem away by Lhlnklng LhaL changlng headphones wlll solve lL
Some oLher Puman lssues ln CallCenLers whlch need lmmedlaLe ALLenLlon ersonal
hablLs
1he young execuLlves are geLLlng more Lhan flve flgure salarles per monLh ln an early age 1hey Lend
Lo develop cerLaln bad hablLs such as alcohol smoklng eLc lL ls noL easy Lo ldenLlfy such
lndlvlduals lL ls also very senslLlve Lo Lalk Lo Lhem 1he professlonal counselors can
conducL groupcounsellng workshops educaLlve fllm shows ln order Lo creaLe awareness on
effecLs of bad hablLs Such acLlons wlll enable lndlvlduals Lo reallze Lhe lmporLance of good hablLs
and Lhey could seek one Lo one Counsellng sesslons Lo solve Lhelr problems
ulsclpllne and behavloral lssues
Call cenLers provlde excellenL worklng envlronmenL free food and LransporLaLlon 1here ls
always a slLuaLlon where lndlvldual or group of youngsLers Lend Lo commlL mlsLakes and abuse Lhe
freedom 1hey sLarL behavlng llke ln college campus where Lhey have more freedom Powever Lhe
call cenLer execuLlves have more responslblllLy and accounLablllLy Lhey need Lo follow dlsclpllne and
do well ln Lhe [ob 1he mosL common behavlor ls mlsuse of food behave erraLlcally ln vans and
smoke ln publlc places mlsuse of Lelephones and oLher resources of Lhe company 1he supervlsors
always concenLraLe on performance and achlevlng LargeLs 1hey do noL have Llme or lnLeresL Lo go
deep lnLo Lhese maLLers and flnd ouL Lhe reasons for such behavlor 1he professlonal counselor
can play a ma[or role ln educaLlng Lhe youngsLers on dlsclpllne provlde advlce Lo errlng
execuLlves 1he counselors wlLh Lhelr wlsdom and experlence can Lackle such lssues LacLfully and
brlng change wlLhln Lhe lndlvlduals As sald earller Lo ma[orlLy of Lhem Lhls ls Lhe flrsL employmenL
and Lhey are fresh ouL of Lhe colleges lew Lend Lo behave dlfferenLly and Lhey have Lhe do noL
care" aLLlLude Such execuLlves wlll noL Lake Lhelr [ob serlously Lhey lndulge ln Leaslng and [oklng
Lalklng over moblle phones have frlcLlon wlLhln Lhe Leam 1hese aspecLs may go noLlced or
unnoLlced by Lhe supervlsors 1he facL remalns LhaL such unaccepLable behavlors wlll cause
dlsLurbance Lo oLhers and overall lL affecLs Lhe producLlvlLy Sleeplng whlle on duLy readlng novels
and playlng games on Lhe compuLer durlng worklng hours brlngs down producLlvlLy and quallLy
suffers 1he P8 represenLaLlves and professlonal counselors [olnLly have a role Lo brlng behavloral
change sLarLlng from Lhe Lralnlng days ConLlnuous educaLlon and Counsellng wlll help Lo
mlLlgaLe such problems and lL ls posslble Lo prevenL serlous problems
lnLerpersonal relaLlonshlp and frlendshlp
LxecuLlves develop frlendshlp qulckly and someLlme Lhe frlendshlp breaks and Lhere wlll be
mlsundersLandlng among Lhe Leam members and naLurally affecLs Lhe Leam performance
1he supervlsors and counselors can play a ma[or role Lo sorL ouL Lhe lnLerpersonal
relaLlonshlp and develop Leam splrlL PealLhy relaLlonshlp among Lhe Leam members has
always helped Lhe Leam Lo ouL perform When Lhe relaLlonshlp falls Lhe lndlvlduals wlll
also break down menLally 1hey elLher absenL for duLles or fall lll or Lhe performance wlll come
down lL ls also Lrue LhaL due Lo mlsundersLandlng and break ln frlendshlp Lhey change [obs
qulckly
Love affalr and marrlages
lew of Lhe boys and glrls fall ln love qulckly 1hey malnLaln Lhe healLhy relaLlonshlp behave ln a
maLured manner plan Lhe fuLure course of acLlon and such persons have goL marrled wlLh Lhe
consenL of Lhelr parenLs 1hey work LogeLher ln Lhe same organlzaLlon for longer duraLlon 1here are
lnsLances where lovers fall aparL sLarL dlsllklng creaLlng Lroubles Lo each oLher and vlLlaLlng Lhe
aLmosphere 1hey are lmmaLure Lake lnsLanL declslons Lo break or unlLe and someLlmes go
Lo an exLenL of damaglng oLhers repuLaLlon 1he professlonal counselors can play an
lmporLanL role ln explalnlng Lhe lmporLance of marrlage preparaLlon requlred for marrlage how
Lo enLer Lhe lnsLlLuLlon of marrlage whlch ls accepLable Lo boLh parenLs and socleLy and abouL
Lhe new role and responslblllLy afLer geLLlng marrled Counsellng servlces can deflnlLely glve
emoLlonal supporL Lo lndlvlduals
AbsenLeelsm AbsenLeelsm ls very hlgh ln calls cenLers Lmployees Lend Lo be very lrregular Lo
Lhe duLy due Lo varlous reasons rofesslonal counsellng servlces Lo such lrregular employees on one
Lo one basls wlll help Lo brlng down absenLeelsm Counselor can educaLe and explaln Lhe lmporLance
of aLLendlng duLles Lo earn salary and also Lo meeL organlzaLlonal goals Lach lndlvldual are unlque
and Lhe problem Lhey face are also dlfferenL ln naLure rofesslonal counselors can undersLand
analyze and provlde long lasLlng soluLlons for Lhe lndlvlduals
Plgher educaLlon and parL Llme [obs
lL ls posslble Lo do hlgher educaLlon whlle worklng ln 8C unlLs lew organlzaLlons encourage and
offer supporL servlces Lo pursue hlgher educaLlon Powever Llme managemenL by Lhe
execuLlves ls cruclal Lo go forward ln educaLlon as well as Lo malnLaln performance and career
growLh rogrammes on Llme managemenL Llps Lo sLudy Llps Lo keep flL and such oLher
programmes can be offered 1hese sLeps would help Lo seek Lhe loyalLy of employees Lo
organlzaLlons and helps greaLly for reLenLlon of employees CrganlzaLlons do noL granL permlsslon Lo
pursue parL Llme [obs whlle worklng ln 8C unlLs ln order Lo make qulck money and Lo have opLlons
open Lo change [obs ln fuLure wlll drlve employees Lo do parL Llme work Puman body does noL
permlL Lo sLreLch beyond one's capaclLy LxecuLlves need Lo Lake sufflclenL resL ln dayLlme so LhaL
energy levels are malnLalned LlLher due Lo lack of experlence or due Lo compulslons execuLlves
keep Lhelr one feeL ln call cenLer and anoLher ln parL Llme [obs ln Lhe long run Lhls would affecL
lndlvlduals healLh 1he P8 execuLlves musL ldenLlfy such persons and offer professlonal Counsellng
servlces Lo Lhem8LMLulAL MLASu8LS lC8 S18LSS MAnACLMLn1
undersLandlng LhaL Lhe SLress" ls a ma[or concern for all CallCenLer Lmployees lL ls a duLy of P8
heads of CallCenLers Lo address lL properly
Some of Lhe common slgns and sympLoms of sLress
AlLhough we all experlence sLress ln dlfferenL ways Lhere are cerLaln slgns LhaL are mosL
frequenLly reporLed 1hese slgns fall lnLo Lwo ma[or caLegorles physlcal/behavloral slgns and
emoLlonal slgns lf we become aware of our own sLress sympLoms we wlll be more effecLlve ln
deallng wlLh Lhem sooner raLher Lhan laLer WhaL follows ls a llsL of some of Lhe mosL experlenced
sympLoms of sLress
1he physlcal/behavloral sympLoms lnclude muscular Lenslon muscle spasms and Llcs rapld
hearL beaL shorLness of breaLh and hlgh blood pressure cold hands and feeL backaches
headaches and neck aches sLomach problems lndlgesLlon lrrlLable bowel and ulcers feellng
faLlgued lrrlLable decreased ablllLy Lo concenLraLe lnsomnla and changes ln eaLlng behavlor Slnce
Lhese physlcal sympLoms may be relaLed Lo physlcal problems you should consulL wlLh your medlcal
docLor before you assume LhaL your sympLoms are purely sLressrelaLed
1he emoLlonal sympLoms lnclude anxleLy ln a varleLy of slLuaLlons noL llmlLed Lo Lhe sLressful
slLuaLlon depresslon hopelessness and a sLrong urge Lo cry wlLhouL speclflc lncldenL
wlLhdrawal from soclal lnLeracLlons and avoldance of prevlously en[oyed acLlvlLles powerlessness
and decreased self esLeem hosLlllLy anger and resenLmenL fears phoblas and unwanLed LhoughLs
Learnlng Lo become more aware of your own sLress sympLoms ls Lhe flrsL ma[or sLep ln Lhe sLress
managemenL and heallng process lL ls ofLen helpful Lo monlLor your dally sympLoms ln a
sLress dlary where you maLch Lhe sLressful evenLs wlLh Lhe sympLom experlenced lor
example you made flnd LhaL lf you are sLuck ln early mornlng Lrafflc you may experlence lrrlLablllLy
and headaches ln Lhls case lL wlll be lmporLanL Lo use Lhese sympLoms as a cue LhaL you
have Lo begln managlng LhaL sLress more effecLlvely when lL happens
WhaL are Lhe consequences of unmanaged sLress?
We all know LhaL sLress ls someLhlng LhaL doesn'L feel good Lo us physlcally and emoLlonally
WhaL ls even more compelllng ls whaL happens below Lhe surface each Llme we experlence sLress
SLress researcher Pans Selye deLermlned whaL happens lnLernally each Llme we experlence
someLhlng as LhreaLenlng or sLressful Accordlng Lo Selye when we percelve a LhreaL ln Lhe
envlronmenL Lhe Lhlnklng parL of Lhe braln sends an alarm message Lo Lhe nervous sysLem vla Lhe
hypoLhalamus 1he nervous sysLem Lhen makes changes ln Lhe body LhaL prepare you Lo handle
Lhe percelved danger ahead 1hese changes lnclude lncreases ln hearL raLe and blood pressure
as well as pupll dllaLlon ln addlLlon Lhere are hormones and chemlcals secreLed such as adrenallne
LhaL glve Lhe body Lhe necessary push Lo be able Lo manage Lhe LhreaL ahead
AlLhough Lhere are slLuaLlons ln whlch Lhese adrenallne surges are very helpful ln helplng us
moblllze Lhe consLanL adrenallne surges due Lo repeaLedly percelved LhreaLs have a Loxlc effecL on
Lhe body lor example recurrenL adrenallne surges lnhlblL some of Lhe oLher lmporLanL funcLlons
ln Lhe body lncludlng growLh and Llssue repalr dlgesLlon and Lhe lmmune response !usL as
Lhe Lhlnklng parL of your braln ls responslble for Lurnlng Lhe sLress response on you can Lurn lL off by
changlng Lhe LhreaLenlng appralsals you are maklng Cnce you are able Lo deLermlne LhaL a LhreaL
does noL exlsL or LhaL lL can be effecLlvely managed your Lhlnklng braln sLops sendlng panlc
messages Lo Lhe nervous sysLem As a resulL of Lhls reappralsal Lhe hormones and chemlcals cease
Lo be released and Lhe body reLurns Lo normal
8rlnglng Lhe body back Lo an unsLressed sLaLe ls very lmporLanL slnce almosL every sysLem ln Lhe
body can be damaged by sLress AlLhough our bodles are adapLlve and can recover from perlodlc
sLressors chronlc sLress has serlous consequences We experlence Lhe consequences of sLress on
Lhree lmporLanL levels physlcally emoLlonally and behavlorally WhaL follows ls a descrlpLlon of Lhe
speclflc consequences ln Lhese Lhree caLegorles
hyslcally Lhe body ls llkely Lo develop a sLressrelaLed dlsease as a resulL of Lhe sLress Loxlns LhaL
are released lor example chronlc sLress can lead Lo cardlovascular dlsease by elevaLlng blood
pressure damaglng Lhe hearL and arLerles and lncreaslng blood sugar 8esplraLory condlLlons
such as asLhma and bronchlLls can resulL from sLressLrlggered changes ln Lhe lungs
When sLress lnhlblLs Lhe body's dlgesLlve funcLlons dlseases such as ulcers collLls and chronlc
dlarrhea can occur ln addlLlon sLress conLrlbuLes Lo lnhlblLed growLh of Llssue and bone whlch can
lead Lo decalclflcaLlon and osLeoporosls 1he lmmune sysLem ls also lnhlblLed by Lhe reduced
efflclency of Lhe whlLe blood cells maklng Lhe body more suscepLlble Lo dlsease lncreased
muscle Lenslon faLlgue and headaches are addlLlonal consequences of chronlc sLress
1he second caLegory of consequences of chronlc sLress ls Lhe emoLlonal consequences
uepresslon can resulL form chronlc sLress due Lo Lhe consLanL release and depleLlon of
noreplnephrlne WhaL also conLrlbuLes Lo Lhe depresslon ls Lhe LhoughL LhaL llfe ls Lerrlble and LhaL
lL ls never golng Lo geL beLLer WhaL Lhen resulLs ls a feellng of helplessness and
lneffecLlveness feellng llke a fallure and a reducLlon ln selfconfldence lndlvlduals who are
depressed are also llkely Lo wlLhdraw from relaLlonshlps and lsolaLe Lhemselves whlch ofLen
lncreases Lhe lnLenslLy of Lhe depresslon ln addlLlon anxleLy and fearfulness are commonly felL
emoLlons lf someone consLanLly percelves LhreaLs around Lhe corner ln addlLlon
lndlvlduals who are chronlcally sLressed are llkely Lo exhlblL lncreased cynlclsm rlgldlLy sarcasm
and lrrlLablllLy slnce Lhey belleve LhaL Lhelr slLuaLlon ls noL llkely Lo lmprove Chronlc
sLress also has slgnlflcanL behavloral consequences 8ehavloral consequences ofLen resulL from
lnnaLe survlval urge we have Lo seek rellef Lo flghL or Lo flee unforLunaLely Lhese rellefseeklng
behavlors evenLually become problemaLlc lor example addlcLlve behavlors can resulL
from Lhe repeaLed efforLs Lo sooLhe or escape Lhe palnful sLress Alcohol drugs smoklng
and overeaLlng are ofLen seen as Lools Lo help manage Lhe sLress even Lhough Lhelr effecLs are shorL
llved and Lhe consequences of chronlc use are desLrucLlve Lo Lhe body and mlnd unforLunaLely Lhe
mlnd's ablllLy Lo deny Lhe longLerm consequences ln order Lo flll shorLLerm need Lo escape
perpeLuaLes Lhe problem and lncreases excesslve use behavlor Slmllarly procrasLlnaLlon poor
plannlng excesslve sleeplng and avoldance of responslblllLy are examples of behavlors used by
sLressed lndlvlduals Lo Lemporarlly flee from Lhe paln WhaL ls mosL slgnlflcanL abouL Lhese
behavlors ls Lhelr ablllLy Lo generaLe addlLlonal problems LhaL are as severe as Lhe orlglnal sLressor
lor example procrasLlnaLlon or avoldance of Lhe managemenL of a sLressor only serves Lo lncrease
anxleLy and exacerbaLe Lhe sLress experlence SLress consequences revlewed above suggesL LhaL ln
addlLlon Lo belng physlcally and psychologlcally dlsLresslng Lhey reduce Lhe llkellhood of
effecLlve goal reachlng 8aLlonale for properly managlng and coplng wlLh Lhe sLress ls for healLh
proLecLlon ln fuLure as well as maklng presenL more producLlve and saLlsfylngMAnAClnC S18LSS
Slnce sLress ls an lnevlLable facL of llfe LhaL we can'L always prevenL our efforLs need Lo be focused
on coplng wlLh sLress more effecLlvely WhaL follows ls a descrlpLlon of a Lhree pronged approach
Lo sLress managemenL whlch lncludes behavloral/pracLlcal Lechnlques relaxaLlon Lechnlques
and cognlLlve/Lhlnklng Lechnlques
1he behavloral/pracLlcal approaches Lo sLress managemenL lnclude exerclse and eaLlng
a healLhy balanced dleL whlch lncludes selecLlons from Lhe baslc food groups ln addlLlon lL ls
recommended LhaL one avold Lhe excesslve use of alcohol caffelne and sugar whlch conLrlbuLe Lo
faLlgue and vulnerablllLy Lo mood swlngs lL ls also lmporLanL Lo allow Lhe body Lo resL and replenlsh
Lo help lnoculaLe Lhe body agalnsL fuLure sLress 8ulldlng Lhls sLress reslsLance also lncludes
schedullng Llme for lelsure and pleasure whlch provldes for a more balanced fulfllllng llfe
AnLlclpaLlng and preparlng for recurrenL sLressors by managlng Llme seLLlng prlorlLles and llmlLs
delegaLlng responslblllLy and noL procrasLlnaLlng are helpful sLress reduclng sLraLegles 1hese
Lechnlques are effecLlve sLress managemenL Lools because Lhelr uLlllzaLlonls wlLhln our conLrol
1he relaxaLlon approaches Lo sLress managemenL lnclude a varleLy of Lechnlques
deslgned Lo help you effecLlvely manage Lhe body/mlnd Lenslon rogresslve muscle
relaxaLlon ls an acLlve form of relaxaLlon where you lndlvldually conLracL Lhe ma[or muscle groups of
your body for abouL flve seconds and Lhen you relax Lhe lndlvldual muscle groups for a flve second
holds 1he conLrasL experlenced by Lhls exerclse relleves muscle Lenslon and relaxes Lhe body Some
of Lhe more passlve relaxaLlon approaches lnclude llsLenlng Lo muslc readlng and uslng saunas and
hoL Lubs Lo relleve Lenslon 1echnlques used Lo relax Lhe mlnd lnclude medlLaLlon and vlsual
lmagery MedlLaLlon Leaches you how Lo clear Lhe mlnd of sLressful and dlsLracLlng LhoughLs by
focuslng Lhe menLal energy on poslLlve coplng LhoughLs vlsual lmagery ls deslgned Lo help
Lhe lndlvldual vlsuallze hlm/herself coplng effecLlvely wlLh a sLressor LhaL was prevlously
experlenced as overwhelmlng 1he behavloral and relaxaLlon approaches descrlbed above are
necessary buL noL sufflclenL condlLlons for sLress managemenL 1he Lhlrd prong Lo sLress
managemenL Lhe cognlLlve or Lhlnklng approach ls essenLlal Lo effecLlve coplng wlLh sLress
1he cognlLlve or Lhlnklng approaches are an lnLegral parL of coplng effecLlvely wlLh sLress and now
Lhe prlmary focus of many sLress managemenL programs Slnce lL has been deLermlned LhaL we can
Lurn off Lhe sLress response by changlng our LhreaLenlng/dangerous evenL appralsals Lo appralsals
LhaL help us vlew Lhese evenLs as manageable challenges we have a dlrecL llnk Lo conLrolllng Lhe
sLress response 1he flrsL sLep ln Lhe cognlLlve approach ls Lo ldenLlfy our LhoughLs or lnLernal dlalog
LhaL ls negaLlve perfecLlonlsL black and whlLe rlgld and demandlng ln oLher words you are more
llkely Lo experlence sLress lf you belleve LhaL you Lhe world and oLher people should or musL
behave ln a manner conslsLenL wlLh your demands and sLandards lor example you are llkely Lo
experlence sLress lf you belleve LhaL Lhe world and your llfe should be sLress free and LhaL you do noL
have Lhe resources Lo handle sLress lf lL does occur ln addlLlon demands of perfecLlon on yourself
and on oLhers lmporLanL Lo you lncreases Lhe chance of feellng sLressed slnce Lhese
expecLaLlons are unreallsLlc and rlgld AfLer ldenLlfylng your sLress produclng LhoughLs you are Lhen
able Lo move onLo Lhe second sLep ln Lhe cognlLlve approach recognlzlng Lhe consequences of Lhls
negaLlve rlgld dlalog
1he moLlvaLlon Lo change Lhe sLressproduclng dlalog comes from Lhe deLermlnaLlon LhaL Lhere are
serlous consequences LhaL resulL form Lhese negaLlve rlgld LhoughLs When you Lalk Lo yourself ln a
defeaLed pesslmlsLlc or rlgld way you deny your ablllLy Lo cope and are noL llkely Lo manage
slLuaLlons effecLlvely or meeL goals you seL ln addlLlon perfecLlonlsL demands are experlenced as
approprlaLely unreallsLlc and conLrlbuLe Lo a why boLher aLLlLude 1hls aLLlLude reduces Lhe
llkellhood LhaL you wlll address Lhese demands slnce lL ls a reallsLlc facL LhaL no one or noLhlng ls
ever perfecL Cnce you are convlnced LhaL Lhe dlalog ls negaLlve and counLerproducLlve you are
ready Lo move on Lo Lhe Lhlrd sLep ln Lhe cognlLlve approach challenglng and replaclng Lhe
negaLlve lnLernal dlalog wlLh a healLhler more producLlve lnLernal dlalog
1hls lmporLanL sLep ln Lhe reappralsal process requlres LhaL you challenge your rlgld dlalog by asklng
yourself a serles of quesLlons abouL LhaL rlgld dlalog lor example Why musL l perform perfecLly ln
order Lo belleve l am a valuable human belng? ln addlLlon uoes LhaL demand for perfecLlon
lncrease my anxleLy and reduce Lhe llkellhood LhaL l perform well aL all? WhaL would l feel
llke and would l be more moLlvaLed lf l changed my demand for perfecLlon Lo a deslre Lo do well?
AnoLher example of Lhls reappralsal process can be seen ln Lhe area of crlLlclsm and re[ecLlon
A negaLlve lnLernal dlalog LhaL would creaLe sLress ln Lhls area ls l am worLhless because l was
re[ecLed and Lhls proves LhaL no one wlll ever love me A healLhy challenge Lo Lhls bellef would be
Pow does Lhe oplnlon of Lhls person reflecL my personal worLh?' Pow does lL follow LhaL Lhls
re[ecLlon wlll lead Lo fuLure re[ecLlons? lL ls also lmporLanL Lo add Lven lf l were Lo geL
re[ecLed repeaLedly could l work Lo make deslred changes ln my personallLy wlLhouL
condemnlng myself or feellng worLhless? 8y replaclng Lhe negaLlve rlgld dlalog wlLh more
reallsLlc flexlble dlalog you are more llkely Lo feel healLhler emoLlonally and behave more
raLlonally and producLlvely
1he behavloral relaxaLlon and cognlLlve Lechnlques descrlbed above have been
deLermlned Lo be effecLlve ways Lo manage and cope more effecLlvely wlLh sLress 1he
Lechnlques glve Lhe conLrol back Lo Lhe lndlvldual and empower hlm/her Lo manage Lhe
lnevlLable sLressors LhaL wlll occur ln llfe lAC1C8S 1PA1 C8LA1L A S18LSSluL CALL CLn1L8
SLress ln Lhe Call CenLer wlll affecL Lhe agenL manager dlrecLor or anyone ln Lhe call cenLer when
Lhey leL sLress galn conLrol When Lhls happens Lhey lose self conLrol and have Lhe feellng of belng
overwhelmed 1he flrsL sLep ln galnlng conLrol ls and ldenLlfylng whaL Lhe sLressors are and
undersLandlng Lhe causes and effecLs SLress ls caused by many Lhlngs 1lme pressures hlgh
expecLaLlons lack of communlcaLlon hlgh call volume lnexperlence lllprepared Lo name a
few 1he effecLs are decreased producLlvlLy anxleLy low morale poor cusLomer servlce levels and
lncreased Lurnover When faced wlLh Lhese sLressors Lralnlng ls Lhe Lool Lo resolve Lhe lssues ?ou
musL go Lo your Lralnlng programs and processes and ask yourself lf Lhe Lralnlng you are
provldlng Lhe call cenLer employees dellvers Lhe Lools requlred for Lhem Lo accompllsh Lhelr
goals wlLhouL Lhe negaLlve sLress Approach deallng wlLh Lhe sLress ln Lhe Call CenLer wlLh
asserLlveness and confldence Cne of Lhe mosL effecLlve Lhlngs l have done ln my own call
cenLer experlence as well as seen ln oLher call cenLers ls Lo have a speclflc workshop coverlng
sLress LeL employees volce Lhelr speclflc sLressors and develop acLlons Lo overcome Lhem and
resolve whaL ls lnhlblLlng Lhelr performance 1helr mlnds are Lhen clear and menLally prepared
lL wlll Lhen be moLlvaLed for Lralnlng Lo make Lhem a more confldenL and capable call cenLer
employee
- LACk Cl CCMMunlCA1lCn 1hls ls a call cenLer dlsease LhaL some call cenLers [usL
gravlLaLe Lo slmply because everyone ls Loo busy wlLh Lhelr [ob duLles and wlLh dolng someone
elses [obs LhaL we slmply forgeL Lo communlcaLe Sounds harmless buL lf you donL address lL could
slowly buL surely drag down your cenLers morale employees self esLeems work llfe balance [ob
securlLy employees producLlvlLles eLc
- PlCP vCLuML
1hls one ls a llLLle Lougher because Lhe causes could be varleLy of dlfferenL lssues 1he more
common sympLom of hlgh volume ls poor workforce mgmL uL workforce Leam needs Lo be
very proacLlve ln correcLly forecasLlng your volume Lwo weeks ln advance (wlLhln 98 of Lhe
acLual volume) and be ready wlLh a sLafflng analysls of how efflclenL CS8 schedules are by day for
you lf Lhls ls every week from your workforce Leam you wlll be well aware of your holes every day
for Lhe nexL Lwo weeks and you can make sLafflng declslons before Lhe day happens lf your
workforce Leam ls good Lhen you wlll beLLer prepare Lo handle splkes/lull ln your volume
AnoLher sympLom of hlgh volume ls poor aLLendance/reLenLlon lf you conslsLenLly donL have Lhe
reps LhaL you planned for Lhen you mlghL as well sLay home Loo lssues llke Lhese are harder Lo
address because Lhe rooL causes are never Lhe same ?ou have Lo go Lhe employees and flnd ouL
why Lhey are noL comlng Lo work or why Lhey are leavlng you Cnce you have an ldea of Lhe rooL
causes Lhen you and your Leam can creaLlvely flnd soluLlons or creaLe new pollcles Lo address Lhem
Plgh volume ls a self feedlng anlmal lf you donL geL conLrol of lL lL wlll surely brlngs down your
operaLlon ?our fronLllne supervlsors wlll have Lo help ouL on Lhe phones all Lhe Llme and Lhey canL
work wlLh Lhelr CS8s Lmployees are consLanLly golng from one call Lo Lhe nexL wlLhouL much breaks
ln beLween ?our boss ls consLanLly on you for hlgh ASAs and Abandon s blah Lhe sLory goes on
and on and Lhe plcLure doesnL look preLLy
- Common causes lnclude undersLafflng lmposslble servlce levels lnapproprlaLe or
oppresslve managemenL sLyle mlsmaLch beLween agenL skllls and [ob requlremenLs mls
maLch beLween Lhe sLaLed alms of Lhe [ob and Lhe acLual work belng done (eg a sales cenLre LhaL ls
swamped wlLh Lechnlcal servlce complalnLs) [obs LhaL requlre no LhoughL on Lhe parL of Lhe
operaLor and LhaL could/should be auLomaLed (dlrecLory enqulrles bank balance requesLs eLc)
(wlLhln 98 of Lhe acLual volume) and be ready wlLh a sLafflng analysls of how efflclenL CS8
schedules are by day for you lf Lhls ls every week from your workforce Leam you wlll be well aware
of your holes every day for Lhe nexL Lwo weeks and you can make sLafflng declslons before Lhe day
happens lf your workforce Leam ls good Lhen you wlll beLLer prepare Lo handle splkes/lull ln
your volume
AnoLher sympLom of hlgh volume ls poor aLLendance/reLenLlon lf you conslsLenLly donL have Lhe
reps LhaL you planned for Lhen you mlghL as well sLay home Loo lssues llke Lhese are harder Lo
address because Lhe rooL causes are never Lhe same ?ou have Lo go Lhe employees and flnd ouL
why Lhey are noL comlng Lo work or why Lhey are leavlng you Cnce you have an ldea of Lhe rooL
causes Lhen you and your Leam can creaLlvely flnd soluLlons or creaLe new pollcles Lo address Lhem
Plgh volume ls a self feedlng anlmal lf you donL geL conLrol of lL lL wlll surely brlngs down your
operaLlon ?our fronLllne supervlsors wlll have Lo help ouL on Lhe phones all Lhe Llme and Lhey canL
work wlLh Lhelr CS8s Lmployees are consLanLly golng from one call Lo Lhe nexL wlLhouL much breaks
ln beLween ?our boss ls consLanLly on you for hlgh ASAs and Abandon s blah Lhe sLory goes on
and on and Lhe plcLure doesnL look preLLy
- Common causes lnclude undersLafflng lmposslble servlce levels lnapproprlaLe or
oppresslve managemenL sLyle mlsmaLch beLween agenL skllls and [ob requlremenLs mls
maLch beLween Lhe sLaLed alms of Lhe [ob and Lhe acLual work belng done (eg a sales cenLre LhaL ls
swamped wlLh Lechnlcal servlce complalnLs) [obs LhaL requlre no LhoughL on Lhe parL of Lhe
operaLor and LhaL could/should be auLomaLed (dlrecLory enqulrles bank balance requesLs eLc)
(wlLhln 98 of Lhe acLual volume) and be ready wlLh a sLafflng analysls of how efflclenL CS8
schedules are by day for you lf Lhls ls every week from your workforce Leam you wlll be well aware
of your holes every day for Lhe nexL Lwo weeks and you can make sLafflng declslons before Lhe day
happens lf your workforce Leam ls good Lhen you wlll beLLer prepare Lo handle splkes/lull ln
your volume
AnoLher sympLom of hlgh volume ls poor aLLendance/reLenLlon lf you conslsLenLly donL have Lhe
reps LhaL you planned for Lhen you mlghL as well sLay home Loo lssues llke Lhese are harder Lo
address because Lhe rooL causes are never Lhe same ?ou have Lo go Lhe employees and flnd ouL
why Lhey are noL comlng Lo work or why Lhey are leavlng you Cnce you have an ldea of Lhe rooL
causes Lhen you and your Leam can creaLlvely flnd soluLlons or creaLe new pollcles Lo address Lhem
Plgh volume ls a self feedlng anlmal lf you donL geL conLrol of lL lL wlll surely brlngs down your
operaLlon ?our fronLllne supervlsors wlll have Lo help ouL on Lhe phones all Lhe Llme and Lhey canL
work wlLh Lhelr CS8s Lmployees are consLanLly golng from one call Lo Lhe nexL wlLhouL much breaks
ln beLween ?our boss ls consLanLly on you for hlgh ASAs and Abandon s blah Lhe sLory goes on
and on and Lhe plcLure doesnL look preLLy
- Common causes lnclude undersLafflng lmposslble servlce levels lnapproprlaLe or
oppresslve managemenL sLyle mlsmaLch beLween agenL skllls and [ob requlremenLs mls
maLch beLween Lhe sLaLed alms of Lhe [ob and Lhe acLual work belng done (eg a sales cenLre LhaL ls
swamped wlLh Lechnlcal servlce complalnLs) [obs LhaL requlre no LhoughL on Lhe parL of Lhe
operaLor and LhaL could/should be auLomaLed (dlrecLory enqulrles bank balance requesLs eLc)
feel LhaL you should organlse someLhlng LhaL wlll allow Lhe agenLs change Lhelr dally rouLlne and do
someLhlng rouLlne
- 8uuCL1 lC8 AC1lvl1lLS
lf employee Lurnover ls a ma[or problem you may wanL Lo budgeL money for employee
acLlvlLles / lncenLlves l have a acLlvlLy commlLee LhaL plans blrLhday decoraLlng hollday poLlucks
conLesLs eLc lnvolve Lhe sLaff Lo [oln and parLlclpaLe ln Lhe commlLee
- WLLkL? LMLC?LL lCCuS C8Cu
Any employee can come Lo a weekly or bl weekly focus group wlLh Lhe call cenLer manager and
human resource manager CuesLlons from Lhe employees are posLed publlcly and Lhe daLe LhaL Lhe
lssues were addressed Cver Llme l have seen focus groups LhaL sLarLed wlLh very serlous lssues
slowly evolve Lo sesslons LhaL become more llke rap sesslons more fun and less serlous
- MCn1PL? nLWSLL11L8 l8CM 1PL CCMAn?
?es Lhls ls a Llme consumlng endeavor buL lf done rlghL and done conslsLenLly could be a greaL
medlum Lo communlcaLe new/revlsed pollcles reward employees/Leams Lraln your
employees and bulld sLrong Leam splrlLs
- uAlL? uLA81MLn1 PuuuLL
Lach Leam/deparLmenL should be hlghly encouraged Lo have Lhls qulcky huddle dally wlLh Lhelr
employees 1hls goes a long way ln bulldlng LhaL sLrong bond beLween employees and supervlsors
and yes you can also use Lhls Llme Lo communlcaLe
- MCn1PL? LL11L8 l8CM 1PL 8CSS
lL could be from Lhe v of Cps or lL could be from Lhe CCM 1he polnL ls Lhe company wlll have an
opporLunlLy every monLh Lo speak Lo Lhe workforce
S1LS 1AkLn 8? CCMAnlLS 1C PAnuLL S18LSS lAC1C8S
Cood Call CenLer 1ralnlng AllevlaLes SLress"
1 Acknowledge Lhe LmoLlon
LlsLen Lo Lhe caller and acknowledge LhaL someLhlng has happened Lo make Lhem emoLlonal
Acknowledge lL and move on Lo Lhe nexL sLep before lL escalaLes Lo an abuslve call

2 1ake ConLrol of Lhe Call
SLrong words cholces wlll lmmedlaLely dlffuse Lhe emoLlonal aspecL of Lhe call 8y uslng sLrong
l can sLaLemenLs and proper word cholces such as AbsoluLely l would be glad Lo help you wlLh
l can look LhaL lnformaLlon up for you" lnsLead of emphaslzlng Lhe you ln sLaLemenLs llke
can you Lell me whaL happened?where Lhe cusLomer lmmedlaLely feels llke Lheyre
speaklng wlLh Lhe wrong personafLer all Lhey wouldn'L be calllng lf Lhey knew whaL was wrong

3 1ranslLlon lnLo Lhe roblem Solvlng aLh
llnally Lo geL Lhe caller ouL of Lhelr emoLlonal sLaLe LranslLlon Lhem lnLo a problem solvlng
paLh Cnce Lhey have had a chance Lo geL Lhrough Lhe emoLlonal parL move on so Lhelr lssues can
be resolved
8Cs PLL S1All CCL Wl1P S18LSS
MuM8Al 8lame Lhe naLure of Lhe [ob deadllne pressure or cusLomer expecLaLlons 8C
[obs undoubLedly lnvolve hlgh sLress rashanL Chawla CCC lnLegreon a Mumbalbased kC says
LhaL Lhere are Lhree Lypes of sLress an employee may experlence LlghL deadllnes repeLlLlve
naLure of Lhe [ob and laLe nlghL shlfLs
Aashu Calappa vP8 lClCl CneSource says LveryLhlng geLs measured and Lhls puLs
employees under pressure" Companles are now maklng efforLs Lo help Lhelr employees cope wlLh
sLress because lL ls an occupaLlonal hazard lor example nlghL shlfLs are roLaLed on a regular basls
Powever deadllnes can'L be conLrolled
MosL of Lhe 8Cs arrange 'feel good' acLlvlLles llke an ouLdoor plcnlc or an offlclal dlnner once ln
Lhree monLhs 1hls helps employees Lalk Lo Lhelr senlor managemenL ln an lnformal envlronmenL
Lmployees are also glven recognlLlon by belng deslgnaLed as 'employee of Lhe week' and
'employee of Lhe monLh' vlneeL MlLLal presldenL and Mu SLream says LhaL Lhey conducL lnhouse
workshops aL frequenL lnLervals ln whlch employees play games and lndulge ln acLlvlLles llke dumb
charades and scrabble
Mr Calappa says Lhey organlse varlous evenLs llke famlly gaLherlngs and
valenLlne's uay celebraLlons Lo llghLen Lhe aLmosphere ln Lhe offlce Accordlng Lo hlm an employee
could be sLressed because of a Lough supervlsor or lf he ls noL able Lo perform well ln hls [ob So
Lhere ls a loL of emphasls on Lhe Lralnlng of Leam leaders (1L) and supervlsors Lo avold a sLralned
relaLlonshlp beLween Lhe employee and Lhe 1L
8Cs llke SLream have appolnLed 'fun offlcers' whose [ob ls Lo arrange a parLy or a movle for
Lhe enLlre offlce once ln a monLh Slmllarly lClCl CneSource has an execuLlve who ls requlred Lo
spend aL leasL Lwo hours dally aL Lhe shop floor Lalklng Lo employees abouL Lhelr dayLoday llfe
3Clobal a PuLchlsonWhampoa 8C has also appolnLed an execuLlve Lo arrange sporLs evenLs on a
monLhly basls
Shlrlsh kerkar general manager P8 3Clobal says We organlse sporLs evenLs llke crlckeL
LournamenLs Lo ensure LhaL our employees are engaged ln physlcal acLlvlLles" 1he company
recenLly concluded a crlckeL LournamenL where 300 employees parLlclpaLed (10 people per
Leam)
Shllpa SheLLy a 8C employee who heads a 200member Leam says Cur deadllnes are ln hours
and noL days or weeks So Lhe sLress ls obvlously hlgh l'm headlng a large Leam So managlng lL ls a
blg challenge whlch aL Llmes may sLress me ouL" She has adopLed an lnLeracLlve way of deallng
wlLh workplace sLress She makes sure LhaL she Lalks Lo her Leam members on a dally basls whlch
may noL necessarlly be abouL work l do a loL of caLchlng up wlLh my Leam members whlch helps
me Lo undersLand Lhem beLLer" she adds
AnoLher 8C employee rashanL Warrler who lnLeracLs wlLh Lhe company's cllenLs across Lhe globe
says eople aL my level are Lhe flrsL ones from Lhe company Lo lnLeracL wlLh Lhe cllenLs so lLs puLs
pressure on us Lo presenL our company well because cllenLs are demandlng" San[ay Saloo[a a
uelhlbased counsellor vlslLs 8Cs Lo counsel Lhe employees
Pe says generally fronLllne employees and Leam leaders Lalk Lo hlm abouL boLh
professlonal and personal problems llke long worklng hours and famlly demands 8esldes Leachlng
Lhem breaLhlng exerclses and yoga Lhe employees are LaughL Lo look aL Lhlngs from a dlfferenL
perspecLlve 1hey are encouraged Lo Lake ownershlp and be accounLable for Lhelr [ob ln Lhe
organlsaLlon
1radlLlonally call cenLres meanL only volcebased cusLomer supporL 8uL now mosL call
cenLres are more of a conLacL cenLre offerlng LC8M servlces LhaL lnclude volce based cusLomer
supporL as well as emall response webbased LexLchaL servlces and oLher cusLomer
lnLeracLlon channels 1he call cenLre servlces can be lnbound where ln calls are recelved from
cusLomers enqulrlng abouL a servlce or producL LhaL an organlsaLlon provldes 1he call cenLre
servlces can be ouLbound where ln calls are made Lo cusLomers Lo sell producLs or collecL
lnformaLlon/money eLc Call cenLre servlces can also speclallsed say ln buslness processlng where ln
calls are made from one company Lo anoLher company
Some call cenLres sLlck Lo only domesLlc buslnesses deallng wlLh cusLomers wlLhln Lhe
counLry called domesLlc call cenLres whlle oLhers such as an lnLernaLlonal call cenLre malnly
deal wlLh cllenLs from abroad say from uS Lurope eLc 1here ls a greaL scope for Call cenLres ln
lndla wlLh a large populaLlon of educaLed Lngllsh speaklng people 1he wlde range of
opporLunlLles comparaLlvely well pald [obs for Lhe mlnlmum quallflcaLlon lL requlres and Lhe
faclllLles Lhe companles provlde llke Lo and fro LransporL subsldlzed meals and medlcal faclllLles
makes Call cenLres a good opLlon