A sociological analysis on the working conditions of call center operators: Emotional labor and results in the service industry

This study focuses on the emotional labor behaviors in the service industry in general and call center employees in particular from a class point of view, and the results of these behaviorsThis study which is based on an emotional labor perspective discusses the social classes, professional perceptions, consumption habits and working techniques of call center employees. Thus the main problems addressed in this study are: "How are the working conditions of call center employees and their emotional labor behaviors related?", "How are the daily lives of call center employees affected by their working conditions?", "What are the problems and their consequences, experienced by call center employees in their emotional labor behaviors, in their distinctive working conditions?" In the study, in which the qualitative research model was used, semi-structured in-depth interviews and focus group interviews were conducted with call center workers and union workers operating in this sector. Within the scope of the research, 24 call center employees and 2 union officials were interviewed. Interviews with employees were conducted online via Zoom, Instagram and WhatsApp. In the interviews conducted on the Zoom platform, audio and video recordings were taken in accordance with the approval of the participants. As a result of the interviews, the data were categorized using coding and note taking technics. The analysis of the data was provided through these categories. As a result of the research, considering the working conditions of the call center employees, it was observed that they made a very intense emotional and affective labor. The main reason for this situation is explained as the production realization of the employees with standardized communication styles. At the same time, as a result of the research, it was seen that the class affiliation of the call center employees was affected by the wages, working conditions, and mental and emotional labor processes. At the same time, as a result of the intense use of emotional labor in call centers within the scope of the research, it was concluded that the majority of the employees were the young and the women. This result revealed that young people and women have different negative experiences from working in call centers and it is important to consider these differences while performing class analyzes on call centers. Keywords: emotional labor, affective labor, service sector, flexible working, call center