A survey conducted by Forschungs- und Beratungsstelle Arbeitswelt (FORBA) focuses on the quality of work, corporate strategies and institutional frameworks of call centres. The results are based on responses of managers of 96 call centres, inhouse as well as subcontracting companies, and represent 9,100 employees.
The Austrian call centre sector is characterised by atypical work, low income and high staff turnover, and mainly employs female workers. Furthermore, there are key differences between inhouse call centres and subcontracting companies.
A survey conducted by Forschungs- und Beratungsstelle Arbeitswelt (FORBA) focuses on the quality of work, corporate strategies and institutional frameworks of call centres. The results are based on responses of managers of 96 call centres, inhouse as well as subcontracting companies, and represent 9,100 employees.
Atypical work
Besides part-time work, ‘quasi-freelance’ contracts (freie Dienstverträge ) are widespread in the call centre sector as employers can thus reduce their non-wage labour costs. Quasi-freelancers have an ambiguous employment status. Unlike regular employees, they are not bound by legislation and have no obligation to attend the firm; their working time and the workplace are discretionary. They may indeed work for several employers. On the other hand, compared with regular freelancers, who contract for work and services, quasi-freelancers do not sell particular services but rather their working time or a certain output or performance. More than 40% of all call centres employ quasi-freelancers (freie DienstnehmerInnen ). Among these companies, 83% of the staff work on the basis of quasi-freelance contracts (freie Dienstverträge ).
In nearly 30% of all call centres, workers are marginally employed. On average, a quarter of employees in these companies are marginally employed: subcontracting companies (32.4%) are more likely to offer marginal employment than inhouse call centres (15.7%).
Gender profile
The call centre sector can be described as a female-dominated sector. Most employees who work in call centres in Austria are women. Nevertheless, the higher the position within the hierarchy, the lower the ratio of women.
| Position | Women | Men |
|---|---|---|
| Call centre agent | 76.3 | 23.7 |
| Team leader | 68.6 | 31.4 |
| Manager | 54.0 | 46.0 |
Source: Schönauer, Vienna, 2005
More than three quarters (76.3%) of call centre agents and 68.6% of team leaders are female. The proportion of women at management level is lower again, although the percentage of 54% of female managers is quite high compared with other sectors. The opportunities for women to climb the hierarchy are greater for people working for subcontracting companies than they are in inhouse call centres.
It is not at all surprising that the majority of the part-time workers are female: 85.6% of all part-time workers and 87% of all marginally employed people are women.
Income
The income in call centres is low. The gross income of employees with a permanent contract ranges between €10 and €13 per hour on average, while employees with a fixed-term contract earn between €5 and €11 per hour on average. Moreover, the income is made up of a small fixed and a high variable part. The variable part fluctuates according to the type of call centre. It amounts to 31.6% on average for employees working for subcontracting companies but is much lower (12.9%) for workers in inhouse call centres. The gross income - ranging between €5 and €13 - is the total income, including the fixed and the variable part.
Staff turnover
Regarding staff turnover, there is, again, a difference between inhouse call centres and subcontracting companies. Employees tend to stay longer in inhouse call centres (4.3 years on average) than in subcontracting companies (2.9 years). The duration an employee works in one company also seems to be influenced by whether there is a works council and/or a collective agreement. Employees who work in companies that have a works council stay 4.8 years on average and those whose call centre has a collective agreement tend to work for one company for 4.6 years. Employees working in call centres that neither have a works council nor a collective agreement stay in the one company for 2.8 years on average.
Monitoring
Computer-based work is easily monitored. Monitoring in call centres consists of evaluating the number and duration of calls, as well as listening in on calls. Some 88% of call centres make use of this possibility. On average, 76% of tasks are monitored in these call centres, and 42% of them monitor all tasks. More subcontracting companies monitor their employees while they are working than do inhouse call centres. The consequences of this control can be negative sanction, training or improvement of quality.
Summary
As one of its main findings, the study identified major differences between inhouse call centres and subcontracting companies. In terms of forms of employment, staff turnover and remuneration, call centres cannot really be regarded as a homogeneous group. The study shows that the companies’ different business models and the business environment have a particular impact on the quality of work in call centres. Conversely, a focus on the basic work model of call centre work common to all employees, i.e. service provided via telephone and computer, does not allow for more than general conclusions on the quality of work.
About the study
The Austrian study is part of the Global Call Centre Industry Study, a large international research project (in five continents), coordinated by Cornell University, New York. A team of researchers at Cornell have developed a questionnaire which is used in each of the participating countries. The aim of the international survey is to compare the quality of work in call centres in a range of countries at various stages of industrial development. Part of the project was to develop a database on call centres, which includes 385 Austrian companies.
Marion Vogt
Further information
Schönauer, A., Qualität der Arbeit in Callcentern. Fallstudie Österreich Global Call Centre Industry Project (Quality of work in call centres. Case study Austria within the Global Call Centre Industry Project) - 912Kb pdf, Vienna, 2005.
See also the Danish news update ‘Mapping the Danish call centre industry’ (DK0506NU01).
Eurofound recommends citing this publication in the following way.
Eurofound (2006), Quality of work in call centres, article.
