Relações sociais de trabalho e custo humano da atividade: vivências de mal-estar e bem-estar em serviço de teleatendimento governamental

AUTOR(ES)
DATA DE PUBLICAÇÃO

2006

RESUMO

The general objective of this study is to investigate the inter-relation between the human cost of activity and the social relations of labour in a governments call center service. It consists of a study in Ergonomics of Activity considering three analytical dimensions: social relations of labour, human cost of activity and experiences of well being and discomfort. The Ergonomic Work Analysis EWA was used as the methodologycal approach whose stages were documentary analysis, application of psycometric scales, systematic and free observation of the activity (30h) and semi-structuralized interviews (n=20). Dispersion and central trend measures were used for the quantitative data analysis, as well as, chi-square test of independence. The treatment of the interviews was conducted with the aid of the Alceste software. The analysis of the outcome identified an association between the social relations of labour and the organization and the conditions of labour. In this sense, improvements or difficulties in one of these dimensions trigger positive or negative consequences over the others. Thus, in order to understand the social relations established in a call center it was necessary to characterize the organization and the conditions of labour prevailing in that context. Regarding the labour organization, call center workers have little autonomy to adjust their work pace and are exposed to repetitive tasks performed under constant monitoring. As for labour conditions, the study identified critical elements regarding the physical environmental aspects and the information management. Such factors interfere in the social relations of labour since the labour organization favours interactions marked by bureaucracy, authoritarism, rigidity and control, while labor conditions contribute to constant conflict between peers and between workers of different hierarchic levels. All these elements of the services environment in call centers bring human costs for the workers which are expended in the physical, the cognitive and the affective spheres. This research highlights mainly the cognitive (the variety of information and the diversity of users) and the affective cost (the control of emotions in the interaction with users). To deal with the human cost, call center workers develop strategies of mediation (reformulating or anticipating the demand, searching on internet, calling the supervision) that may promote well-being when succeeded or, otherwise, can generate discomfort experiences. The social relations of labour, in this context, assume a double function, since they can generate human cost or to play a role as strategy of mediation. The study concludes that when the conditions and organization of labour function as obstacle elements of the activity, the social relations labour assume a key role, since satisfatory interactions produce well being experiences and are able to prevent illness at the working environment .

ASSUNTO(S)

ergonomia da atividade relações sociais de trabalho social relations of labour custo humano do trabalho. teleatendimento psicologia call center ergonomics of activity human cost of activity

ACESSO AO ARTIGO

Documentos Relacionados