Standardising public service: the experiences of call-centre workers in the Canadian federal government

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Work Organisation, Labour and Globalisation

Volume 3, Issue 1

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Standardising public service: the experiences of call-centre workers in the Canadian federal government

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Author(s): Norene Pupo , Andrea Noack

Publication date (Print): Summer 2009

Journal: Work Organisation, Labour and Globalisation

Publisher: Pluto Journals

Abstract

This paper explores the impact of the adoption of neoliberal economic policies and practices on public sector jobs within the Canadian Federal government. In recent years, employment in the public sector has been increasingly shifted to a call-centre format, thereby transforming the working conditions of public servants as well as access to services enjoyed by Canadians. By adopting work practices, technologies and managerial techniques usually found within the private sector, we argue that the call-centre format fundamentally transforms the notion of public ‘service’ from secure employment and a dynamic career to that of a routine, Taylorised job. In this process, standardised interactions redefine the notion of public service and the role of the public servant.

Content

Author and article information

Journal

Journal ID (doi): 10.13169

Journal ID (publisher-id): workorgalaboglob

Title: Work Organisation, Labour and Globalisation

Publisher: Pluto Journals

ISSN (Print): 1745641X

ISSN (Electronic): 17456428

Publication date (Print): Summer 2009

Volume: 3

Issue: 1

Pages: 100-113

Article

Publisher ID: workorgalaboglob.3.1.0100

DOI: 10.13169/workorgalaboglob.3.1.0100

SO-VID: 853fb0b3-cd9f-4097-882a-fc8a63e913cc

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All content is freely available without charge to users or their institutions. Users are allowed to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of the articles in this journal without asking prior permission of the publisher or the author. Articles published in the journal are distributed under a http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.

History

ScienceOpen disciplines: Sociology,Labor law,Political science,Labor & Demographic economics,Political economics

References

Akyeampong, E. (2008) ‘Unionization’, Perspectives on Labour and Income, Statistics Canada, Catalogue Number 75–001-XIE, August:5–9
Akyeampong, E. (2002) ‘Unionization and Fringe Benefits’, Perspectives on Labour and Income , Statistics Canada, Catalogue Number 75–001-XIE, August:1–10
Belt, V., R. Richardson & J. Webster (2000) ‘Women's Work in the Information Economy: The case of telephone call centres’, Information, Communication & Society 3(3): 366B385
Belt, V., R. Richardson & J. Webster (2002) ‘Women, Social Skill and Interactive Service Work in Telephone Call Centers’, New Technology Work and Employment , 171, March: 20–34
Broad, D. & W. Antony (eds) (2007) Capitalism Rebooted? Work, Welfare and the New Economy , Halifax: Fernwood Publishing
Buchanan, R. (2002) ‘Lives on the Line: Low-Wage Work in the Teleservice Economy’ in F. Munger (ed) Labouring Below the Line: The New Ethnography of Poverty, Low-Wage Work, and Survival in the Global Economy , New York: Russell Sage:45–72
Buchanan, R. (2006) ‘1–800 New Brunswick: Economic Development Strategies, Firm Restructuring, and the Local Production of “Global” Services’ in V. Shalla (ed) Working in a Global Era: Canadian Perspectives , Toronto: Canadian Scholars' Press:177–197
Budach, G., S. Roy & M. Heller (2003) ‘Community and Commodity in French Ontario’, Language in Society 32: 603B627
Evans, B. & J. Shields (1998) Shrinking the State: Globalization and Public Administration Reform , Halifax: Fernwood Books
Glucksmann, M. (2004) ‘Call configurations: varieties of call centre and divisions of labour,’ Work, employment and society 18(4): 795B811
Hoschchild, A. (1983) The managed heart: Commercialization of human feeling , University of California Press: Berkeley
Huws, U. (2003) The Making of a Cybertariat: Virtual Work in a Real World , New York: Monthly Review Press
Huws, U. & S. Dahlmann (Forthcoming) ‘Global Restructuring of Value Chains and Class Issues’, in N. Pupo & M. Thomas, eds, Interrogating the New Economy: Restructuring Work in the 21st Century , Toronto: UTP HigherEducation
Institute for Citizen-Centred Research (2006) ‘Results of Focus Group Research on 'Answering the Call: Improving the Telephone Channel for Canadians’, Fleishman-Hillard Canada. Accessed on March 27, 2009 from http://www.contactcentrecanada.ca/media/77604/telephonyexecutivesnetworkgroupreport.pdf
McBride, S. (2001) Paradigm Shift: Globalization and the Canadian State , Halifax: Fernwood Publishing Company
Mirchandani, K. (2004) ‘Practices of Global Capital: Gaps, Cracks and Ironies in Transnational Call Centres in India’, Global Networks 4 (4), 355–373
Mulvale, J. (2006) ‘Solidarity Forever' in Cyberspace? Responses of the Labour Movement to Information and Communication Technologies’, in D. Broad & W. Antony eds, Capitalism Rebooted? Work, Welfare and the New Economy . Halifax: Fernwood Publishing
Panitch, L. & D. Swartz (2003) From Consent to Coercion: The Assault on Trade Union Freedoms . 3rd Edition. Toronto: Garamond Press:128–144
Public Service Alliance Canada (PSAC) (2006) Accessed on January 12, 2008 from: http://www.psac.com/bargaining/index-e.shtml
Pupo, N. (2007) ‘Behind the Screens: Telemediated Work in the Canadian Public Service’, Work Organisation, Labour and Globalisation , 1:2, Summer:155–167
Pupo, N. & A. Duffy (2007) ‘Blurring the Distinction between Public and Private Spheres: The Commodification of Household Work—Gender, Class, Community, and Global Dimensions’, in V. Shalla & W. Clement, eds, Work in Tumultuous Times: Critical Perspectives , Montreal and Kingston: McGill-Queen's University Press:89–325
Pupo, N. & A. Noack (Forthcoming) ‘Dialing for Service: Transforming the Public Sector Workplace in Canada’, In N. Pupo & M. Thomas, eds, Interrogating the New Economy: Restructuring Work in the 21st Century , Toronto: UTP HigherEducation
Sears, A. (2003) Retooling the Mind Factory: Education in a Lean State , Toronto: UTP HigherEducation
Service Canada (2006) Service Canada Annual Report 2005–2006 , Government of Canada: Ottawa, ON. Accessed on March 27, 2009 from http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/eng/about/reports/ar_0506/pdf/ar_0506.pdf
Siltanen, J. (2007) ‘Social Citizenship and the Transformation of Paid Work: Reflections on Possibilities for Progressive Change’, in V. Shalla & W. Clement, eds, Work in Tumultuous Times: Critical Perspectives , Montreal and Kingston: McGill-Queen's University Press:349–379
Statistics Canada (2006) Census 2006: Summary Tables . Accessed on March 27, 2009 from http://www12.statcan.ca/census-recensement/index-eng.cfm
Statistics Canada (2005) ‘Study: Who's calling at dinner time?’ The Daily , Statistics Canada Ottawa, ON. Accessed on March 27, 2009 from http://www.statcan.gc.ca/daily-quotidien/050525/dq050525c-eng.htm
Treasury Board of Canada (2005) The Human Resources Environmental Scan for the Public Service of Canada: Identifying Current and Future Human Resources Needs , Ottawa, ON: Government of Canada. Accessed on March 27, 2008 from http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/res/esae-eng.asp
Van Jaarsveld, D., A. Frost & D. Walker (2007) ‘The Canadian Contact Centre Industry: Strategy, Work Organisation and Human Resource Management’, The Global Call Centre Project . Accessed on March 27, 2009 from www.gccproject-canada.com

Comments

Comment on this article

[1] Akyeampong, E. (2008) ‘Unionization’, Perspectives on Labour and Income, Statistics Canada, Catalogue Number 75–001-XIE, August:5–9

[2] Akyeampong, E. (2002) ‘Unionization and Fringe Benefits’, Perspectives on Labour and Income , Statistics Canada, Catalogue Number 75–001-XIE, August:1–10

[3] Belt, V., R. Richardson & J. Webster (2000) ‘Women's Work in the Information Economy: The case of telephone call centres’, Information, Communication & Society 3(3): 366B385

[4] Belt, V., R. Richardson & J. Webster (2002) ‘Women, Social Skill and Interactive Service Work in Telephone Call Centers’, New Technology Work and Employment , 171, March: 20–34

[5] Broad, D. & W. Antony (eds) (2007) Capitalism Rebooted? Work, Welfare and the New Economy , Halifax: Fernwood Publishing

[6] Buchanan, R. (2002) ‘Lives on the Line: Low-Wage Work in the Teleservice Economy’ in F. Munger (ed) Labouring Below the Line: The New Ethnography of Poverty, Low-Wage Work, and Survival in the Global Economy , New York: Russell Sage:45–72

[7] Buchanan, R. (2006) ‘1–800 New Brunswick: Economic Development Strategies, Firm Restructuring, and the Local Production of “Global” Services’ in V. Shalla (ed) Working in a Global Era: Canadian Perspectives , Toronto: Canadian Scholars' Press:177–197

[8] Budach, G., S. Roy & M. Heller (2003) ‘Community and Commodity in French Ontario’, Language in Society 32: 603B627

[9] Evans, B. & J. Shields (1998) Shrinking the State: Globalization and Public Administration Reform , Halifax: Fernwood Books

[10] Glucksmann, M. (2004) ‘Call configurations: varieties of call centre and divisions of labour,’ Work, employment and society 18(4): 795B811

[11] Hoschchild, A. (1983) The managed heart: Commercialization of human feeling , University of California Press: Berkeley

[12] Huws, U. (2003) The Making of a Cybertariat: Virtual Work in a Real World , New York: Monthly Review Press

[13] Huws, U. & S. Dahlmann (Forthcoming) ‘Global Restructuring of Value Chains and Class Issues’, in N. Pupo & M. Thomas, eds, Interrogating the New Economy: Restructuring Work in the 21st Century , Toronto: UTP HigherEducation

[14] Institute for Citizen-Centred Research (2006) ‘Results of Focus Group Research on 'Answering the Call: Improving the Telephone Channel for Canadians’, Fleishman-Hillard Canada. Accessed on March 27, 2009 from http://www.contactcentrecanada.ca/media/77604/telephonyexecutivesnetworkgroupreport.pdf

[15] McBride, S. (2001) Paradigm Shift: Globalization and the Canadian State , Halifax: Fernwood Publishing Company

[16] Mirchandani, K. (2004) ‘Practices of Global Capital: Gaps, Cracks and Ironies in Transnational Call Centres in India’, Global Networks 4 (4), 355–373

[17] Mulvale, J. (2006) ‘Solidarity Forever' in Cyberspace? Responses of the Labour Movement to Information and Communication Technologies’, in D. Broad & W. Antony eds, Capitalism Rebooted? Work, Welfare and the New Economy . Halifax: Fernwood Publishing

[18] Panitch, L. & D. Swartz (2003) From Consent to Coercion: The Assault on Trade Union Freedoms . 3rd Edition. Toronto: Garamond Press:128–144

[19] Public Service Alliance Canada (PSAC) (2006) Accessed on January 12, 2008 from: http://www.psac.com/bargaining/index-e.shtml

[20] Pupo, N. (2007) ‘Behind the Screens: Telemediated Work in the Canadian Public Service’, Work Organisation, Labour and Globalisation , 1:2, Summer:155–167

[21] Pupo, N. & A. Duffy (2007) ‘Blurring the Distinction between Public and Private Spheres: The Commodification of Household Work—Gender, Class, Community, and Global Dimensions’, in V. Shalla & W. Clement, eds, Work in Tumultuous Times: Critical Perspectives , Montreal and Kingston: McGill-Queen's University Press:89–325

[22] Pupo, N. & A. Noack (Forthcoming) ‘Dialing for Service: Transforming the Public Sector Workplace in Canada’, In N. Pupo & M. Thomas, eds, Interrogating the New Economy: Restructuring Work in the 21st Century , Toronto: UTP HigherEducation

[23] Sears, A. (2003) Retooling the Mind Factory: Education in a Lean State , Toronto: UTP HigherEducation

[24] Service Canada (2006) Service Canada Annual Report 2005–2006 , Government of Canada: Ottawa, ON. Accessed on March 27, 2009 from http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/eng/about/reports/ar_0506/pdf/ar_0506.pdf

[25] Siltanen, J. (2007) ‘Social Citizenship and the Transformation of Paid Work: Reflections on Possibilities for Progressive Change’, in V. Shalla & W. Clement, eds, Work in Tumultuous Times: Critical Perspectives , Montreal and Kingston: McGill-Queen's University Press:349–379

[26] Statistics Canada (2006) Census 2006: Summary Tables . Accessed on March 27, 2009 from http://www12.statcan.ca/census-recensement/index-eng.cfm

[27] Statistics Canada (2005) ‘Study: Who's calling at dinner time?’ The Daily , Statistics Canada Ottawa, ON. Accessed on March 27, 2009 from http://www.statcan.gc.ca/daily-quotidien/050525/dq050525c-eng.htm

[28] Treasury Board of Canada (2005) The Human Resources Environmental Scan for the Public Service of Canada: Identifying Current and Future Human Resources Needs , Ottawa, ON: Government of Canada. Accessed on March 27, 2008 from http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/res/esae-eng.asp

[29] Van Jaarsveld, D., A. Frost & D. Walker (2007) ‘The Canadian Contact Centre Industry: Strategy, Work Organisation and Human Resource Management’, The Global Call Centre Project . Accessed on March 27, 2009 from www.gccproject-canada.com