Personality traits and resilience as predictors of job stress and burnout among call centre employees

Abstract

English: Research has shown that staff members of call centres are experiencing high levels of job stress due to the demands of their jobs. Employees frequently have no control over their work environment and external factors that affect their performance and job satisfaction. They could, however, develop and utilize internal resources, like specific personality factors that can enable them to manage their job stress more effectively. The aims of the study was to determine the levels of job stress and burnout of staff members of a call centre and to identify specific personality factors that could be valid predictors of the ability of employees of a call centre to manage job stress and burnout effectively. Several studies have focused on the relationship between personality, job stress and burnout, but the Big Five personality traits and resilience as predictors of job stress and burnout have not received adequate attention. Non-probability sampling and specifically accidental sampling was used in a call centre in Bloemfontein, South Africa. The call centre involved is an out-bound, debt collecting call centre, with clients in South Africa and neighbouring states. A total of 187 employees in the call centre were involved in the study. The respondents were mainly black, female, single, South Sotho, between 21 and 25 years of age, acquired a grade 12 qualification and have served for less than one year. The measuring instruments that were used, include the International Personality Item Pool, the Resilience Scale, the Maslach Burnout Inventory (Human Services Survey) and the Experience of Work and Life Circumstances Questionnaire. Multiple stepwise regression analysis was used as statistical technique to process the data. Respondents exhibited a high level of job stress, an average level of emotional exhaustion, a high level of depersonalization and a low level of personal accomplishment. A significant linear relationship was found between job stress and specific Big Five personality factors, namely emotional stability and openness to experience. A significant linear relationship was also identified between conscientiousness and specific dimensions of burnout, namely emotional exhaustion and depersonalization. Resilience and more specifically acceptance of self and life was also found to be a valid predictor of depersonalization, a dimension of burnout. Conscientiousness, agreeableness and resilience were found to be valid predictors of the personal accomplishment dimension of burnout. Future research in this regard should be done with a more representative sample of call centres in South Africa in order to generalize the results to call centres in general. The personality factors that have been identified in this study as valid predictors of the effective management of job stress and burnout could be used for purposes of selection and training in call centres.

Afrikaans: Navorsing het aangetoon dat personeellede van Oproepsentra hoë vlakke van werkstres en uitbranding ervaar as gevolg van die werksvereistes wat met hulle werk gepaard gaan. Werknemers het dikwels geen beheer oor hulle werkomgewings en eksterne faktore wat hulle werkprestasie en werkstevredenheid beïnvloed nie. Hulle kan egter bepaalde interne bronne soos spesifieke persoonlikheidsfaktore ontwikkel en benut wat hulle in staat kan stel om hulle werkstres meer effektief te bestuur. Die doelwitte van die studie was om die vlak van werkstre en uitbranding van werknemers van 'n oproepsentrum te bepaal en om spesifieke persoonlikheidsfaktore te identifiseer wat as geldige voorspellers van werknemers van 'n oproepsentrum se vermoë om werkstres en uitbranding effektief te bestuur, kan dien. Verskeie studies het gefokus op die verband tussen persoonlikheid, werkstres en uitbranding, maar die Groot Vyf persoonlikheidsfaktore en veerkragtigheid as voorspellers van werkstres en uitbranding het nie voldoende aandag geniet nie. Niewaarskynlikheidsteekproefneming en spesifiek toevallige steekproefneming in 'n oproepsentrum in Bloemfontein, Suid-Afrika is gebruik. Die betrokke oproepsentrum is 'n ongebonde, skuldinvorderingsoproepsentrum met kliënte in Suid-Afrika en aangrensende state. 'n Totaal van 187 werknemers van die oproepsentrum het aan die studie deelgeneem. Die respondente was hoofsaaklik swart, vroulik, alleenlopend, Suid-Sotho sprekend, tussen die ouderdomme 21 tot 25 jaar, beskik oor 'n graad 12-kwalifikasie en het vir minder as 'n jaar diens. Die meetinstrumente wat in die studie gebruik is, is die Internasionale Persoonlikheidsitempoel, die Veerkragtigheidskaal, die Maslach Uitbrandingsvraelys (Menslike diensopname) en die Ervaring van Werk- en Lewensomstandighede-vraelys. 'n Meerveranderlike stapsgewyse regressieontleding is as statistieke tegniek gebruik om die resultate te verwerk. Respondents exhibited a high level of job stress, an average level of emotional exhaustion, a high level of depersonalization and a low level of personal accomplishment. Die respondente het 'n hoë vlak van werkstres, 'n gemiddelde vlak van emosionele uitputting, en hoë vlak van depersonalisasie en en lae vlak van persoonlike prestasie getoon. en Beduidende lineêre verband is gevind tussen spesifieke Groot Vyf persoonlikheidsfaktore en werkstres, naamlik emosionele stabiliteit en openheid tot ervaring. enBeduidende lineêre verband is ook identifiseer tussen pligsgetrouheid en sekere dimensies van uitbranding, naamlik emosionele uitputting en depersonalisasie. Veerkragtigheid en meer spesifiek aanvaarding van self en die lewe is geïdentifiseer as en geldige voorspeller van depersonalisasie, endimensie van uitbranding. Pligsgetrouheid, inskiklikheid en veerkragtigheid is geïdentifiseer as geldige voorspellers van persoonlike prestasie, en dimensie van uitbranding. Toekomstige navorsing in hierdie verband moet gedoen word met enmeer verteenwoordigende steekproef van oproepsentra in Suid-Afrika sodat die resultate na oproepsentra oor die algemeen veralgemeen kan word. Die persoonlikheidsfaktore wat in hierdie studie as geldige voorspellers van die doeltreffende bestuur van werkstres en uitbranding geïdentifiseer is, kan kan gebruik word vir keurings- en opleidingsdoeleindes in oproepsentra.