Abstract

This article analyses the dynamic interaction of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes the disease Covd-19, and its epidemiological characteristics, with an expansive conception of the contact centre labour process, integrating the contact centres' socially-constructed built environment with distinctive qualities of the social organisation of work. Based on an online survey conducted April-May 2020 of 2,226 call-handlers in, largely, the telecoms and financial services sectors, it provides compelling evidence of the risks facing workers from inter alia dense building occupancy, compromised social distancing, inadequate cleansing and sanitisation, heating ventilation and air conditioning systems and from the outcomes of management control systems. A crucial element in explaining widespread virus transmissibility lies in understanding how the broader political-economy that produced the dominant mass production contact centre paradigm is intertwined with its 'inner workings', leading to a 'business-as-usual' default that prioritised value-generating service continuity at the expense of any precautionary principle. The article contributes additionally by re-affirming the utility of labour process theory.

Rights

All materials published by Bristol University Press and its imprint Policy Press are protected under international copyright and intellectual property laws and we ask you to respect this when using our content. As a subscriber to Bristol University Digital, you are agreeing the terms and conditions on using content in the appropriate way. If you are seeking permission to use or republish a small selection of text, chapters, figures, tables, illustrations or images from one of our books and journals, then please contact us at bup-digital@bristol.ac.uk.

Cite as

Taylor, P. 2021, ''The petri dish and Russian roulette': Working in UK contact centres during the Covid-19 pandemic', Work in the Global Economy, 1(1-2), pp. 185-208. https://doi.org/10.1332/273241721X16275572536921

Downloadable citations

Download HTML citationHTML Download BIB citationBIB Download RIS citationRIS
Last updated: 01 February 2024
Was this page helpful?