A FOCUS GROUP STUDY ON THE EXAMINATION OF CALL CENTER EMPLOYEES' PSYCHOLOGICAL RESILIENCE

Abstract

Call centers are among the professions that require a very strong psychological resilience. The ability of call center employees, who work under intense workload and stress, to cope with difficulties varies depending on the level of psychological resilience. Due to the limited research in the literature related to the sector, a study has been conducted within the scope of this work, focusing on exploring the perceptions of psychological resilience of call center employees, factors that positively and negatively affect this resilience, and the strategies and methods preferred to strengthen psychological resilience. For this purpose, in the study, a focus group interview was conducted with nine (9) employees selected from different call centers using qualitative research methods. As a result of the data analysis, it has been revealed that employees define their psychological resilience as coping with difficulties, maintaining a positive attitude, performance under stress, empathy, customer communication, and motivation preservation. Additionally, the presence of a supportive team and management in the work environment, regular feedback, training and development opportunities, open communication, and appreciative communication have been identified as factors that strengthen psychological resilience. However, it has been found that situations such as negative customer interactions, high-paced work environment, technological problems, constantly changing work conditions, and long working hours challenge the employees' psychological resilience. Call center employees use strategies such as resting, emotional control, effective communication, personal care, in-service training, and time management to cope with difficulties. The research concludes that focusing on strategies such as stress management, team activities, continuous learning, personal skills training, psychological counseling services, and flexible working hours can be beneficial to increase psychological resilience. At the same time, suggestions have been presented on how psychological resilience can be strengthened in a stable and sustainable manner.

Keywords

• Psychological Resilience
• Call Center
• Focus Group Study

ÇAĞRI MERKEZİ ÇALIŞANLARININ PSİKOLOJİK DAYANIKLILIKLARININ İNCELENMESİNE YÖNELİK BİR ODAK GRUP ÇALIŞMASI

Abstract

Psikolojik dayanıklılığın çok güçlü olması gereken iş kollarından birisi de çağrı merkezleridir. Yoğun iş yükü ve stres altında çalışan çağrı merkezi çalışanlarının, zorluklarla mücadele edebilme güçleri psikolojik dayanıklılık seviyesine bağlı olarak değişkenlik göstermektedir. Literatürde sektörle ilgili araştırmaların sınırlı olması nedeniyle, çalışma kapsamında, çağrı merkezi çalışanlarının psikolojik dayanıklılık algılarını, bu dayanıklılığı olumlu ve olumsuz etkileyen faktörleri, psikolojik dayanıklılığı güçlendirmek adına tercih edilen strateji ve yöntemleri keşfetmeye odaklanan bir araştırma gerçekleştirilmiştir. Bu amaçla araştırmada, farklı çağrı merkezlerinden seçilen dokuz (9) çalışan ile nitel araştırma yöntemlerinden odak grup görüşmesi yapılmıştır. Verilerin analizi sonucunda, çalışanların psikolojik dayanıklılığı; zorluklarla başa çıkma, olumlu tutum, stres altında performans, empati, müşteri iletişimi ve motivasyon koruma olarak tanımladıkları görülmüştür. Ayrıca, iş ortamında destekleyici ekip ve yöneticinin varlığı, düzenli geri bildirim, eğitim ve gelişim fırsatları, açık iletişim ve takdir edici iletişimin psikolojik dayanıklılığı güçlendirici faktörler olduğu belirlenmiştir. Bununla birlikte, olumsuz müşteri etkileşimleri, yüksek tempolu iş ortamı, teknolojik sorunlar, sürekli değişen iş koşulları ve uzun çalışma saatleri gibi durumların çalışanların psikolojik dayanıklılığını zorladığı tespit edilmiştir. Çağrı merkezi çalışanları zorluklarla başa çıkmak için dinlenme, duygusal kontrol, etkili iletişim, kişisel bakım, hizmet içi eğitim ve zaman yönetimi stratejilerini kullanmaktadırlar. Araştırma sonucunda, psikolojik dayanıklılığı artırmak için stres yönetimi, takım aktiviteleri, sürekli öğrenme, kişisel beceri eğitimleri, psikolojik danışmanlık hizmetleri ve esnek çalışma saatleri gibi stratejilere odaklanmanın faydalı olabileceği sonucuna varılmıştır. Aynı zamanda, psikolojik dayanıklılığın istikrarlı ve sürdürülebilir bir şekilde nasıl güçlendirilebileceği konusunda öneriler sunulmuştur.

Keywords

• Psikolojik Dayanıklılık
• Çağrı Merkezi
• Odak Grup Çalışması

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