Work in Contemporary Society
This3,000-word assignmentis in two parts and is modelled on the format of Work Employment&Society"On the Front Line" pieces read on the Unit. Informed by the creativeandjournalistic approaches to work and employment featured in the Unit, the aim isto createa(semi-)fictional worker testimony and connect the experiences ofan individual worker with the wider context of work and employment in contemporary society.
InPart1(1,000words)youshould give a first-person (i.e. 'I did, I felt, I went') account ofadayinthelifeorcareer narrative of a fictional or semi-fictional worker - so could includeforinstancework and home life, feelings and expectations around work periodsofunemploymentunpaid domestic or reproductive work and other aspects of theeveryday working life ofthe persona writing the testimony. You can use your own or another person's experience or your own imagination to inform the portrayal of the everyday working life of the worker, but you may also wish to draw upon a persona on characterencounteredin either James Bloodworth's Hired or one of the films featured in the unit (Made in Dagenham, Ghosts, 1 Daniel Blake, Pride).
The testimony could be based in the past, present or the future, and, although manv of the examples covered in the unit concern the UK, can take place in any national context (orbetween national context if the testimony is that of, say, a migrant worker) Thetestimonyalso does not have to be confined to work in the kinds of sectors studied intheunit-itcouldbea sectoryou are interested in for your own personal, family or professional reasons. This will require creativity and some independent research to crafta(semi-)fictional but realistic portrayal of how a given character or individual experiencesworkinglife-and can be written in a colloquial or expressive fashion as if the person themselves is speaking.
In Part2(2,000 words) you should relate the worker experience captured in Part 1 to widerissues and debates covered in the lectures, aswell as (optional) the "TED talks and podcasts featured inthe Unit(e.g. change and continuity at work, class, social reproduction，migration,state policy, unemployment/underemployment, welfare alternatives and futures ofwork), connecting the everyday working life of the individual to broader phenomena and transformations in work and employment. You may wish to drawupon and citeideas and arguments from the other readings set on the unit here(e.g.theCruddas book Dignity of Labour or the Futures of Work articles).
In Part2,theanalysis could either take a 'depth’ approach, going into detail on one specific aspect ofthe workers experience sourced from one week or part of the unit socialreproductionfor instance- or could take a 'breadth’approach, relating the testimonytonumerousthemes from across the unit. Both roads are acceptable. You might also wishto relate the testimony experience to the policy context and suggest ways in which the work could be better managed, organised or regulated - as one finds in the'On the Front Line' pieces the assignment is modelled on.
Asthisisanunusual and creative assignment, an example essay - written last year bythe UnitDirector-is available on Blackboard to give you some idea of what is expected.You can give your feedback on it in the final week of the unit!
Work in Contemporary Society
Name
Institution
Due Date
Work in Contemporary Society
Testimony
My name is Katie and I work as a customer service agent for an online retailer. As a customer service representative, I can tell you firsthand that the reality of working in this field is often very different from what people might expect. I work for a small retailer, and like many other companies, we had a significant increase in orders due to the Covid-19 lockdown and the shift to online shopping. While this might seem like a good thing on the surface, the truth is that it created a number of challenges for us as customer service reps.
For starters, the volume of calls and emails we received skyrocketed significantly. It was common for me to wake up to hundreds of angry messages and go to bed with hundreds more in my head. The work felt relentless and like it was never-ending. Some days, I hit a wall and I just could not take it anymore. I was tearing up on the phone because I was so exhausted from another long day. This is my job, but it feels like it's not what I signed up for. It's never been like this before.
Notably, the delays that customers were experiencing at every junction of the ordering and delivery process did not seem to matter to most of the people who contacted us. They just wanted their orders delivered immediately and did not seem to care about the person they were contacting or the fact that we're working with fewer staff and following social distancing guidelines. They did understand that we don't work 24 hours a day, and they get furious when we don't answer their emails immediately.
I thought that the switch from working in the cramped offices to working from home would improve the working conditions as I would have more control over the work process, but this was not the case. Remote work during the COVID-19 period was accompanied by a significant increase in the volume of work that we had to complete and it was hard to strike the work-life balance. Though the number of calls and emails we received increased, the company had not planned for the increase and required the existing customer service representatives to bridge labor shortfall. During the COVID-19, it was common for me to work for a long time at home without guarantee that I would receive overtime as the company had not yet set up an appropriate approach for tracking overtime while we were working at home. To this end, the supervisors believed that the increase in the number of calls and emails we responded to could be accomplished within the hours that were supposed to work for the company.
I have realized that the perception of call center work by my colleagues and the management plays a significant role in job satisfaction. While I may have a degree and a desire for a fulfilling career, the reality is that call center work is often seen as stressful, routinized, and offering little room for advancement. The limited skill requirements for a customer service representative, such as communication and interpersonal skills, can be easily acquired by anyone, leading to a low status of the job. This is further perpetuated by the fact that call center work is not considered a specialized or skilled profession. As a result, it is often looked down upon by other members of the organization and society as a whole. Thus, there is no prestige associated with working as a customer representative in the society as most people tend to look down upon the job description.
I have worked in a call center for several years, and have witnessed firsthand the high levels of staff turnover and absenteeism that are common in this industry. The nature of the job leads many agents to seek out more fulfilling careers. One of the main factors contributing to this high turnover is the lack of support and development opportunities within call centers. Many managers focus solely on meeting productivity targets, rather than providing support and guidance to their employees. This can lead to feelings of burnout and a lack of enthusiasm, as there is little investment in the well-being and growth of the workforce. Personally, I am always filling sending out job application to see if I can get lucky and either get a promotion to supervisory or managerial role. In most cases, those in higher positions feel as though they receive better treatment than those of us who are at the lower end of the profession.
Many call centers, including the one I work at, are open for long hours and often operate 24/7. This can make it difficult to have a regular schedule and can disrupt my personal life. Additionally, while some companies offer flexibility in terms of shift arrangements and starting and finishing times, many do not. This can make it difficult to manage my responsibilities outside of work, such as caring for family members or pursuing other interests. The pressure to be available at all times lead to high levels of stress and burnout. Many of my colleague operate around the clock as our employer offer 24/7 customer support, and it's not uncommon for us to work overnight shifts or on holidays. This can be tough on my personal life and make it difficult to balance my work and home responsibilities.
In addition, my employer expects me to display certain emotions, even if I don't feel them. It can be difficult to constantly put on a friendly and happy facade, especially when dealing with rude or difficult customers. This can lead to feelings of inauthenticity and emotional dissonance, which can be exhausting and lead to burnout. I find that I struggle to connect with my family members after coming from work given the emotional exhaustion that I experience after a shift.
Notably, we had a significant control over the schedule when we were working at home but the lifting of COVID restrictions meant we have to go back to the office where we are continuously monitored to make sure we are meeting performance targets. This can be stressful and lead to feelings of powerlessness and frustration.
Despite these challenges, I have found that call center work can also be rewarding. I have had the opportunity to acquire valuable communication and interpersonal skills, and the job has provided a source of income for me. However, I do hope to eventually find a more fulfilling career that offers more opportunities for growth and development.
Analysis
While call center work has provided a source of income for many, including those with limited job options due to their qualifications or labor market conditions, the low status and lack of fulfillment often lead customer service representatives to seek out other career options. The continuous pursuit of more fulfilling work and the lack of career advancement opportunities highlight the need for alternative welfare options and a reevaluation of the value placed on customer service work (Sission and Jones, 2012). It is important for both management and society to recognize the challenges and difficulties faced by customer service representatives and to work towards improving the status and satisfaction of this profession.
In a way, the low status attached to the customer service representative jobs can be partly attributed to a prevailing view that the employees in the area are replaceable. The future of work in the field of customer service is uncertain. The rise of automation and artificial intelligence could potentially lead to the elimination of many call center jobs. Thus, individuals working in the field have to consider the potential impact of these changes on their careers and prepare for the possibility of having to find new work in the future. Notably, the employers are not putting in the required change and continuity plan to relieve the employee from the stress associated with the likelihood that they may end up losing their jobs to technology or may be required to work in tandem with technology. It is possible that AI may be used to augment or supplement the work of customer service representatives, but it is unlikely that AI will completely replace them in the near future (Song et al., 2022). While AI can be very useful for handling routine tasks and providing information, it is not yet able to fully replicate the interpersonal skills, empathy, and problem-solving ability of a human customer service representative. In many cases, customers prefer to interact with a human representative, and businesses are likely to continue to value the ability of customer service representatives to create a personal connection with their customers.
To this end, the employers can take a number of steps to prepare employees for the potential changes that will result from the adoption of artificial intelligence and make sure that there will be continuity in the workplace. Employers should communicate clearly with customer service representatives about how the AI systems will be used, what tasks they will be responsible for, and how the use of AI will impact their roles. This will help to reduce anxiety and ensure that everyone is on the same page (Daqar and Smoudy, 2019). Then, the employers should provide training and support that will allow them to quickly adjust to working in a workplace environment that includes AI systems. The training should include both technical training on how to use the systems and training on how to work effectively with AI as a tool to support their work. Notably, it may be necessary to be flexible and adapt to changes in the roles and responsibilities of customer service re...