Identity on the line: constructing professional identity in a HR call centre

Pritchard, Katrina and Symon, Gillian (2011). Identity on the line: constructing professional identity in a HR call centre. Work, Employment and Society, 25(3) pp. 434–450.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0950017011407970

Abstract

This article applies insights from the social construction of professional identity to an understanding of the ‘professional service’ call centre representative (CSR). In this case, HR (Human Resources) practitioners found themselves in a CSR role in a newly constituted HR call centre and this research explores how they then (re-)constructed their role as professionals within this context. Through a longitudinal, ethnographic study, three key constructions are identified through which CSRs made claims for a professional identity: ‘our work is complex’; ‘our work adds value’; and ‘our work is unique’. The analysis highlights that a contemporary concern with re-orienting HR to a strategic role may lead to perceived segregation and the re-negotiation of professional identities vis-à-vis other groups of HR professionals. Overall, this research challenges accepted norms and definitions of both call centre work and professional identity, suggesting that both are contested and localised constructions achieved through identity work.

Viewing alternatives

Metrics

Item Actions

Export

You can export this page using these formats Digital Object Identifier - DOI

About

• Item ORO ID
• 40809
• Item Type
• Journal Item
• ISSN
• 1469-8722
• Project Funding Details

• Funded Project Name	Project ID	Funding Body
  PhD	PTA-0302004-00095	ESRC (Economic and Social Research Council)

• Keywords
• call centre; HR; professional identity; human resources
• Academic Unit or School
• Faculty of Business and Law (FBL) > Business
  Faculty of Business and Law (FBL)
• Copyright Holders
• © 2011 The Authors
• Depositing User
• Katrina Pritchard