A research collaboration by the University of Glasgow and De La Salle University offers a system mapping approach to study the mental health and well-being of contact center agents in the country.
A report by the IT and Business Process Association of the Philippines (IBPAP) reveals that in a survey of their industry, 83% of the respondents expressed optimism that revenue growth of Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) for 2023 is expected to beat the 2022 record. Even with forecasts of a global recession, BPOs in the country find the future a period of more opportunities and expansion.
A major contributor behind the growth of this industry are contact centers, which are third-party customer service providers. For these contact centers, enjoying the benefits of expansion also entails having to deal with stresses at work. It is in support of this growing sector that DLSU and the University of Glasgow entered into a research partnership to look into co-producing a workplace intervention informed by the systems approach to address the mental health and well-being of its employees.
The research is entitled Katawag Project – a reference to the Filipino words kaibigan, kasama meaning friend, companion and tawag meaning call. Combining these words makes Katawag, that means to be in a call together. Funded by the United Kingdom’s Medical Research Council and spearheaded by Prof. Kirstin Mitchell of the School of Health and Wellbeing from the University of Glasgow, the local team behind the project is composed of DLSU Department of Psychology faculty member Dr. Maria Guadalupe Salanga as country lead and Dr. Niño Jose Mateo of the Department of Counseling and Educational Psychology as co-investigator.
The Katawag project employed a systems mapping approach to study the influence of workplace demands on an employee’s health and wellbeing. This approach allows the team to better understand the contributors and effects of key mental health and wellbeing issues faced by contact center employees.
For the research, the proponents collaborated with three work sites of two BPO companies. The collaboration involved mapping workshops that led to co-piloting an intervention to address issues that surfaced during said workshops. The goal of the research team was to work with the contact centers, together with its agents, supervisors, and managers in co-developing an intervention that captures the unique system of the organization.
Among the top concerns of the BPO workers were stress, anxiety, and sleep, which were linked to pressure to meet targets, irregular working hours, and heavy workload. Salanga emphasized the importance of supporting mental health and wellbeing in the workplace, as she pointed out the bigger benefit of making employees “engaged, productive, and happy.”
The Katawag team identified interconnecting factors that allow for a better understanding of the needs of contact center employees. The maps they developed also identified leverage points, one of which was the crucial role that team leaders and supervisors play in the health and wellbeing of the agents. This led to the co-production and pilot-test of a health and well-being coaching session with three groups of supervisors.
For the next steps of the Katawag Project, the proponents aim to expand their scope and engage more BPO companies as they seek to establish the efficacy of the coaching sessions that were pilot-tested in the initial phase.
Contact: Dr. Maria Guadalupe Salanga | maria.guadalupe.salanga@dlsu.edu.ph
