Psychological contract and job security among call centre agents: Preliminary evidence

This study explored call centre agents’ perceived psychological contract and job security in a South African call centre setting. We interviewed a purposive sample of 12 call centre agents (female = 8, male = 4; black = 10, coloured = 2; permanent employees = 12; mean period of service = 3 years). The agents responded to semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis of the data indicated that the call centre agents perceived their psychological contracts with the employer to influence their job security over and above their legal contracts. Call centre agents’ perceptions of unmet psychological expectations and obligations contributed to their workplace demotivation and disengagement. We propose a preliminary conceptual model for studying psychological contract and job security among call centre agents.