If and to What Extent Does Organizational Learning Culture Predict Turnover Intentions of Telecommuting Call Center Agents?

This study focuses on measuring the relationship between organizational learning culture (OLC) and turnover intentions of telecommuting call center agents. Although many studies involve the call center industry from different perspectives, the literature is scant in studies that have assessed the relationship between OLC and turnover intent in telecommuting call center agents. Call centers exist in almost every organization worldwide. Organizations have centralized their customer service process through computerbased technologies allowing call center agents to work from home. In addition, in the post-COVID-19 era, telecommuting has become a permanent option for many call center employees. Indeed, in the call center industry, telecommuting has become an essential part of the business strategy that seeks to attract new and maintain current employees. In the call center industry, learning is a factor that influences job satisfaction and turnover intentions. Specifically, OLC increases job satisfaction and performance in telecommuting call center agents, influencing employees' turnover intentions. The study 's findings indicate that OLC is a needed factor that helps lower turnover intentions of telecommuting call center agents in the United States.

COVID Challenges for Trials in Low-to-Middle-Income Countries

While the substantial majority of clinical trials still take place in countries classified by the World Bank as high income, a review of clinical trial registrations on the World Health Organization (WHO) International Clinical Trials Registry Platform and clinicaltrials.gov shows that a significant and growing number are being conducted in LMICs, with major centers in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Brazil, China, India, and South Africa. COVID-19 will likely have a longlasting effect on global supply chains.11 The U.S. and more than 50 other countries are restricting or considering restrictions on exports of supplies that are needed to mitigate the effects of COVID-19 locally.12 Internationally, the World Trade Organization and the World Customs Organization issued a joint statement noting the disruptive impact of the virus on global supply chains and pledged to cooperate to facilitate trade in essential goods.13 LMICs are struggling to obtain limited hospital supplies in the global market in competition with the U.S., the European Union, Japan, and similar high-income buyers, as recent reporting about the COVID-19 outbreak in Nigeria shows.14 Clinical trial sites in LMICs that cannot obtain needed supplies in-country could obtain them from a study sponsor, assuming the products can be legally imported and shipments to that country are not cost-prohibitive in light of global freight and logistic disruptions. [...]informed consent forms and study institutional review board (IRB) and independent ethics committee (IEC) approvals may need to be revisited in light of local conditions. Clint D. Hermes is an attorney at Bass, Berry & Sims References 1. https://main.icmr.nic.in/sites/default/files/guidelines/EC_Guidance_ COVID19_06_05_2020.pdf 2. http://www.sahpra.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/SAHPRACommunication_COVID_19-Final-25032020.pdf 3. https://pharmacyboardkenya.org/files/?file=Clinical_Trials_During_ COVID-19_Pandemic.pdf 4. http://portal.anvisa.gov.br/documents/219201/4340788/SEI_ ANVISA+-+0989653+-+Nota+Técnica14.pdf/6b48273f-550f-47618ba1-4e731a87b526 5. https://www.gob.mx/cofepris/articulos/medidas-extraordinarias-enrelacion-a-estudios-clinicos-ante-la-pandemia-de-covid-19 6. https://ensayosclinicos-repec.ins.gob.pe/images/Nueva_actualización_12.12.19/Actualización_2020/Comunicado_N_002-2020.pdf 7. https://www.imf.org/en/Topics/imf-and-covid19/Policy-Responsesto-COVID-19 8. https://www.bsg.ox.ac.uk/research/research-projects/coronavirusgovernment-response-tracker 9. https://covidtracker.bsg.ox.ac.uk/stringency-map 10.https://www.who.int/news-room/commentaries/detail/immunitypassports-in-the-context-of-covid-19 11. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/04/supply-chains-leadership-business-economics-trade-coronavirus-covid19/ 12. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/03/covid-19-coronaviruslessons-past-supply-chain-disruptions/ 13.http://www.wcoomd.org/en/media/newsroom/2020/april/wco-wtojoint-statement-on-covid-19-related-trade-measures.aspx 14.https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/17/world/africa/coronaviruskano-nigeria-hotspot.html 15. https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/amB7fBxLw8KSR9DcUsbTWg

Empirical benchmarking of virtual service centers' service quality: a case of a large telecom service provider in India

PurposeThis paper aims to present a hybrid approach to measure the efficiency of virtual contact centers (VCCs) started during the pandemic and benchmark them for service performance. The results are used to plot the VCC's efficiency score (performance) and customer perception (Importance) to propose appropriate strategies.Design/methodology/approachUsing the survey method, 854 responses were collected from customers who used VCC services during the pandemic. This data was then employed to assess the performance of VCCs using SERVPERF and DEA methods, followed by the development of the model for performance analysis.FindingsResults reveal the ranking of different VCCs started during the pandemic for the telecom company using SERVPERF and DEA methods. Further, the performance analysis model highlighted the strategies appropriate for each VCCs.Practical implicationsThe findings add to the body of knowledge on how multiple service units of a large organization can assess service efficiency utilizing a combination of SERVPERF-DEA. The present work also contributes to the performance analysis field by proposing a model to assess the service centers and provide improvement guidelines.Originality/valueThe work is one of the first to assess the service efficiency of the VCCs started during the pandemic by using a unique hybrid approach of SERVPERF and DEA. This approach provides a direction to whom to benchmark and to what degree service quality should be improved. Further, the study proposes a unique performance analysis model based on performance scores and customer perception.

CONSEQUENCES OF INTEGRATION PROCESSES FOR BUSINESS CONTINUITY MANAGEMENT

The modern business environment in which the world economy operates brings increasing unpredictability, which makes it difficult to plan and implement business continuity management. Recent examples are the emergence and spread of the corona virus and the war in Ukraine. Market-oriented economies are characterized by a reduction in the life cycle of companies and competition in saturated industrial sectors. Integration processes, takeovers and mergers, represent one of the ways of implementing development strategies of organizations and most often take place in waves and in crisis periods due to economic shocks and the influence of internal and external factors on the organization. Mentioned strategy is used by companies in order to acquire the necessary capital and resources in an effort to establish their position on the market more quickly and efficiently and to carry out activities of greater volume and income for the purpose of survival and faster progress. Due to the trends of M&A and the growing inconsistency and uncertainty in business, the aim of this paper is to highlight the consequences that M&A brings when it comes to managing the business continuity of a "newly integrated" organization. The impact on employees, business processes and general functioning and management of business continuity during and especially after integration will be observed. In order to fulfill the objective of the paper, the empirical part of the paper uses the Delphi method, in which the source of data is based on statistical collection and then the interpretation of the answers to the set questionnaire from a number of experts in the field of business continuity management, the banking sector, auditing and several business units that have recently passed M&A activities in order to consolidate attitudes about the consequences that integration processes bring for business continuity management and the organization as a whole. The paper will analyze the consequences of mergers and acquisitions for the management of business continuity, identify its advantages and disadvantages, and present recommendations for future such processes in the concluding remarks.

Aide médicale urgente — établissement d'hébergement des personnes âgées dépendantes : retour d'expérience d'une organisation innovante pendant la crise Covid-19

La crise sanitaire Covid-19 a obligé les Samu–Smur à adapter leurs organisations au jour le jour. La régulation a dû trouver des réponses spécifiques aux types d'appels, au plan quantitatif et qualitatif. En lien avec la médecine générale et les recommandations ministérielles, le Samu devait être le garant d'une juste orientation des patients vers les services hospitaliers. Le Samu 94 et la faculté de santé de Créteil ont créé une cellule dédiée aux établissements d'hébergement des personnes âgées dépendantes, accessible via une ligne spécialisée du Samu–centre 15, offrant 24 heures/24 l'accès à des compétences gériatriques et conseils divers, véritable lien ville–hôpital. Le retour d'expérience montre que cette cellule est une des facettes, dans le domaine de la gériatrie, de ce qu'est le concept de service d'accès aux soins (SAS) et qu'il ne faut pas attendre un rebond de crise pour en consolider les fondements.Alternate : The COVID-19 health crisis forced the French emergency call centers (SAMU), and related prehospital medical mobile teams, to quickly adapt and reorganize on a daily basis. Call centers had to come up with specific responses to all types of calls, as well as to manage quantitative increases in call intakes, and to maintain high qualitative standards. In collaboration with general practices, and aligned on ministerial recommendations, the SAMU was to be the gatekeeper of the surge in referrals of elderly patients to in-hospital emergency departments. SAMU 94 and the health faculty of the University of Créteil, France, jointly set up an online unit dedicated to nursing homes, accessible via a specific SAMU telephone line. It offered 24/7 access to geriatric expertise and advice, and aimed to strengthen the chain of care between general practices and hospitals. Feedback shows that this geriatric unit is one of the facets of the healthcare access system that the innovative French SAS relies on, and that we should not wait for a second-wave crisis to consolidate its foundations.

PANDEMÍ SÜRECÍNDE ÇAĞRI MERKEZÍ ÇALIŞANLARININ TÜKENMÍŞLÍĞÍNE COVID-19 HASTALIĞININ ETKÍSÍ *

Gelişen dünyada teknolojinin ve hizmet sektörünün artmasıyla birlikte hizmet alan müşterilerin, beklenti ve talepleri de gün geçtikçe artmaktadır. Bu sektörlerde hizmet veren kuruluşlar müşteri memnuniyetinde ve rekabet koşullarında avantaj saǧlamak amacıyla, kaliteli bir çaǧrı merkezi sistemine ihtiyaç duyar. Yoǧun iş tempolu ve stresli çalışma koşullarına sahip olan çaǧrı operatörlerinin, çaǧrı merkezini arayan kişilere daha kaliteli hizmet verebilmesi için yüksek motivasyona sahip olması gerekir. Her ne kadar yüksek motivasyona sahip olunsa da zor insanlarla iletişim kurmak, çaǧrı operatörlerini zaman içerisinde tükenmişlik sendromuna sokabileceǧi öngörülmektedir. Tüm dünyada COVID-19 virüsü nedeniyle pandemi ilan edilmesi sonucu, kapalı bir ortamda maske takarak telefonla konuşmak zorunda kalan çaǧrı operatörlerinin daha da tükenmesine sebep olabileceǧi yeni bir araştırma konusu olmuştur. Bu çalışma, çaǧrı merkezinde görev yapan çaǧrı operatörlerinin diǧer sebeplerle oluşan tükenmişliklerinin yanında COVID-19 anksiyetesinden kaynaklı bir tükenmişliklerinin olup olmadıǧının araştırılması, parametrik olmayan testler yardımıyla analiz edilmiş ve yorumlanmıştır. Yapılan araştırma sonucu COVID-19 anksiyetesinin çaǧrı merkezi çalışanlarının tükenmişliǧine anlamlı ölçüde etki yaptıǧı saptanmıştır.Alternate :In our technologically advacing wold, the service field companies with the customers expecting top level service, need well equipped call centers employing qualified operators to vie each other to achieve customer satisfaction. The employees working in stressful call service environment of those centers need to be highly motivated. The widely accepted fact is that even the best operators, under heavy work burden have to cope with inbound and outbound calls of difficult customers manifest chronic stress, emotional exhaustion and they burnout as time passes. A busy work life filled with stressful working conditions, it is tought that the declaration of a pandemic (COVID-19) virüs across the world may have coused even more exhaustion to call operators talking on the phone while wearing masks in a closed place. With this scientific research on operators, it's been analysed and interpreted with the help of non-parametric tests that whether they have developed a COVID-19 anxiety added to their already existing burnouts caused by other well-known factors. These researches into the issue established remarkable negative effects of COVID-19 anxiety on the call center agents.

COVID-19 telephone contact tracing in Flanders as a "contested" new genre of conversation: Discrepancies between interactional practice and media image

During the COVID-19 pandemic in Belgium, most COVID-19-related information was communicated to the public through mainstream media such as newspaper outlets, television, and radio. These media had substantial influence over which information was (widely) distributed and how this information was framed, subsequently shaping citizens' interpretations of matters concerning the pandemic. This chapter considers one of the government's endeavors to contain the pandemic: COVID-19 telephone contact tracing. Specifically, we compare the image of such telephone contact tracing generated by the media with the de facto interactional practice. We report on analyses made as part of a 1 year applied conversation analytic and pragmatic study conducted at Ghent University and the University of Antwerp in collaboration with the Flemish Agency of Health and Care. Methodologically, we use thematic content analysis to examine the portrayal of COVID-19 telephone contact tracing in widespread Flemish newspapers and its evolution throughout the pandemic. We then compare this media analysis to our analysis of a corpus of 170 recorded, transcribed, and interactionally analyzed contact tracing calls. Our results demonstrate how the mainstream media's image of contact tracing does not align with the various (interactional) functions of COVID-19 contact tracing calls identified in the study. We argue that this one-sided, distorted image produced by the media may have had considerable consequences for the efficacy of contact tracing, especially because the contact tracing call was a new genre of conversation. It was introduced to the public almost exclusively through mainstream media and, at the same time, its success relied for the most part on citizens' voluntary participation, trust, and willingness to share private information.

Defence organizations in emergency networks: the early response to COVID-19 in Europe

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to analyse the crisis network response of European countries and the role played by defence organizations (DOs) during the early response phase of the pandemic, here set to encompass 75 days.Design/methodology/approachPublished materials – reports, news and communications – provided by authorities and DOs were used. Some of the authors actively participated in national pandemic response networks. An exploratory approach and qualitative content analysis were applied. The data were collected in national languages from 13 European countries, and they were coded and analysed using the actors, resources and activities (ARA) framework.FindingsThis study identified three main categories of activity structures in which the DOs interacted with civilian members of response networks, health-related services, logistics services and public support services. These networks among actors were found within formal response systems and emergent networks. The DOs engaged as actors that provided a range of services when civil authorities could not cope with the huge demand for specific services and when resources were scarce in the initial response phase.Originality/valueThis study contributes by filling an important research gap with regard to the civil-military relations associated with the use of DO resources in the civil response to the pandemic crisis in Europe, which is described as an untraditional response. The ARA network approach provides a framework for arranging ARA and extends the wider civil-military network to expand the formal networks of the early crisis response. The study lays knowledge about the co-operation between civilian and military actors in different contexts and provides a broader understanding of the roles that DOs played in the response operations.

Work Without Jobs

Many organizations have adopted the agile methodology to transform their mindsets and work processes beyond software development, guided by agile's core values. These prioritize individuals and interactions over processes and tools, prioritize customer collaboration over contract negotiation, and prioritize responding to change over following a plan. Those principles are particularly vital for pivoting to the new work operating system, yet agile process redesign alone cannot overcome the constraints imposed by traditional ways of thinking about jobs. A major consumer goods organization implemented agile, but despite its thoughtful approach to redesigning its processes and even upskilling its employees, the company faced major difficulty in getting its employees to swarm-to collectively work on and actively engage with challenges that spanned job titles or departments. Here, Jesuthasan and Boudreau discuss the principles of the new work operating system.

Current trends and the way forward on call center research in a post-covid world: An introduction

Applying sociolinguistic perspectives, this issue explores the most recent developments in call center research and the impact call center work has on agents. Significant issues are addressed in call center interactions, including web chat, agent stigmatization, agent resistance, agent training and the impact of Covid-19. The essays provide a forum where developments are critically reviewed and future areas of research explored, including how call center work can be improved. The first article by Nielsen addresses the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic in India and working from home through the notions of chronotopes. The second article in the issue by Lockwood develops a framework for the assessment of written web chats in offshore call centers. The third essay by Friginal examines how the voice assessment of Filipino agents can be improved through caller clarification sequences. Tovar’s paper, the fourth paper in this collection, focuses on the strain that working in a call center creates for agents and how they resolve this. The fifth paper by Orthaber examines resistance and passive compliance in call center interactions in a Slovenian call center using turn-by-turn micro-analysis of service conversations with a focus on silences. Despite the different angles, the papers share themes of resistance (creative compliance) and the development of a new register of call center speak, while also highlighting agency among call center workers. © 2022, EQUINOX PUBLISHING.

Call center timespace and working from home: Enregistering global professionals during the Covid-19 pandemic in India

Ethnographies of Indian call centers highlight the space of the global call center and its separateness from domestic life. This separateness is manifested in a chronotope (depiction of place, time and personhood) which allows for the coordination of sociolinguistic practices between call center workers and their colleagues, both domestic and international. Learning to speak like a ‘professional’ is one reason that many people seek work in call centers. For many call center workers this register is learned on the job from colleagues, trainers and managers. Covid-19, a global pandemic which has forced many industries to take adaptive measures in the face of national lockdowns, has led to many workers suddenly working from home. On May 24th 2020, the Government of India ordered a 21-day nation-wide lockdown, limiting the movement of over a billion people and forcing call center employees to work from home. Drawing from interviews with call center employees impeded by the lockdown, along with an analysis of metalinguistic commentaries from call center trainers before the lockdown, I propose that call center timespace serves the purpose of coordination of sociolinguistic practices and the enregisterment of professional forms of personhood emblematically linked to an array of speech norms including but not limited to pronunciation, grammatical norms and the phrasing structure of customer service interactions. The newly mediatized formulations of workers in a work-from-home environment result in a clash between the chronotopes of home and office. © 2022, EQUINOX PUBLISHING.

Applying the Fogg Behavior Model to improve contraceptive social marketing during the COVID-19 lockdown in Nigeria: a case study: [version 1;peer review: 1 approved, 1 approved with reservations]

The coronavirus pandemic may have harmful effects on use of family planning services. Lockdown regulations make it more difficult for people to visit health providers to obtain information about family planning, to discuss side-effects or problems they are experiencing with their current method, and go out to obtain new family planning supplies (e.g., to renew their contraceptive injection). The inability to earn income during the lockdown may also make family planning products and services unaffordable. As a result, efforts to curb the pandemic may cause unintended interruptions in contraceptive use and may prevent non-users from adopting a contraceptive method. Given these rapidly changing circumstances, it is important that family planning implementers make program adjustments without delay. When a timely programmatic response is of the essence, program implementers need simple behavior change models that can be used to inform programmatic decisions. This paper presents a case study of how DKT/Nigeria applied a behavior change model from persuasive design - the Fogg Behavior Model – to make timely adjustments to their contraceptive social marketing program during the course of the COVID-19 lockdown. Other public health programs, including programs that target health areas other than family planning, may be able to use similar approaches to guide the design of timely and responsive program adjustments.

TASK PERFORMANCE AND JOB SATISFACTION UNDER THE EFFECT OF REMOTE WORKING: CALL CENTER EVIDENCE

The COVID-19 pandemic affected the entire world and caused radical changes in conducting business. During the pandemic, some companies adopted hybrid working, and some requested their employees to work entirely from their homes or workplace. This study is performed to determine the differences in the perceived task performance of employees working from home compared to those operating from their workplace and the possible mediating effect of job satisfaction due to such distinction. The study sample is limited to one call center to prevent the interference of other organizational variables such as management style, human resources practices, organizational culture, and to only call center agents to prevent any interference of the position-related factors. All the call center agents (n=421) participated in this study. The data obtained was examined by a path analysis with the Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The results show that the employees who work from home full-time or on certain days of the week have better general task performance perception compared to those who work only from the workplace. The work location has not been found to affect job satisfaction significantly.

LESSONS FROM DISASTER: IMPROVING EMERGENCY RESPONSE THROUGH GREATER COORDINATION OF FEDERAL, STATE, AND LOCAL RESPONSE EFFORTS

This paper considers the many flaws of the current emergency response landscape in the United States through the lens of the 2020 coronavirus pandemic. It suggests an intentional move towards better coordinated efforts between federal, state, and local governments to achieve a more effective and efficient process for reacting to the inevitable disasters of the future. This can be done through a reconsideration of already existing federal procurement programs that allow for state and local governments to order independently, such as the General Services Administration's Cooperative and Disaster Purchasing programs and the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Advanced Contract program. This Note recommends creating a specialized schedule contract for emergency purchasing under the General Services Administration's Cooperative Purchasing program. By pre-negotiating contracts for goods and supplies needed across emergencies, the expertise of federal, state, and local governments can be employed to present a fuller and more cohesive emergency response structure.

Bilgisayar, Telefon ve Kulaklık Üçgeninde Çağrı Merkezinde Duygusal Emek Süreçleri: Bir Saha Çalışmasının Sonuçlarıyla Yüzleşmek

Bu çalışma, sınıfsal bir bakış açısıyla, denetimin ve gözetimin bilgisayarlar aracılığıyla yoğunlaştırıldığı çağrı merkezi çalışanlarının neoliberal çalışma koşullarında deneyimledikleri duygusal emek süreçlerine ve bu süreçlerin çalışma koşullarıyla olan ilişkisine odaklanmaktadır. Çağrı merkezlerinde, çalışmanın bilgisayar – telefon – kulaklık üçgeninde gerçekleştirilmesi, çağrı merkezi çalışanları üzerindeki denetim mekanizmalarını da bu araçların özgül yapılarından dolayı diğer sektörlere göre farklılaştırmaktadır. Buradan hareketle çalışmada çağrı merkezi çalışanlarının çalışma koşulları bağlamında sıkı denetim mekanizmalarının, çağrı merkezlerindeki çalışma koşullarını ve duygusal emek sürecini nasıl şekillendirdiğinin açıklanması amaçlanmaktadır. Duygusal emek perspektifi temel alınarak bu araştırmanın kapsamında çağrı merkezi çalışanlarının meslek algıları, çalışma koşulları, sarf ettikleri duygusal emek sürecinin psikolojik ve sosyal ilişkilere etkileri ve sonuçları ele alınmaktadır. Ayrıca, çalışmada Covid–19 pandemisiyle yaygınlaşan evden çalışma pratiklerinin çağrı merkezi çalışanlarına ne ölçüde ve nasıl yansıdığı da ele alınmıştır. Nitel araştırma modelinin kullanıldığı çalışmada çağrı merkezi çalışanlarıyla ve bu sektörde faaliyet gösteren sendika çalışanlarıyla yarı-yapılandırılmış derinlemesine görüşmeler ve odak grup görüşmeleri gerçekleştirilmiştir. Araştırma kapsamında 24 çağrı merkezi çalışanıyla ve 2 sendika yetkilisiyle görüşme gerçekleştirilmiştir. Görüşülen çağrı merkezi çalışanları telekomünikasyon, e-ticaret ve bankacılık sektörlerinde çalışmaktadır. Araştırma sonucunda çağrı merkezi çalışanlarının çalışma koşulları göz önünde bulundurulduğunda oldukça yoğun biçimde duygusal ve duygulanımsal emek sarf ettikleri görülmüştür. Çalışanların uzun çalışma ve mesai saatlerinin, yoğun ve standardize edilmiş iletişim biçimleriyle görüşmeler yapmalarının ve sürekli olarak mekanikleştirilmiş bir eğitimden geçerek 'müşterilerin her zaman haklı olduğu' anlayışının dayatılmasının, onların psikolojik ve sosyal ilişkilerini ağır biçimde etkilediği tespit edilmiştir. Çalışanlar gün içinde sürekli müşterilerle konuştukları için aileleriyle ve sosyal çevresiyle iletişim kurmak istememekte, günlük hayatlarındaki olumsuz meselelere tahammül edememekte, sosyal ilişkilerinde tolerans göstermekte zorlanabilmektedir.Alternate :From a class point of view, this study focuses on the emotional labor experienced by call center employees, where control and surveillance are intensified through computers, and the relationship of these experiences with working conditions. In call centers, the fact that the work is carried out in the triangle of computer - phone - headset differentiates the control mechanisms on call center employees from other sectors due to the specific structures of these tools. From this point of view, it is aimed to explain how strict control mechanisms shape the working conditions and emotional labor processes in call centers, in the context of working conditions of call center employees. Based on the emotional labor perspective, within the scope of this research, their perceptions of their profession, working conditions, the effects and results of the emotional labor process they expend on psychological and social relations are discussed. In addition, the extent and how the work from home practices, which have become widespread with the Covid-19 pandemic, are reflected on the call center employees are also discussed in the study. In the article, in which the qualitative research model was used, semi-structured in-depth interviews and focus group interviews were conducted with call center workers and union workers operating in this sector. Within the scope of the research, 24 call center employees and 2 union officials were interviewed. The interviewed call center employees work in the telecommunications, e-commerce and banking sectors. As a result of the research, considering the working conditions of the call center employees, it was seen that they made a very intense emotional and affective labor. It has been determined that the long working and working hours of the employees, the intense and standardized forms of communication, and the imposition of the understanding that "customers are always right" through a constantly mechanized training affects their psychological and social relationships heavily. Employees do not want to communicate with their families and social environment because they constantly talk to customers during the day, cannot tolerate negative issues in their daily lives, and may have difficulty in tolerating their social relations.

Working from home and task performance of employees in the COVID-19 period: A study on call center employees

COVÍD-19 salgını, tüm dünya ile birlikte ülkemizi de etkisi altına almış ve işletmelerin çalışma sistemlerinde köklü değişikliklere gidilmesine sebep olmuştur. Bazı işletmeler, çalışanlarının haftanın belirli günlerinde işyerinden, arta kalan günlerde ise evlerinden çalışmalarını isterken bazı işletmeler ise belli görevleri ifa eden çalışanlarının tümüyle evlerinden çalışmalarını istemişlerdir. Evden yapılan çalışmalarda doğrudan denetim olmaması, kişilerin özel hayatlarıyla çalışma hayatları arasındaki sınırın ortan kalkması, çalışanların ev ortamının rahatlığında ve güvenli bir alanda görevlerini yerine getiriyor olmaları, kendilerine vakit ayırabiliyor olmaları ve özellikle ev ve işyeri arasındaki ulaşım süresinin yaşanmıyor olması, evden çalışan kişilerin algıladıkları görev performanslarında, işyerinde çalışmak zorunda olan kişilere göre farklılık oluşturması gerektiği düşüncesiyle yapılan bu çalışma, çalışanlardan, COVÍD-19 öncesi işyerinde çalıştıkları sürede ve sonrasında evden çalıştıkları süredeki genel görev performansları ve yaptıkları işe yönelik spesifik görev performanslarını karşılaştırmaları istenmiştir. Araştırma hem sadece evden hem sadece işyerinden hem de hem evde hem de işyerinde görev yapmakta olan personeli olan bir çağrı merkezi firmasında gerçekleştirilmiştir. Firmanın 260 kişiden oluşan tüm çağrı merkezi personelinin katılımıyla gerçekleştirilen çalışmada, elde edilen veriler SPSS programıyla istatistiki analizlere tabi tutulmuş, korelasyon tablosu ile ilişkiler tespit edilmiştir. Sonrasında da tek yönlü ANOVA analizi ile gruplar arası farklılaşmaların varlığı incelenmiştir. Sonuçlar göstermektedir ki COVÍD-19 öncesi döneme kıyasla sadece evden çalışanlar veya haftanın belli günleri evden belli günleri işyerinden çalışanların genel görev performanslarına yönelik algıları, sadece işyerinden çalışanlara nazaran artmıştır. Bu çalışma, evden çalışmanın çalışanları olumlu yönde etkilediğini ortaya koymuştur. Ayrıca spesifik görev performansı kavramını literatüre kazandırmıştır.Alternate : The COVID-19 epidemic affected our country and the whole world and caused radical changes in work life. While some businesses asked their employees to work from workplaces on certain days of the week and from their homes for the remaining days, some companies wanted their employees who perform specific duties to work entirely from their homes. Lack of direct control in work from home, the blurring border between people's private and work lives, employees the comfort and safety of the home environment, having spare time for themselves, and especially saving the commuting time between home and workplace should affect the perception of employees' about their task performance. This idea caused this study to be conducted. This study was carried out in a call center firm that has a total of 260 employees. The firm has employees working only from home, from the workplace, and from both home and workplace on certain days of the week. All firm employees participated in this study, and they were asked to compare their current general task and specific task performances with the pre-COVID-19 period. The data collected were subjected to statistical analysis using the SPSS statistical software package. The relationships determined by interpreting the correlation table and differentiation between groups were examined by one-way ANOVA analysis. The results show that the work performance perceptions of those who work from home alone or work from home on certain days of the week have increased compared to those who work only from the workplace. This study revealed that working from home affects employees positively. In addition, this study also contributed the concept of specific task performance to the literature.

Quantitative analysis of the impact of COVID-19 on the emergency medical services system in Tokyo.

AIM: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has imposed a heavy burden on emergency medical services (EMS) systems. Therefore, we quantitatively analyzed impacts of COVID-19 on the EMS system in Tokyo. METHODS: In this retrospective observational study, we used publicly available data, including the daily number of newly diagnosed patients with COVID-19, the weekly number of transport difficulties, and the field activity time, from March 2, 2020, to January 25, 2021. Data for the same period in the previous year were used as controls. RESULTS: The total number of EMS calls decreased by 12.7% in 2020 compared with that in 2019. The number of daily transport difficulties significantly increased in 2020 compared with that in 2019 (89 [72-120] vs 57 [49-63]; P < 0.001). Additionally, the field activity time significantly increased in 2020 compared with that in 2019 (22.7 [22.3-23.8] min vs 20.7 [20.6-21.2] min; P < 0.001). Furthermore, the daily number of new patients with COVID-19 was positively correlated with the number of transport difficulties (R = 0.76) and the field activity time on the scene (R = 0.74). With an increase in the number of people infected with COVID-19 by 1,000, the number of daily transport difficulties increased by 86.4. Per 1,000 infected patients per day, the field activity time increased by 3.48 min. CONCLUSION: This study revealed that the increase in the number of patients with COVID-19 indirectly affected the EMS system in Tokyo.

A COVID-19 call center for healthcare providers: dealing with rapidly evolving health policy guidelines.

BACKGROUND: Communication between health authorities and healthcare providers is an essential element of the response to public health emergencies. Although call centers can facilitate such communication, no published reports describing their outcomes exist. In advance of the expected COVID-19 outbreak in Israel, the Israel Center for Disease Control established a call center dedicated to queries from healthcare professionals. METHODS: The call center operated from February 5, 2020 (week 6) to May 14, 2020 (week 20). Data on calls received, including date and time, caller characteristics, questions and responses were recorded in a database designed for this purpose. The volume, sources and content of queries were analyzed. RESULTS: In 15 weeks of operation, the call center responded to 6623 calls. The daily number of calls ranged from 1 to 371 (mean 79.8, median 40), peaking on week 12, 2 weeks prior to a peak in new COVID-19 cases. Callers were predominantly physicians (62.4%), nurses (18.7%) and administrators (4.4%). Most worked in primary care clinics (74.2%) or hospitals (8.7%). Among physicians, 42.3% were family physicians or internists, and 10.0% were pediatricians. The issues most commonly addressed were home quarantine (21.6%), criteria for suspected cases (20.6%), and SARS-CoV2 testing (14.1%). Twenty-five percent of questions involved requests for clarifications of MOH guidelines regarding travel restrictions, clinic management, triage of symptomatic patients, routine medical and dental care, recommended precautions for health care workers with preexisting medical conditions, and other matters. A total of 119 queries were not resolved on the basis of existing guidelines and were referred to MOH headquarters. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first report of a call center established to serve the needs of healthcare providers seeking guidance on COVID-19 management, and to facilitate communication of providers' concerns to the central health authority. Our work indicates that a central call center for healthcare providers can facilitate the development, implementation and amendment of guidelines and should be an integral element of the early response to public health emergencies. Real-time analysis of the call data may reveal important trends requiring prompt attention.

Rapid reorganization of the Milan metropolitan public safety answering point operations during the initial phase of the COVID-19 outbreak in Italy.

Objective: To quantify how the first public announcement of confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Italy affected a metropolitan region's emergency medical services (EMS) call volume and how rapid introduction of alternative procedures at the public safety answering point (PSAP) managed system resources. Methods: PSAP processes were modified over several days including (1) referral of non-ill callers to public health information call centers; (2) algorithms for detection, isolation, or hospitalization of suspected COVID-19 patients; and (3) specialized medical teams sent to the PSAP for triage and case management, including ambulance dispatches or alternative dispositions. Call volumes, ambulance dispatches, and response intervals for the 2 weeks after announcement were compared to 2017-2019 data and the week before. Results: For 2 weeks following outbreak announcement, the primary-level PSAP (police/fire/EMS) averaged 56% more daily calls compared to prior years and recorded 9281 (106% increase) on Day 4, averaging ∼400/hour. The secondary-level (EMS) PSAP recorded an analogous 63% increase with 3863 calls (∼161/hour; 264% increase) on Day 3. The COVID-19 response team processed the more complex cases (n = 5361), averaging 432 ± 110 daily (∼one-fifth of EMS calls). Although community COVID-19 cases increased exponentially, ambulance response intervals and dispatches (averaging 1120 ± 46 daily) were successfully contained, particularly compared with the week before (1174 ± 40; P = 0.02). Conclusion: With sudden escalating EMS call volumes, rapid reorganization of dispatch operations using tailored algorithms and specially assigned personnel can protect EMS system resources by optimizing patient dispositions, controlling ambulance allocations and mitigating hospital impact. Prudent population-based disaster planning should strongly consider pre-establishing similar highly coordinated medical taskforce contingencies.

Prevention of exposure to and spread of COVID-19 using air purifiers: challenges and concerns.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is now a pandemic. The Korean government has declared a red alert, which is the highest level of the national infectious disease alert system, and the World Health Organization has similarly declared its highest-level pandemic alert (phase 6). The spread of COVID-19 is an unprecedented worldwide public health problem that governments and individuals must work to overcome. Recently, an infection cluster arose in a call center in Seoul. To support call center companies, the Korean Ministry of Employment and Labor has proposed covering the costs of installing partitions and air purifiers, providing hand sanitizers, and supplying masks to prevent droplet and aerosol infections. Air purifiers are expected to be installed on the floor with the exhaust outlets at a higher level, such as the level of the desks or breathing zones of workers. When a worker coughs or releases droplets near a colleague's respiratory system, the droplets may spread throughout the call center via air flow from air purifier. In this fashion, a single infected person can give rise to an infection cluster. Attempts to prevent infection must not lead to new infections, and the installation of air purifiers may cause new problems. Therefore, using air purifiers to control the spread of COVID-19 should be approached with caution.