title: [Well-being in call centres: a multidisciplinary approach to research and evaluation].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The topics of stress and well-being in call centres are the focus of many different disciplines. This article presents the definition and start-up phases of the "Well-being in Telecom Italia Call Centres" project, which was coordinated and supervised by an interdisciplinary scientific committee composed of members from different universities. To address the topic of individual well-being in the organizational context means considering all the main factors that can affect wellbeing.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  For this reason, the study assessed the topic from three different view-points (psychological/sociological/cultural, physical/chemical/biological, organizational/technological/work-related) in order to obtain an accurate as possible picture of the complex well-being dynamics.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study plan shows that merging qualitative methods (interviews, observations, focus-groups) and quantitative methods (questionnaires, physiological response to perceived stress) was a central concern for the research team.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The collected data highlighted important differences between psychological and physical well-being and discomfort according to the different kinds of call centre, the respondents'gender and working hours.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This method enabled us to define the specific features of call centre environments, leading to a definition of work in the centres as an activity with high psychological uncertainty, where rigid rules coexist with demands of high levels of flexibility and competence, and suggesting the importance of specific organizational measures in order to improve well-being.
authors.affiliation: Facoltà di Psicologia, Università degli Studi di Torino.
authors.forename: G P
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Quaglino
authors.forename: Chiara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ghislieri
authors.forename: Lara
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Colombo
authors.forename: M I
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: D'Orso
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Maina
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Turbati
authors.forename: Enrica
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Fubini
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Piccardo
authors.forename: Alessandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Re
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Spano
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Iavicoli
authors.forename: G C
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Cesana
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D035843:Biomedical Research; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D008297:Male; D016272:Occupational Health; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000453:epidemiology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires