Supervisor support, work engagement and turnover intentions: evidence from Indian call centres

Pages621-635
DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1108/JABS-08-2019-0261
Published date23 April 2020
Date23 April 2020
AuthorSubash Chandra Pattnaik,Narendra Panda
Subject MatterInternational business,Strategy
Supervisor support, work engagement and
turnover intentions: evidence from Indian
call centres
Subash Chandra Pattnaik and Narendra Panda
Abstract
Purpose This paper aims to examine the relationshipbetween supervisor support, work engagement
and turnoverintentions with work engagementplaying the role of a mediator.
Design/methodology/approach Data from 386 Indian call centre employeesthrough questionnaire
survey was collected. A variety of statistical tools such as confirmatory factor analysis, Sobel test and
descriptivestatistics were used for examiningthe relationship.
Findings From this study, it was found that work engagement partially mediates the relationship
between supervisorsupport and turnover intentions confirmingwell with the model hypothesized for the
study.
Originality/value Both employee turnover and disengagement levels in call centres keep on
increasing,but very little research has beenconducted so far on the linkage betweensupervisor support,
work engagement and turnoverintentions. Whatever little research has been conducted so far doesnot
take supervisorsupport as a one-dimensional construct, thus obscuringits impact on work engagement
and turnover intentions. That too, the findings about the relationship between work engagement and
turnover intentionsare mixed, thus calling for further studies. Moreover, the majorityof the studies so far
have come from Western contexts. The relationship is yet to befully understood in the emerging Asian
businesscontext.
Keywords Work engagement, Turnover intentions, Supervisor support,Indian call centres
Paper type Research paper
1. Introduction
Call centre employees must show organizationally desired emotions to ensure customer
satisfaction. As their felt emotions may not correspond with their displayed/manifest ones,
they often resort to emotional labour causing emotional exhaustion. And the job of call
centre employees may be characterized as challenging, tense and repetitious lacking in
good career opportunities and rewards (Budhwar, 2009). Therefore, call centre employees,
in all probability, will show a tendency to leave the organization (Abdullateef et al.,2014),
and this is a big challenge for the effective management of call centres in India given the
fact that India has been ranked 2nd in the A T Kearney Global Services Location Index for
its attractiveness as a global service location (Kearney, 2018). Reducing call centre
employee turnover and retaining them is the number one challenge for managers in the
industry (Budhwar, 2009). This calls for employees who have higher levels of work
engagement, which may be conceptualized as being characterized by “vigour, dedication
and absorption” (Schaufeli etal., 2006). Work engagement is one of the important indicators
of the health of an organization because of the influence it exerts on performance, turnover
intentions, job satisfaction, etc. (Harter et al.,2002). In view of these benefits, lots of
resources are invested to foster work engagement (Robinson et al.,2004). Employees, who
Subash Chandra Pattnaik is
based at the Department of
Business Management,
Central University of Orissa,
Koraput, India.
Narendra Panda is based
at the School of
Management Studies, GIET
University, Gunupur, India.
Received 22 August 2019
Revised 20 February 2020
Accepted 3 March 2020
DOI 10.1108/JABS-08-2019-0261 VOL. 14 NO. 5 2020, pp. 621-635, ©Emerald Publishing Limited, ISSN 1558-7894 jJOURNAL OF ASIA BUSINESS STUDIES jPAGE 621

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