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Entrapped by the ‘electronic panopticon’? Worker resistance in the call centre
Author(s) -
Bain Peter,
Taylor Phil
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
new technology, work and employment
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.889
H-Index - 45
eISSN - 1468-005X
pISSN - 0268-1072
DOI - 10.1111/1468-005x.00061
Subject(s) - panopticon , call centre , resistance (ecology) , perspective (graphical) , michel foucault , power (physics) , sociology , telecommunications , engineering , computer science , political science , law , anthropology , physics , ecology , quantum mechanics , artificial intelligence , brother , politics , biology
This article presents a thoroughgoing critique of Fernie and Metcalf’s perspective, that the call centre is characterised by the operation of an ‘electronic panopticon’ in which supervisory power has been ‘rendered perfect’. Drawing on evidence from a telecommunications call centre the authors analyse the significance of emerging forms of employee resistance.