Personal factors and career adaptability in a call centre work environment: The mediating effects of professional efficacy

Abstract

The study sought to assess the extent to which professional efficacy mediates the relationship between personal factors and career adaptability in a call centre work setting. The sample consisted of 409 early-career South African call centre workers (black females = 66%; age range 25 to 40). They completed measures of professional efficacy, career adaptability, sense of meaningfulness, and emotional intelligence. The results of the mediational analyses revealed that professional efficacy significantly mediate the personal meaningfulness (sense of coherence) and career adaptability relationship, but not the emotional intelligence-career adaptability relationship. Emotional intelligence independently predicted career adaptability. Call centre agents with professional efficacy are likely to be more work engaged as a result of their sense of meaningfulness and emotional intelligence.

Keywords:

• call centre
• career adaptability
• emotional intelligence
• meaningfulness
• professional efficacy