Service representatives, job control, and white‐collar blues

Telephone service representatives in a communications company took part in a study investigating perceived job control and work strain. The representatives worked in a controlled environment, where tasks were automated by a sophisticated information system. Although most of the relevant research has occurred in the goods‐producing sector, it was hypothesized that job control impacted workers in a service setting as well. Results support the hypothesis. Higher levels of perceived job control were associated with lower levels of work strain. These findings have implications for management practices and job design in service centers.