Analysis of the Mental Workload of Inbound Voice Contact Center Agents under the Hybrid Work Setup in the Philippines

The Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) Industry is the most significant contributor to the economy of the Philippines as it is a significant outsourcing location due to the high skill level of its workforce, with 1.3 million Filipino BPO employees recorded in 2019 (Rostron, 2024). Nowadays, BPO industries have noticed that traditional working methods are impractical. One major issue of the hybrid setup is the vagueness of company regulations as employees indicated concerns regarding dissatisfaction and setbacks. According to Gumasing et al., 2023, occasional call connections caused social isolation, general anxiety, more work hours, reduced productivity, and job satisfaction. This study assessed the significant factors affecting the mental workload of inbound voice contact center agents in the Philippines in a hybrid work setup and provided insightful recommendations for managing their mental workload. The primary basis is a custom-made survey questionnaire on their experience working in a hybrid setup as inbound voice contact center agents, and data analysis is done using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) in WarpPLS software. The results revealed that customer type (p = 0.051), emotional dissonance (p = 0.001), depersonalization (p = 0.022), work design at home (p = 0.001), and non-work stressors (p = 0.057) significantly impact mental workload. These findings highlight the complex interaction between personal, organizational, and external factors affecting the contact agents’ mental workload. The researchers recommended that organizations conduct a mental health examination routine, offer emotional wellness programs, and ensure an ergonomic work environment to mitigate the mental workload of the employees.