Watched, worn out and willing to leave: a dual-path model of privacy invasion, trust and stress in call center employees

Purpose This study aims to investigate how perceived electronic performance monitoring (EPM) influences employees’ turnover intention in call-center environments. Grounded in Psychological Reactance Theory and Social Exchange Theory, the study examines three mediating mechanisms, privacy invasion, organizational trust and individual stress, to clarify the psychological processes linking monitoring to withdrawal behavior. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from 319 full-time call-center employees in Vietnam using an online survey. Partial least squares structural equation modeling was used to assess both the measurement and structural models and to test the mediating effects of the proposed pathways. Findings The results indicate that perceived EPM significantly increases privacy invasion and individual stress while reducing organizational trust. In turn, all three mediators significantly predict turnover intention. Indirect path analyses confirm that privacy invasion, organizational trust and individual stress each mediate the relationship between perceived EPM and turnover intention, with stress emerging as the strongest mechanism. Practical implications The findings highlight the need for organizations to implement EPM transparently and avoid overly intrusive monitoring practices. Supportive managerial communication, clear career pathways and stress-reduction initiatives are critical to minimizing unintended negative outcomes of digital surveillance. Originality/value This study contributes to the growing literature on the unintended consequences of workplace monitoring by integrating two theoretical perspectives and validating a multipath mediation model in an emerging economy context. It provides new insights into how employees psychologically interpret EPM and how these interpretations shape turnover intention in high-pressure service environments.