Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to examine whether Western human
resource (HR) theory is applicable to a call centre located in the
Philippines. A call centre, due to the amount of emotional labour
involved in this type of work, is an ideal environment to study stress
related Western HR model where stress eventually leads to turnover.
Turnover is a major concern in the call centre industry.
Design/methodology/approach - The authors tested a model linking work
stress to job satisfaction, organizational commitment and intention to
turnover using data collected from 439 employees in the Philippines.
Both correlation analysis and partial least squares analysis were used
to test the theoretical Western HR components both individually and
holistically. Findings - The findings indicate that these call centre
employees reported emotional stress, leading to job dissatisfaction,
reduced organization commitment and ultimately increased intention to
turnover. Turnover is reported to be a serious and increasing problem in
call centres and this research demonstrates the significant role of
employee emotional stress. Practical implications - An understanding of
the applicability of Western HR theory in non-western countries is of
interest to managers in non-western countries. It is important as
economic development occurs in newly developing countries that managers
understand which theories from developed nations will apply to
facilitate their growth and success. Originality/value - This paper
addresses HR concerns both in a Pan-Asian country that is rapidly
developing and in the call centre industry which is predicted to grow
rapidly in future.