Two-dimensional work: Workplace literacy in the aged care and call centre industries

This research investigates literacy within organisations from two industries—aged care and call centres. It was based on the observation that the dynamics which supported workers with limited literacies in years gone by have largely broken down. The closeted work spaces where work practices barely changed are now rare. The new world of work is one which values flexible employment, self-managed careers and individually negotiated contractual arrangements. Casual employment is the norm for a growing 20% of the workforce; union membership has diminished and the length of time in which employees remain in one job has dramatically reduced. The modern workplace is constantly changing, technology-driven and demanding a highly literate, responsive workforce.

The title of our report reflects one of the key themes emerging from the data of this study. As discussed in the following review of literature (pp.10-23), Lankshear (2000) and others articulate the complex and multi-dimensional nature of literacy. To be fully literate, Lankshear argues, is to be critically literate—critical literacy is the crucial third dimension. This study shows that the opportunities for critical literacy to be developed and exercised by contingent workers in aged care and call centres are extremely limited. Their mandatory work practices—which include literacy practices—leave little space for questioning the status quo. In this sense we might think of their work as two dimensional.

The study was qualitative in nature and involved a two-stage process. The first stage consisted of a communications audit which investigated industry standards and the way they were monitored and supported in the workplace. The second stage consisted of interviews with casual employees or learners, particularly those who claimed to have literacy difficulties. In all, 41 interviews were conducted, half were part of the audit process, the other half were target group individuals.

Two key findings which affected the research process are noteworthy. First, the original research questions were based on the assumption that casual workers would be transient, combining a range of workplaces into their working week. However, this was not true for most workers we located. Second, the number of people we identified with literacy needs was smaller than we had anticipated. Our research suggests that, in order to sustain employment, casual workers need good learning skills and other generic skills associated with employability, social and relational abilities and the capacity to read workplace cultures. In this study, people with these generic skills, even when combined with relatively limited English language and literacy, fared well enough—at least they were able to sustain their employment. However, those with limited generic and literacy skills were not represented in our sample and, according to labour hire sources, would not be employed. There were, however, some individuals in the ongoing workforce in aged care facilities who fitted this category.

Literacies of aged care workers

In aged care, literacies are mediated by the funding and accreditation processes and accountability requirements. These have defined how care workers should behave, what values they should hold, what behaviours and conditions in the residents they should notice or ignore, and what and how they should report. As a result, personal care attendants have adopted a language and way of viewing their clients in line with the sanctioned interpretation of the mandated principles.

Similarly, funding guidelines have fixed prices on certain client behaviours and conditions, reflecting the cost of managing them. On the basis of reports on the condition of residents, funds are made available to facilities.

Universal practices and standards in aged care have been determined by 'proceduralisation' which acts to simplify and 'routinise' the professional work of nurses. This has reduced the cost of staffing the industry and made it readily auditable. The transfer of skills and knowledge between facilities is often taken for granted because proceduralisation has standardised workplace practices. In reality, however, the negotiation and application of skills in different facilities turns out to be quite complex and ambiguous.

Government auditing processes have provided some very positive changes, but they have also shifted knowledge, power and decision-making from experts within facilities to an outside centralised authority.

Literacies of call centre workers

As with the aged care industry, the literacies of call centre operators are also highly regulated. The operational and cultural literacies of call centres are mostly oral and subject to intense analysis. Through the application of technology, their literacies are micro-managed. Supervisors measure the time taken on calls, on breaks and any time 'off line'. Monitoring is continuous and formal feedback is regular. Autonomy in the interpretation of the operational and cultural literacies is constricted by the objective to provide a consistent, speedy and amicable service, and to promote the 'brand' of the company. Cultural literacy is not only defined by what to say and how to say it, but also who you are on the telephone. Operators learn to detach from any emotional involvement and take on the camouflage of the persona prescribed by the organisation.

For most operators, writing requirements are relatively limited. They work with headsets, computers and patterned formats on screens and keyboards; thus their literacies are mediated by technology. Their notes are usually abbreviated to a formulaic script which bears only limited similarity to traditional written texts. Abbreviations and short message system (SMS) texting scripts are imported and 'hot keys' are used to bring up stored, frequently used sentences. Numeracy is also required since many operators calculate charges and prices for customers.

The literacy practices are shaped by the identity, purpose and expectations of the particular call centre.

Implications

The study acknowledges the effectiveness of the call centre approach in training its workers. However, it also discusses the stressors endemic to the industry and their implications. Given the temporary nature of employment and the demand for flexible skills, it argues for broader educational agendas. It suggests, however, that aged care facilities have something to learn from call centre approaches. The study also offers concrete advice to facilities which have staff with language and literacy needs.

The report takes up the issue of proceduralisation, and while it acknowledges its achievements, it also signals its inherent dangers and limitations. As more and more resources and human effort are consumed in refining practices of conformity, local knowledge and expertise are diminished and devalued. Local communities of learning and practice are under threat in many facilities. The culture of compliance potentially corrodes notions of diversity, difference and innovation, and may undermine confidence in legitimate localised ways of knowing and practising.

Two-dimensional work: Workplace literacy in the aged care and call centre industries

The study concludes with the implications of these new workplaces for policy-makers, vocational education and training (VET) practitioners, and employers. Specifically, these are:

• The VET system is challenged to serve the broad needs of individuals, the community and the economy, and resist the narrowing of literacy and generic skills for company requirements. To avoid an undue focus on company learning agendas, off-site training can provide a space to address broader educational issues beyond the immediate employer interests.

• 'Transferability', that is, the generic literacy and communication skills which workers can then translate to other workplaces, should be regarded as a significant generic skill requirement, one to which trainers should give more prominence.

• To deliver holistic training by means of training packages, trainers appear to need a higher level of basic education than the Certificate IV in Assessment and Workplace Training. They also need continuing professional development.

• Workshops could be used to encourage trainers to adapt training and assessment flexibly to various work environments, using range statements and evidence guides.

• Trainers and teachers need assistance to be able to identify the generic skills for 'transferability' and to draw these to learners' attention for further development.

• Employers can do more to balance the values of proceduralisation with the benefits of workplace learning cultures, to encourage the 'smart workforce'.

• In aged care, employers are urged to adopt worker-friendly documentation, alternative appraisal processes, local communities of practice, more appropriate forms of information technology implementation, and more inclusive feedback and training for their contingent workers.

• While the positive features of their training model are worth disseminating, call-centre employers could also reconsider the costs of its micro-management aspects.

• Call centres are encouraged to recognise the benefits (for both employers and employees) of the development of generic skills and much fuller use of accredited training and recognition of prior learning. Such strategies will enhance employee confidence, autonomy and capacity for multiskilling.