Jamie Woodcock goes undercover in a call centre to reveal the plight of over a million workers employed in the UK’s least-loved service industry. In the six months he spent ‘working the phones’, Jamie observed – and succumbed to – pockets of resistance to management, surveillance and control. Join Jamie as he recalls his experience, illustrating how call centres have become emblematic of the post-industrial service economy, which prompts him to question whether the gig economy will be subjected to a similar fate.

Jamie Woodcock (@jamie_woodcock) is an LSE Fellow in LSE's Department of Management. 

Alpa Shah (@alpashah001) is Associate Professor (Reader) in the Department of Anthropology at the LSE. 

Bev Skeggs (@bevskeggs) is Professor of Sociology at Goldsmiths, University of London.

The Department of Management (@LSEManagement) is a globally diverse academic community at the heart of the LSE, taking a unique interdisciplinary, academically in-depth approach to the study of management and organisations.

Twitter Hashtag for this event: #LSEphones

Podcast & Video

A podcast and video of this event is available to download from Working the Phones: investigating control and resistance in the modern workplace

Podcasts and videos of many LSE events can be found at the LSE Public Lectures and Events: podcasts and videos channel.