Quick answer: Call or Contact Centre and Customer Service Managers are notably more stress-exposed than most Australian occupations — ranked #56 of 317 by workplace mental health hazard exposure, with a composite stress score of 52.5/100 against a national average of 47.4. The biggest drivers are pace and demands and responsibility burden.
Call or Contact Centre and Customer Service Managers stress profile vs the national average
Each occupation is scored across six categories of workplace mental health hazard, built from 22 stress factors identified in SafeWork Australia's occupational hazards data. Higher scores mean greater exposure.
- Emotional demands40.8 vs 37.9 avg
- Responsibility burden72 vs 60 avg
- Pace and demands71.3 vs 56 avg
- Lack of control22 vs 24.5 avg
- Precision and monotony73.9 vs 67.7 avg
- Physical environment35 vs 38.2 avg
Scores range 0–100; higher = more stress-inducing. Source: SafeWork Australia Beta Occupational Hazards Dataset.
What drives the score for call or contact centre and customer service managers
Compared with the average Australian occupation, call or contact centre and customer service managers score furthest above the norm on pace and demands (71.3 vs 56 average), responsibility burden (72 vs 60 average) and precision and monotony (73.9 vs 67.7 average). The single biggest individual stress factor is duration of typical work week at 94/100 — against an all-occupation average of 62.1.
The occupation scores below the national average for physical environment (35 vs 38.2) and lack of control (22 vs 24.5), which moderates the overall ranking.
See how this compares across all 317 Australian occupations, ranked by stress score.
The biggest stress factors for call or contact centre and customer service managers
- 1Pace and demands
Duration of Typical Work Week
94/100
All-occupation average: 62.1
- 2Pace and demands
Time Pressure
91/100
All-occupation average: 71.6
- 3Responsibility burden
Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results
90.2/100
All-occupation average: 70.4
- 4Responsibility burden
Coordinate or Lead Others
89/100
All-occupation average: 64.9
- 5Pace and demands
Frequency of Decision Making
88.5/100
All-occupation average: 70.7
All 22 stress factors for call or contact centre and customer service managers
The complete scorecard: every stress factor measured for this occupation, grouped into the six categories, with the all-occupation average alongside.
Emotional demands
40.8 vs 37.9 avg- Deal With Physically Aggressive People6.2 vs 14
- Deal With Unpleasant or Angry People53.5 vs 50.4
- Frequency of Conflict Situations62.8 vs 49.3
Responsibility burden
72 vs 60 avg- Responsibility for Outcomes and Results86 vs 58.5
- Responsible for Others' Health and Safety63.8 vs 57.3
- Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results90.2 vs 70.4
- Consequence of Error31 vs 49
- Coordinate or Lead Others89 vs 64.9
Pace and demands
71.3 vs 56 avg- Time Pressure91 vs 71.6
- Duration of Typical Work Week94 vs 62.1
- Pace Determined by Speed of Equipment19.5 vs 23.1
- Frequency of Decision Making88.5 vs 70.7
- Level of Competition63.5 vs 52.4
Lack of control
22 vs 24.5 avg- Lack of Autonomy to Make Decisions23.8 vs 23.6
- Amount of Highly Structured Work20.2 vs 25.3
Precision and monotony
73.9 vs 67.7 avg- Importance of Repeating Same Tasks67.2 vs 56.9
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate80.5 vs 78.6
Physical environment
35 vs 38.2 avg- Sounds and Noise Levels Are Distracting or Uncomfortable53.8 vs 52.3
- Extremely Bright or Inadequate Lighting27.2 vs 24.9
- Very Hot or Cold Temperatures42.5 vs 32.4
- Exposed to Disease or Infections0.5 vs 20.2
- Physical Proximity51.2 vs 61.1
Understand these hazards
The elevated stress categories for call or contact centre and customer service managers map to recognised psychosocial work factors under ISO 45003 and Australian WHS legislation. Learn what each one is and how it can be controlled:
- Exposure to Violence →Whether workers face the risk of physical or verbal aggression at work.
- Exposure to Trauma →Whether workers encounter traumatic events or material as part of their role.
- Work Interaction →The quality of relationships and interactions within the team and organisation.
- Work Demands →The volume, pace, and complexity of what is asked of workers.
- Role Clarity →Whether workers clearly understand what is expected of them.
- Leadership →The quality and consistency of management behaviour at all levels.
Methodology
Clearhead scored 317 occupations in the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) using SafeWork Australia's Beta Occupational Hazards Dataset. We kept only the 22 hazard variables relating to mental health — such as conflict exposure, decision-making pressure, and time pressure — and deliberately excluded physical safety risks like working at height.
The 22 variables are grouped into six categories: emotional demands, responsibility burden, pace and demands, lack of control, precision and monotony, and physical environment. An occupation's composite score is the equally weighted average of its six category scores. All scores run 0–100, where higher means more stress-inducing.
Two control-related variables are reported by SafeWork with inverted polarity (“freedom to make decisions” and “structured versus unstructured work”). We reverse these and present them as lack of autonomy to make decisions and amount of highly structured work, so that a higher score consistently indicates greater stress exposure.
Hazard exposure describes the average conditions of an occupation, not any individual's experience — everyone has a different tolerance for these challenges, and conditions vary between workplaces.
Frequently asked questions
Call or Contact Centre and Customer Service Managers: how stressful is the job?
Call or Contact Centre and Customer Service Managers rank #56 out of 317 Australian occupations for workplace mental health hazards, with a composite stress score of 52.5/100 against a national average of 47.4. That makes the occupation more stress-exposed than 82.3% of Australian jobs.
What are the biggest mental health stress factors for call or contact centre and customer service managers?
The highest-scoring hazards are duration of typical work week (94/100), time pressure (91/100) and impact of decisions on co-workers or company results (90.2/100). Overall, the occupation scores above the national average in emotional demands, responsibility burden, pace and demands and precision and monotony.
Which stress factors are lower for call or contact centre and customer service managers?
Call or Contact Centre and Customer Service Managers score below the national average for lack of control (22 vs 24.5 average) and physical environment (35 vs 38.2 average), which partially offsets the higher-scoring hazards.
Where does this data come from?
Scores are derived from SafeWork Australia's Beta Occupational Hazards Dataset. Clearhead filtered the dataset to the 22 mental-health-related hazard variables — excluding physical safety risks — and scored 317 ANZSCO occupations across six categories: emotional demands, responsibility burden, pace and demands, lack of control, precision and monotony, and physical environment.
Beyond the average
This is the average hazard exposure for call or contact centre and customer service managers. Your workforce isn't average.
Clearhead's Psychosocial Risk Pulse measures the actual psychosocial risk in your organisation, quarterly — across 18 ISO 45003-aligned work factors.