This article is intended to help outlining the telemarketing operators' practical knowledge and the strategies pursued by them to cope with possible hazards and adverse situations at work. It is also aimed at pointing out more effective ways of promoting the changes that must be introduced to improve working conditions at call centers. Data were collected by interviewing two operators from two different call centers, both employed at large cellular phone companies located in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The interviews followed the "instructions for the double" approach, proposed by I. Oddone and Y. Clot. The concepts of Activity Ergonomics, Activity Clinic, Work Psychodynamic, Zarifian's "Competence Model" as well as the Ergological perspective were used for data analysis. The results showed that, in order to fight adversity at work and achieve what is expected from them, workers usually arrive before working hours, "cheat" the breaks, choose between following or not following the work script, create verbal expressions, manage to get unforeseen extra time and rely on their work group.
telemarketing; work practice; worker's health; services