Health and Safety Factsheets: Call Centres
Research has found that around 70% of call centre workers are women. Over half of those employed in the industry are under the age of 30 with about one third having dependent children. It is projected that approximately 40,000 workers will be employed in the call centre industry in Australia in the future. Globally the industry employs 40% of the workforce. A large percentage of workers employed within the call centre industry are casual.
Conditions in call centres vary. Testimonies from call centre workers report being monitored over the length of time they spend going to the toilet, having pay withheld while serving probationary periods, having to ask permission (by putting up their hand) to go to the toilet, and, being expected to pay for their own headsets.
All call centres employees have the right to expect proper training and career structures, reasonable targets and fair call monitoring procedures. Minimum standards such as leave (personal and unpaid), and a healthy and safe environment are also entitlements.
Ergonomics
All call centre workers have the right to a fully ergonomic workplace. Workstations should comply with Australian Standard AS3590-1990 (Screen Based Workstations). This standard outlines the requirements to facilitate the development of a safe working environment for people performing screen based tasks, and covers placement of the equipment on the work surface, selection of workstation furniture, and chairs.
Breaks
Constant call taking often results in stress related illnesses, overuse injuries, and eyesight problems. A few minutes not taking calls makes a big difference. It allows you to gather your thoughts, and to recover from an upsetting call. The intensity of the work in call centres requires that regular rest breaks be taken away from the phones. These breaks are essential to protect the health of employees and sustain the high productivity expected of operators. Work should be organised so that call centre employees do not operate phones for at least 5 minutes of each hour.
Worst practice
Some call centres do not allow staff a one second delay before the next call is received.
Best practice
Some Government Agencies have enterprise agreements, which provide staff with 5-minute breaks from the phone each hour. This does not necessarily mean they are not working- but they have their headsets switched off and are preferably not working on their VDU.
The ACTU Call Centre Unions Policy supports the practice of a 5-minute break away from the phone every hour be adopted as an industry standard.
Work Organisation
Employees should have enough flexibility in their routine so that customer service issues can be followed up. Call centre workers should be provided with enough flexibility in their routine so that they are able to follow up customer service issues adequately.
Best practice
In a best practice situation call centre employees are able to accrue time over each week to follow up policy developments and other customer service information they require as professionals.
The ACTU believe this policy enhances job satisfaction, and improved customer service levels in the call centres.
Rights
All call centre workers should have the right to be part of a union in their workplace and be entitled to negotiate as a collective with call centre management.
Call centres should respect and value the diversity of the workforce by helping to prevent and eliminate discrimination of the basis of race, colour, sex, sexual preference, age, physical or mental disability, marital status, family responsibilities, pregnancy, religion, political opinion.
Monitoring
Call monitoring should only be used as a coaching and development tool, and should not occur without agreement between employees, their union and the call centre. Monitoring should not be an indicator of employee performance assessment, and employees should be given reasonable notice if their calls are being monitored and over what period of time.
The process and outcomes of call monitoring should involve a collaborative and cooperative approach between employees and call centre management.
Acoustic Shock
Acoustic shock is caused by a loud and unexpected sound - a shriek or spike - coming down the telephone line and into a call centre worker's headset.
New research suggests that the two small muscles within the inner ear become enlarged due to the repetitive and intense nature of the work in call centres. This may be responsible for the injuries sustained when the loud and unexpected sound occurs.
How widespread the problem is has not yet been ascertained, but all sufferers should advise the union office if exposed.
Symptoms
A range of symptoms are produced by acoustic shock. These include:
Injured workers may experience all of these symptoms.
Diagnosis
Diagnosis of acoustic shock is difficult. GP's, ear nose and throat specialists and audiologists are unlikely to diagnose cases due to lack of research carried out on the problem.
Noise limiters should be installed on the system to minimize the volume of these tones.
Workers in call centres are under great pressure because of the nature of the work. Conditions affecting the voice (dysphonia) can be of a short or long term and some permanent. Employers should provide liquid so staff can drink while working and the job should be designed so there are rest periods for the voice as well as other body parts (eg arms to avoid overuse injuries).
All staff in call centres should have a headset as against a handset to enable them to operate a computer and listen and talk to callers at the same time. Headsets should be designed so that the earpiece sits out from the ear, and can be removed instantly in cases of extremely loud noise. To avoid risk of ear infections, each call centre staff member should have their own individual headset. A cleaning and maintenance program should be provided by the employer. It is also advisable that a safe place be provided to allow storage of the headset during out of work hours.
Headsets should be comfortable to wear over the working day, be lightweight, and be adjustable and not restrain the movement of the worker.
Headsets should have adjustable volume controls to enable the worker to adjust the noise level to what they find comfortable.
Constant use of a VDU can affect the eyes. Symptoms of this are soreness or dryness of the eyes, blurred vision, light sensitivity, and headaches from working long hours in front of a VDU. This is referred to as computer vision syndrome. Staff should have regular eye tests, and frequent breaks away from the phone. Additional lighting may be required.
Call monitoring systems have increased pressure on call centre staff. This can make them feel less like human beings and more like an extension of technology.
The Daily Hazard-No 70, London Hazards Centre, May 2001-07-27
It's you call campaign, employment rights for call centre workers, Trades Union Congress, February 2001
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