Question:
THE family of a young call centre worker wants to sue Telstra for allegedly contributing to her suicide with constant pressure to meet unrealistic sales targets - a claim the company strenuously denies.
I work for a government department that has a call centre in it. I dont work in the call centre (and wouldnt for any amount of money) but I know a lot of people in there. A lot of the team leaders have come over from Telstra and the pressure they put the staff under is phenomenal.
They have the highest stress rates, the highest RSI rates, the highest depression rate and the highest quitting rate.
I cant fathom how my friends work in there and somehow remain sane (for the time being).
I have absolutely no doubts whatsoever that Telstra and its call centre environment caused this womans suicide.
I tend to differ. There are so many stressful jobs out there, (hell just being a SAHM is very stressful sometimes!) I don't think workplaces should be blamed for such events, I'm aware that all circumstances are different but it's just a far cry to lay the blame on a company that the person chose to work for. I feel for her and her family, but I don't think Telstra killed her, she chose to work for them and she chose to kill herself. And apart from money, what are her parents going to gain from suing them? It usually only takes one thing like this to happen to start a chain of events, how many workplaces will be sue now because their employers have comitted suicide.
I think some people just need to learn when to walk and take time out. We had this discussion tonight with my family and siblings. My eldest brother is far too stressed at the moment. He runs the family business with my dad and has done so for 15 or so years, he never has had a holiday (he wont take one) and you can see just by looking at him he is stressed beyond belief.
Some people have to take what jobs they can - and for those people call centres are the jobs that are readily available. Some people cant just up and leave and then pay their rent or mortgage while they search for a new job etc. Life isnt that simple !!
All I am saying is I have seen how people crack in them and there are many studies going on in the US about the effects on staff in them. I know we all despise Indian and Phillipine call centres - but so do the people who work in them - they have far higher suicide rates than Aus or the US.
Huge changes need to be made in the actual organisations to prevent this from happening to their staff. Employers do have duty of care. More realistic targets (for calls or sales etc) need to be set etc.
More breaks are required. I know people in my workplace get their toilet breaks monitored and a girl was counselled when it was found she had been to the loo 3 times one morning. (note that counselling is the politically correct word for getting a huge lecture).
Another was counselled because the external company that records every single call showed a chart that showed her breathing was too loud.
Others get counselled if they go over their average call time (ACT). Bare in mind my office is not involved in sales - its giving help and advice to the public who phone in.
So god forbid a member of the public asks more than their alloted number of questions and causes some poor worker to be on that call longer that their ACT. That person ends up being lectured and counselled for the rest of the day because they were overly helpful to the public
We have had suicides in our call centre (2 that I personally know of and several others that may or may not be rumour), we have had people attack each other physically due to stress. Normal people who would never usually resort to violance. We even had a guy that brought a gun in. It was discovered before he did anything and no one knew if he was planning to kill himself - or kill others - so it was quite terrifying.
But at the end of the day we all have to pay our rents or mortgages and not everyone has brilliant qualifications and can get the awesome high paying jobs etc etc. Therefore some poor suckers out there will always be the ones who take on the call centre jobs.
I know that the way the government works some day my buildings call centre could grow to include my floor - and yes I will walk. God knows where to as I am not qualified in much at all - but I know I could never work in the call centre. Not if I wanted to remain sane.
Answer:
I work for a government department that has a call centre in it. I dont work in the call centre (and wouldnt for any amount of money) but I know a lot of people in there. A lot of the team leaders have come over from Telstra and the pressure they put the staff under is phenomenal.
They have the highest stress rates, the highest RSI rates, the highest depression rate and the highest quitting rate.
I cant fathom how my friends work in there and somehow remain sane (for the time being).
I have absolutely no doubts whatsoever that Telstra and its call centre environment caused this womans suicide.
Answer:
I tend to differ. There are so many stressful jobs out there, (hell just being a SAHM is very stressful sometimes!) I don't think workplaces should be blamed for such events, I'm aware that all circumstances are different but it's just a far cry to lay the blame on a company that the person chose to work for. I feel for her and her family, but I don't think Telstra killed her, she chose to work for them and she chose to kill herself. And apart from money, what are her parents going to gain from suing them? It usually only takes one thing like this to happen to start a chain of events, how many workplaces will be sue now because their employers have comitted suicide.
Answer:
I think some people just need to learn when to walk and take time out. We had this discussion tonight with my family and siblings. My eldest brother is far too stressed at the moment. He runs the family business with my dad and has done so for 15 or so years, he never has had a holiday (he wont take one) and you can see just by looking at him he is stressed beyond belief.
Answer:
Some people have to take what jobs they can - and for those people call centres are the jobs that are readily available. Some people cant just up and leave and then pay their rent or mortgage while they search for a new job etc. Life isnt that simple !!
All I am saying is I have seen how people crack in them and there are many studies going on in the US about the effects on staff in them. I know we all despise Indian and Phillipine call centres - but so do the people who work in them - they have far higher suicide rates than Aus or the US.
Huge changes need to be made in the actual organisations to prevent this from happening to their staff. Employers do have duty of care. More realistic targets (for calls or sales etc) need to be set etc.
More breaks are required. I know people in my workplace get their toilet breaks monitored and a girl was counselled when it was found she had been to the loo 3 times one morning. (note that counselling is the politically correct word for getting a huge lecture).
Another was counselled because the external company that records every single call showed a chart that showed her breathing was too loud.
Others get counselled if they go over their average call time (ACT). Bare in mind my office is not involved in sales - its giving help and advice to the public who phone in.
So god forbid a member of the public asks more than their alloted number of questions and causes some poor worker to be on that call longer that their ACT. That person ends up being lectured and counselled for the rest of the day because they were overly helpful to the public
We have had suicides in our call centre (2 that I personally know of and several others that may or may not be rumour), we have had people attack each other physically due to stress. Normal people who would never usually resort to violance. We even had a guy that brought a gun in. It was discovered before he did anything and no one knew if he was planning to kill himself - or kill others - so it was quite terrifying.
But at the end of the day we all have to pay our rents or mortgages and not everyone has brilliant qualifications and can get the awesome high paying jobs etc etc. Therefore some poor suckers out there will always be the ones who take on the call centre jobs.
I know that the way the government works some day my buildings call centre could grow to include my floor - and yes I will walk. God knows where to as I am not qualified in much at all - but I know I could never work in the call centre. Not if I wanted to remain sane.