My husband has worked for a call center for nearly 8 years. Since the beginning of the pandemic, he’s been working from home. He was a manager for 6 years, but was informed he was to be laid off in December 2020 because his metrics were off for one quarter. Being that he’s diabetic and I needed surgery, he made a deal to go back on the phones at the same pay to keep our insurance.
In the 6 years since he was on the phones, a lot has changed in terms of call time. In the old days, resolving a customer’s issue was #1, now it’s all about getting the customer a quick fix so you can take the next call. A typical call should take no longer than 4 minutes. It was a shock to him because he still had the mentally of customer first. Those who work in call centers know the amount of Karen’s you get. Some have real concerning issues, others will just keep you on the phone rattling your ear off and you can’t hang up.
In March of this year, he got his old job of management back after the company lost almost all of the managers they kept after the lay offs due to quitting. He took it right away because at least he’d be off the phones.
His home office is in the basement. You go down 10 steps, turn right and there is his desk. I was doing laundry a few weeks ago and smelled something burning. He keeps a space heater down there and the hvac is in a cubby next to the office. I went over there to check it out. Everything was fine, but I found about 7 2 liter bottles filled with pee. At first, I was disgusted just at the fact of finding bottles of pee. Then I realized the truth. He was peeing in bottles because you literally cannot leave your desk when taking calls for anything.
As I said, his office is right by the stairs. We have a half bath at the top of the stairs. It’s probably 15 feet away. In a call center, you have different settings for your status, whether you’re ready to take calls, notating an account after a call, or personal time for bathroom breaks. The company has really cracked down on any status that you are in for more than a few seconds that’s not ready to take calls. The fact that someone can’t walk 15 feet, take a quick piss and come back without getting reprimanded in their own home baffles me.
He has thrown out the piss bottles since going back to management. He has more flexibility now. So just remember folks: you might be peeing in bottles in your own home if you wfh with a call center. Unless you’re a manager.