Lifetime Health Problems of Call Center Agents

by Benjamin Robert Johnson


As a public lifetime health educator, one of the countries I have visited is the Philippines. Among any others, this country brags of its proficiency in English communication. Gladly, most English speaking countries like my country, the US, take this opportunity to outsource some of their call centers here.

Primarily, cheap labor is what prompted foreign businesses to outsource here. As what I have observed, many Filipinos set aside their childhood dreams to work in call centers. How sad it is to note.

Call centers often lure young professionals because of a relatively high starting salary of 15,000 pesos (a lot higher than average laborers) and not to mention allowances, signing bonuses, good work performance, and other incentives.

In reality however, companies are exploiting the cheap labor here in the Philippines. A Filipino call center agent earns on average around $4000 dollars a year lower than Thailand with $4,900, Malaysia with $5,200, and Singapore with $16,900.

Not to mention the lifetime health problems attributed in working at a call center. These include:

1. Stress problems. Call center agents are always under pressure since they are constantly monitored. Low job discretions with high performance monitoring contribute to stress and rapid burnout. Months or years under stress can cause heart problems, nervous breakdown, erectile dysfunction, fatigue, and many others.
   
2. It causes boredom and lack of interest. Call center agents work the phones for the entire duration of their shifts unlike other jobs where people get a chance to go out and get fresh air, read newspapers, surf the internet, and take some snacks. Some call centers may be loose on these things but not loose enough compared to other industries. Boredom and lack of interest can cause a death knoll of the brain – it reduces brain power. For long, it contributes to memory loss even at a younger age.
   
3. Very potent source of anxiety. Since everything is monitored, low score translates to corrective memos which can cost an agent his job; this constant monitoring cause anxiety to agents. On the losing part, penalized agents do not even have enough opportunity to appeal. In some companies, even tenured agents issued with corrective action memos get terminated.
   
4. Females suffer from Urinary Tract Infections (UTI). According to a survey by the Ecumenical Institute for Labor Education and Research, a 10-minute break period is allowed for personal use like going to the restroom. This becomes difficult to workers more specifically to females since a cold working environment encourages frequent urination.
   
5. More exposure to unhealthy foods and lifestyle. Bars, restaurants, and convenient stores accommodate night shift workers. We all know that foods serve in these places are highly processed or packed. Thus, this leads to unhealthy food choices and unhealthy manners like smoking or severe drinking of coffee. These bad practices can further lead to lung cancers, high blood pressure, depression, cellulite problems, and even malnutrition.
   
6. Body clock is disrupted. Disrupting one’s biological clock more often can cause manic depression and heart problems.
   
7. Less socialization leads to emotional problems. Since the time followed is of the client’s, there is less time for the family and friends. Weekends and holidays are rarely off and there is prevalent overtime or extended time. Dr. Prandya Kulkarni, who writes for United Press International Asia, adds that young BPO workers, who receive high salaries, do not have the maturity and emotional capability to handle their wealth. This sudden wealth syndrome has led to such high-risk behaviors as loose sexual practices, drug addictions, and alcohol abuse.
   
8. Exhaustive workload creates lifetime health vulnerabilities. According to studies, exhaustive workloads can lead to various diseases like hypertension, cardiovascular illnesses, tuberculosis, sexually transmitted diseases, and high risks of cancer. Also, more medical needs are created to cure these heart diseases, or even cut off body fats, and even reduce cellulite build up for agents. Medical expenses lead to more financial problems.
   
9. Exposure to health hazards. An independent study shows that working in call centers shows high incidences of eyestrains symptoms, musculoskeletal symptoms, voice disorders, and hearing problems.
   
10. Causes intellectual drain and immaturity. A Foreign independent shows that agents usually have a monotonous lifestyle, it only involves work, eat, sleep, and a little socialization. This common lifestyle often leads to communal apathy or in Filipino terms they call it “walang pakialam.” Since call center agents are engrossed with their work, they do not have time to respond to social needs and concerns which can directly benefit them as a community and as a country. If this mentality is imbibe, then a worse social cancer of apathy will surely pull the Philippines down as it is happening today.

Myriads of lifetime health problems are faced with call center agents. Lack of education, social awareness, and public response made this things happen. It gives individual health problems and a social cancer if these problems are not addressed.

Source: Lifetime Health Problems of Call Center Agents

Recommended Read: Common Health Problems of a Call Center Agent

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Health Hazards in Call Center Jobs?

There was a health concern now rising among call center population in the industry.  Although there was no thorough study on the short and long term impact of being a call center agent, there was an increasing rise on health and psychological problems amongst the call center population according to a recent industry survey.
The question now is whether the high paying job is commensurate to the hazards it poses to the call center agent.

The call center job in the Philippines is offering hefty salary and benefits to those willing Pinoys who take the night shift job. However, recent rise in health problems and concerns suggests that it’s taking its toll on the call center agent’s health both physically and mentally. Ronnie P., 26 year old single male, is a typical customer care call center agent. He is already self supporting and is paying for his own pad from his own salary. He has been getting a lot of attention from his superiors because of his excellent performance which also pays him more than his contemporaries.

However, Ronnie is experiencing some radical changes in his body.  And he will tell you that it was doing him no good.  His weight had grown to 120 kilograms, or about 264 pounds, and he was missing out on social life as he worked long overnight hours at a call center. Now, he is thinking of quiting the call center job to the dismay of his boss when he discussed this in one of their huddles.

“You are making nice money. But the trade-off is also big,” said Ronnie, who now spent nearly three years at a well known call center company in Manila, answering customer calls from the United States.

Call centers and other outsourced businesses like software writing, medical transcription and back-office work employ more than half a million young men and women in the Philippines, mostly in their 20s and 30s, who make much more than their contemporaries in most other professions.  The estimate will grow fast in the next 2 years.

They are, however, facing sleep disorders, heart disease, depression and family discord, according to doctors and several industry surveys.  Experts agree that the brewing crisis could undermine the success of Philippine’s hugely profitable outsourcing industry, which earns billions in dollars annually and has shaped much of the country’s transformation into an emerging economic power.

Heart diseases, high blood pressures, strokes and diabetes are among the many illnesses that call center agents face in their career.  The lack of sleep has many ill effects to the human body and sooner or later, it will catch up to those who inadvertently abuse their bodies for money, according to some doctors we interviewed for this purpose.

Reliable estimates on the number of people affected are hard to come by since there is no serious effort yet to look deeply into this looming problem that can take its toll on the national health insurance system in the future. Despite this, government officials and experts agree that it is a growing problem.

“After working, they party for the rest of the time,” and industry spokesperson said at a public meeting last month. They “have bad diet, excessive smoking and drinking. We don’t want these young people to burn out.”

The BPO industry, more particularly the call center sector has come under fire because the sedentary lifestyle of its employees combined with often stressful working conditions make employees more vulnerable to heart disease, digestive problems and weight gain than others. Some complain of psychological distress.

Most call center jobs involve responding to phone calls through the night from customers in the United States and Europe – some of whom can be angry and rude.

It is monotonous and there is little meaningful personal interaction among co-workers. That can also be true of other jobs like software writing and back-office work.

“There are times when the stress is so overwhelming that the agents will fail to cope up with it leading to various problems such us being irritable and restless.” according to Dr. Jose De Vera, psychiatrist.

The complaints are varied, but marital incompatibility and relationship issues top the list, Dr. De Vera added.  This  often because the long, odd working hours which means that couples do not have much time to be intimate together.

More women than men ask for help, he said. The outsourcing boom has created new employment opportunities for Filipina women, but there has been little change in social and family expectations. Adding workplace pressures and stress to an already overwhelming responsibilities at home, which often includes taking care of kids and in-laws, leaves women workers with multiple stresses.
For those single women, loneliness can also take a toll. “There is no social life,” said Linda, who worked at night and either slept or watched television during the day. “You are not meeting new people.”

The main trade body of the outsourcing industry, said many of its member.  Some companies have recognized this phenomenon already and are taking the right steps to alleviate the call center agents problems.  Call center firms were already providing advice on health, gyms and money for regular checkups

Some have set up 24-hour help lines for counseling by psychologists, while others have connected with health clubs and counseling companies. Some even built day care centers for children and routinely sponsor group outings by their employees.

But will this be enough to work?  We believe there should be more focused attention on this threatening problem rather than to resolve issues on a piecemeal basis.  Companies should contribute to the study of the lingering effects of call center work to their agents and set aside funding to find solutions to those findings.

You, what do you think?

Do you believe that there is a health hazard to the call center agent job?  If yes, what do you think the industry, the government and the call center agents do to solve this problem?

Source: Pinoy Call Center Jobs Blog
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Face-Off Twist: Nicholas Cage & John Travolta are Vampires?

See it for yourselves.

The much talked about pics on eBay supposedly of Nicholas Cage and John Travolta from the 1800's-1900's have risen speculations of some type of reincarnation, time travel, or of vampires in our midst.

Thanks to the Twilight series, many look at the photos as leaning towards vampires.

Bizarre coincidence? 

Face-Off: 1800's - 1900's Photos of Cage and Travolta's "look-a-likes"

Before the $50,000 eBay listing of the Travolta picture was pulled, the seller postulated that John might perhaps be he same captain of the S.S. Xenuprise.

Your theories are as good as mine.

See related story: Keanu Reeves --- a Time Traveler?

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Why Digital Talent Doesn’t Want To Work At Your Company

BY FC Expert Blogger Aaron ShapiroThu Oct 27, 2011

This blog is written by a member of our expert blogging community and expresses that expert's views alone.

Some digital companies are hiring--and in fact are in hot competition for certain types of employees. But you don't have to be Google to attract top-tier talent.

Why doesn't digital talent want to work at your company? It’s not because you’re a consumer packaged goods company, rather than Google. It’s not because you’re in Ohio instead of Silicon Valley. It’s not because your salaries are too low, or because you don’t offer free food and laundry services.

It’s because you’re not providing them the right opportunity. The talent you want would be happy to work in an un-air-conditioned garage in New Mexico if it meant the chance to change the world.
This, the opportunity to do great things, to make a real difference, is what drives most digital talent--whether they’re developers, designers, producers, marketers or business folks. 

Most companies don’t offer this, so they skip your company and work somewhere that’s more innovative and exciting. End of story. But the good news is that you can offer them something exciting and great. The promise of changing a giant, behind-the-times organization into an Internet-savvy business is an incredibly exciting challenge and a big way for ambitious people to make an impact.  

But it takes more than lip service to make the sale. Job candidates and new hires with digital chops must truly believe in the company’s dedication to digital transformation and they must see that they are empowered to make this change. Trouble is, many big businesses aren’t structured to deliver on this type of opportunity. The attributes of a soul-crushing, Sisyphean, anti-digital workplace run deep.  

Digital talent won’t want to work at your company if:

• Every element of their work will be pored over by multiple layers of bureaucracy. Even if that’s how the rest of the company operates, it can’t spill into the digital department. In a technology environment, new products and businesses spring up daily and a new endeavor can go from conception to launch in a matter of months. Reining in the momentum will be read as inaction and a clear signal the company isn’t willing to grasp the new way of the world.  
• Mediocre is good enough. While clocking out at 5 p.m. is attractive to some, it will discourage digital talent. They want to be expected to do something great. They want to be pushed. They care about their work. Their leadership, and those they rely on to get things done, must match their appetite for success.   
• Trial and error is condemned. The freedom to try out new ideas allows employees to take initiative, make decisions, and learn from their mistakes. It also demonstrates an attractive and inspiring entrepreneurial spirit.
• Your company is structured so it takes a lifetime to get to the top, and as such there are no digital experts in company-wide leadership positions. Digital talent--often in their 20s and 30s--need to see a clear path for uninhibited career development that’s based on merit, not years spent, and that’s beyond the confines of the digital department. If they don’t, they won’t see a reason to stay with the company in the long term.  
• Your offices are cold, impersonal and downright stodgy. It may sound like it conflicts with the “you don’t need to be in Silicon Valley point,” but appreciate the nuance. A traditional office layout is designed to communicate power among certain individuals and barriers between departments. This does not support the collaborative ethos which is intrinsic to the web. Companies should do everything possible to provide the digital team friendlier, open office space. A location in a hip, young neighborhood (which surely exists in every mid- to large-sized city) is also a big plus.  

When all of these digital-talent deterring points are addressed, company leadership has effectively and proactively demonstrated the company’s dedication to a digital transformation. It is at this time that their words, a broadly communicated firm stance on the significance of the company’s digital goals, will make the most impact. Without this conspicuous top-down support, politics in the organization or simply one influential disbeliever can hinder the effort, limit the extent of digital integration possible, and discourage valuable employees.  
You need them more than they need you. Demand for their services is so high, they can afford to be finicky. If they don’t like where they’re working, another firm with a more attractive culture and more grand opportunity will quickly swipe them up. That could be your company. But it could just as easily be someone else.

Related articles: 

• Want To Keep (And Motivate) Your Best Employees? It's Not About The Money
  
• How To Discover Amazing Talent For Your Startup
  
• Your Next High-Paying Job May Be In An Industry That Was Never On Your Radar
  
• What It Takes To Get A Job At Google

Adapted from Users Not Customers: Who Really Determines the Success of Your Business (Portfolio), by Aaron Shapiro, CEO of HUGE, a digital agency that helps companies including PespiCo, Comcast, Target, HBO, and Unilever reimagine how they interact with their customers and manage their business in the online economy. Visit aaronshapiro.com.
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PH "Rock" of Global IT-BPO industry

By Tam Noda
 

MANILA, Philippines - Citing the way Filipinos deliver their services through call centers and outsourcing firms in the country, the Philippines today was tagged as "rock" of the global IT and Business Process Outsourcing (IT-BPO) industry.
 
"If before we call the Philippines as an important key in the field of outsourcing, we call it today as the rock of the global IT-BPO industry," said Martin Noel Conboy, president of the Australian BPO Association, during this afternoon's press conference of the 3rd Annual International Outsourcing Summit (IOS) at the Sofitel Philippine Plaza hotel.

Conboy made the announcement with Alfredo Ayala, chairman of the Business Processing Association of the Philippines (BPAP); Valentin Makarov, president of RUSSOFT Association in Russia; Gaurav Gupta, managing partner (India) of Everest Group; Nour Al Hmoud, director of Investment Promotion at Jordan Investment Board; Grace Castillo, head of enterprise segment of Globe Telecoms; and Albert Mitchell Locsin, vice president and head of corporate relationship management of PLDT (Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co.).

Ayala told reporters that over 400 delegates and 80 speakers from various countries took part in this year's IOS, a high-level conference organized by BPAP to tackle the future of the global IT-BPO industry, particularly the development of non-voice and complex IT-BPO services.

BPAP reported the more than 50 percent of the summit's audience composed of foreign nationals only shows the country's significant role in the global IT-BPO industry that is expected to grow to $270 billion by 2016.

"Competition may be tough, but it opens a world of possibilities as well, especially for Asia. Our focus is on strengthening the country's IT-BPO sector," Lacdao said, as he reiterates BPAP's strategies in creating stronger collaborations and partnerhips with the government.

Lacdao shared that President Benigno Aquino III is keeping a proactive stance towards the industry by way of his Public-Private Partnership (PPP) program, intending to extend this to infrastructure projects and to be applied later on to the local IT-BPO sector.

BPAP said that although voice service has grown globally by 20 percent since last year, non-voice is growing faster in services on back office, health care, IT, engineering, among others.

Conboy said the current outsourcing industry in the Philippines is no longer entirely made up of voice service, but more on non-voice and the challenge remains on how to attract the country's rich pool of non-voice talents to work in the industry.

Conboy added that among the new non-voice talents that are in demand today are the country's supply of workers who are skilled in social media such as Facebook and Twitter.

Animation, according to Lacdao, remains a hot channel that the country can explore and develop fresh talents.

A study by The Everest Group revealed that Asia accounts for 21 of the 38 new delivery centers established in the second quarter of 2011. Aside from the Philippines, Brazil is considered a "mature" market location for IT services, while countries like Nicaragua and Kenya are emerging destinations for delivery centers.

Source: Philstar
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