Modern slavery

littlefeet

https://www.rte.ie/news/business/2025/0526/1515048-ebay-worker-loses-constructive-dismissal-claim/

Nothing to do with the case, but anything above 60 seconds away from the computer is considered work avoidance and 4 minutes away from the computer is a disciplinary offence.

Surely this is a form of modern slavery?

Ozmodya

I don't know but it's vindictively petty. I have worked in two call centres and they have to have rules regarding being away from desk, in non call status etc but they still give SOME leeway. And certainly not a disciplinary.

nearby_cheetah

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058411615/modern-slavery

Who do you think answers the calls while the person is away for 4 minutes? If you worked in a call center, would you like to pick up the additional work?

Are you happy enough to wait in call queues for even longer than they are now, so that the call takers can take even more breaks than agreed?

Eoinbmw

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058411615/modern-slavery

Where they getting paid?

littlefeet

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123510864#Comment_123510864

I had a call with an insurance company call center yesterday, the call was calm not rushed the person had plenty of time and told me she had plenty of time and at the end of the call said she said is there any thing else I can help you with. That's what I expect, no trying to wrap it up quickly, no speaking at double speed to meet their time targets, employ more staff so every interaction is like that, of course there has to be rules but reasonable rules.

Mrs OBumble

Slaves don't get paid.

Call centre employees do.

Companies don't dismiss people for a first or second offense. For it to get to firing, they were seriously taking the píss.

littlefeet

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123513694#Comment_123513694

Read my post again, I didn't say it was slavery, I said it's modern slavery, I also said the post was not about the case, as large multinational companies are very protocol-oriented, they would not have let the person go without following the correct process.

Its the fact that 90 seconds away from the computer is seen as work avoidance.

As I said, there has to be rules, but reasonable rules.

Orban6

We are all slaves!

Potatoeman

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123514895#Comment_123514895

Go to Dubai if you want to see modern slavery, some of the wealthy there do own slaves.

thegame983

It's not slavery

But call centres are run by utter c**ts.

littlefeet

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123514931#Comment_123514931

My post, was a bit of hyperbole in case you didn't get that bit.

littlefeet

I would rather be the type of slave who can say I'm working from home today, I'll be taking my daughter to the health center for an appointment, so no meeting between 10 and 12.

I suspect that has something to do with (1) how valuable you are to the employer and (2) how senior you are.

Not talking about working from home so someone can mind children regularly, that's a complete no-no.

Neowise

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123513542#Comment_123513542

I don't understand what this has to do with your other posts about the lad who was avoiding calls by leaving a finished email open, idling. As longs as they are talking to you, they are doing their job, it is not 'call' avoidance to keep talking to a client, they probably would have happily kept talking to you for hours, as long as they could pawn it of as a continued work call.

littlefeet

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123515068#Comment_123515068

Anytime I have had to interact with a call center, you can always tell the ones who are under pressure to wrap it up rather than deal with the issue, versus the company that is genuinely interested in customer service and not viewing it as a nuisance and a cost.

suvigirl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123510864#Comment_123510864

If it means the call taker gets to use the toilet, then yeah I can wait another 4 mins 🙄

nearby_cheetah

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123515146#Comment_123515146

And what if more than one employee decide to take more breaks than entitled? Some on a toilet break. Some taking smoke breaks. Some on a tea break. Some on a personal phone call. Some going to stretch their legs.

Meanwhile, the call queue grows and grows as throughput collapses and when you join from the back , you could be waiting hours. How can you say that you'll wait when you have no idea how long you could potentially be waiting for ? Do you not have plans or foresight of your own day that allows you just wait for an undetermined period of time?

I'm guessing planning, foresight and any sense of predictably are not big parts of your professional or personal life. It is in mine so when I do have to contact a call centre, I don't want the employees wandering around the place on unofficial breaks.

suvigirl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123515880#Comment_123515880

Actually, I can manage to do other tasks while on hold, so not too difficult really. I don't think I'm more important then other people so I don't mind if someone needs a toilet break.

magicbastarder

Having to say the same things over and over and over must fry your brain. A real case of 'have I said this to you already?' if you've had a similar conversation ten times with ten other people in the last hour.

Purple Mountain

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123515146#Comment_123515146

I cut my teeth as a young newbie worker in a call centre. The week I knew it was time to call it quits was when I was interrogated about an extended bathroom break (I was doubled over in agony in the toilet with menstrual pain!) and I spent "too long" on one call (that was to an elderly man who had recently lost his wife who did all their admin work so was looking for guidance from me).

I get that there's píss takes but there is also goodwill and human decency and common sense.

Kalimah

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123516007#Comment_123516007

I had similar. Disciplined for hanging up on an absolute wagon one night at half past midnight. She only wanted to moan about being just a number to the company. The final nail in the coffin was when she screamed blue murder at me for saying “yes, yes I understand”.
If it was the last job on earth I’d never do it again.

nearby_cheetah

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123515947#Comment_123515947

Really? You can stay close by to a phone for an unknown duration and not impact on your day? You must lead an uninteresting life.

What about all the other employees in the call centre, aren't they entitled to extra breaks if one of them is?

What about other callers who might not be able to "multitask" like you claim, their time has to be interrupted waiting in an ever growing call queue while the employees take unscheduled extra breaks of unknown duration.

suvigirl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123516055#Comment_123516055

I have a mobile phone 😉 I don't need to stay near it, it stays near me

Grueller

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123516055#Comment_123516055

My case would be,self employed,mobile phone, earpiece and keep working away at my own stuff. Far more interesting than a job where I am on such a tight schedule that I can't sort my own problems

whisky_galore

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123514944#Comment_123514944

I think they called one set of call centre founders a "power couple" but utter cünts is more fitting.

Addmagnet

My view is that poor managers will use metrics to beat up their underlings; good managers never need to.

Roald Dahl

I saw this last week and was taken aback at the appalling work practices of this employer. It sounds like an absolutely ghastly place to work and I don't really understand the support here for such working conditions.

The job in question involved replying to emails, not taking calls, and so is not a call centre as such, but the thread did come around to an inbound call centre scenario and worries about callers not being answered due to an abundance of putatively workshy staff.

There is never a shortage of call centre jobs, so anyone with deep concerns about call wait times and abandon rates should feel free to jump on in and lend a helping hand. Throw the auld headset on, go on ready and take a few calls. Show us all how it's done. Keep a sharp eye out for the waiting times and calls in queue on the wallboard, mind!

Rocket_GD

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123516055#Comment_123516055

Didn't you mention on a thread that you cut your grass during working hours?

Yet you're not ok with people using the toilet for a few minutes or making a cup of tea because your time is too precious.

ELM327

So I have not worked in that call center or for that company but I do work in the MNC fintech realm and have done for over 15 years. I've managed budgets for 'headcount' for specific tasks or queues.

This person is a headcount like anyone else on a specific queue with a scheduled active time. If they are not active they should be on a call, on a scheduled break or lunch, or (and here's the key point) have self selected to go on an unscheduled break. It sounds to me like the employee was work avoiding by not using the unscheduled break tab, and thus making himself be recorded as productive when he should have been recorded as unproductive. Employees in this type of role would be incentivised via bonus to maximise their time in productive states and also their schedule adherence. Headcounts to take calls are a costly resource and if everyone took x minutes extra per hour of work avoiding then perhaps the company/area/dept would need to hire more resources and pass that cost on to consumers.

Also, and I know this from personal experience, MNC would not pursue and fire someone without having all the ducks in a row. If they were fired from this they had to have been taking the piss to ridiculous levels. I've seen people getting so many warnings and still employed. There's so much that happens behind the scenes on something like this.

littlefeet

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123516585#Comment_123516585

My post was not about the case per se, as a multinational would not have dismissed him without going through a thorough process, so yeah, he was probably taking the p, but whether it's reasonable to have as a matrix 90 seconds away is work avoidance.

I would also take issue with always seeing customer service through the lens of cost, customers are the ones generating the profit for the company. Without customers, the company wouldn't exist.

ELM327

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123516716#Comment_123516716

The point is though he can take 90 seconds away without issue. He could take 10 minutes if he wanted. The issue, and why this was work avoidance, is he didn't change his status from a productive to an unproductive status.

Regarding your second point I agree on a macro level for sure but whether we like it or not this is how customer service depts are usually viewed. Would you pay €X for your insurance or €X*110% to the company with better CS?

littlefeet

I always pick Aer Lingus over Ryanair up to a certain point.

I did a bit of digging around on this. Why do some call centers/ customer services have less turnover of staff and are more sought after as a job and are seen as long-term secure careers, and some have huge turnovers and are considered avoided at all costs?