Call centre working is a danger to your mental health.
Depression, anxiety, panic attacks, high blood pressure, sleeping problems and even suicidal thoughts are common among call centre workers.
More than 4 in 5 respondents to a Unison survey said that work made them stressed.
In another survey [Mind], when asked how workplace stress affected them:
More than one in five (21 per cent) had called in sick to avoid work,
14 per cent had resigned, and
42 per cent had considered resigning.
“I could barely breathe from an anxiety attack”
Toni
“I was feeling suicidal nearly every day”
Rachel
So, how does call centre working cause mental health problems?
verbal abuse from callers – UNISON survey: 86% experienced verbal abuse
no recovery time between calls
constant pressure to work faster
noisy, busy, open plan offices
uncomfortable workstations
oppressive sensory environment – ventilation, temperature, lighting, etc
managers cracking the whip
targets which are impossible to meet
“I had someone on the phone say they were going to kill me”
Kim
“There’s a real 1984 atmosphere”
David
“My call centre prided themselves on treating staff well, but I still felt under extreme pressure to perform to unreasonable targets to make sure my job was safe”
Rebecca
It seems obvious that working conditions are the problem
-> so why are the ‘solutions’ usually suggested addressed to the effects rather than the causes? eg. mental health “awareness” campaigns, patronising lifestyle advice, Mental Health First Aid, counsellors
These measures may alleviate some problems in the short term, but they add to the idea that the problem is with the worker not with the workplace.
If you were in a job where workers repeatedly had serious physical accidents – falling from heights, getting mangled by machinery, etc, and the employer suggested training more first aiders, you would say that was inadequate; that the employer needed to sort out the workplace and stop the accidents happening in the first place. The same applies to mental health. Yes, it is good for employers to provide MHFA or counsellors, but it would be better still for them to stop driving us into distress.
Moreover, it seems that some employers are using counsellors to ‘manage people out’ of the job. If, after a course of six sessions, you are still struggling, that’s it – you can’t do the job.
So, to tackle the mental health crisis, we need to change the workplace:
manageable workload
secure employment contracts
decent wages
shorter hours (without loss of pay)
a comfortable working environment
adequate breaks
workers’ control over conditions
How do we get this?
The employers won’t give it out of the kindness of their hearts!
And arguments that protecting workers’ mental health is good for business will only get us so far.
We need to organise. Join a trade union and form an active union group in your workplace. Identify demands, put them to your employer and prepare to take action to fight for them.
Even doing that can improve your mental health!
