HEALTH HAZARDS ARE FOR REAL

Call centre employees are prone to spondylitis and backache. — Photo by Manoj Mahajan

Call centre employees may be happy with the money they are raking in, but the health hazards being faced by them are a cause of concern to experts. Employees suffer both psychological and physical problems.

The first is trying to act like an American for most of the day and then stepping into the real world. Employees nowadays are forbidden to answer questions about their locations if their accent is questioned by the caller. "Even an answer like being an Indian immigrant in the US does not really help when the caller starts asking about the weather," says Sandhya K, an employee. She says this means the employees have to keep abreast with American culture by watching Sex and the City and know about the favourite chicken dish of the British. "This causes constant stress to newcomers who worry they may not be able to pass off as foreigners," says Sandhya.

Performance monitoring also takes its toll on employees, says a study conducted on call centre employees by Sudhashree VP of the Occupations Health Institute in Bangalore. The study, which looked into health problems faced by such employees, felt performance monitoring also had an adverse impact on the health of employees. Every single second of an employee’s time is recorded, measured and automatically logged onto a computer for praise or censure on a weekly basis. This means an employee has to think hard before taking even a cooler break or talking too often with a fellow colleague.

Among the serious physical problems are spondylitis, backache, soreness and dryness of the eyes, blurred vision and headache. This problem is more acute with team leaders who need to come in early and go back late. Employees also face croakiness of voice and an irritating cough besides the inability to speak. They are also known to suffer from digestive problems due to irregular eating habits and the tendency to eat more when stressed out. Chronic levels of stress affect the heart, endocrine system and also lead to sleep disorders which, the study says, is the cause of BOSS or the Burnout Stress Syndrome.

Although call centres have now started providing counselling to employees, who are covered under medical insurance schemes, the attrition rate continues to be above 35 per cent annually with most employees leaving within two years. With turnover rates being as high as 30 per cent and not enough people available to fill the gap, the industry has now started employing people in the forty-plus age group, a move which is likely to increase health concerns in the industry.