Call Center Agent, isa sa mga pinaka in demand na trabaho ngayon dito sa Pilipinas at marami ang nagkakandarapang makapasok sa ganitong industriya. Madalas naiisip ng ibang tao kung anu nga bang ginagawa ng isang empleyadong nagtatrabaho sa isang call center office? Maraming nagsasabing ang mga call center agents ay simpleng telephone operator, nagtatransfer ng mga tawag, o di kaya ay nagbebenta ng kung anu anong bagay sa pamamagitan ng pakikipagusap sa telepono.
Personally, ako ay dating empleyado ng isang kilalang call center company at batid ko ang hirap at sakripisyo na dinaranas ng mga call center agents. We spend our nights working and our days sleeping, so when I first set foot in this industry, it was like, my world has changed! Though the compensation is good but in return, it gave me a big toll on my body. May mga araw din na talagang wala akong tulog kaya pumapasok ako sa work na puyat. May mga metrics din kaming dapat i-maintain para di materminate ang employment namin sa kumpanya. Kahit na regular employee na ang isang call center agent, nariyan pa rin ang threat na pwede syang materminate dahil sa performance. Good performance should be maintained to avoid termination.
I just read one article today regarding the complaints of call center agents and I would have to say that all the things written in the article are true.
We received several complaints from call center employees, both active and resigned about the hard working conditions in the industry.
We have therefore written to Sen. Jinggoy Estrada as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Labor and Employment to conduct an inquiry on the matter.
The following are the list of complaints we received:
1. Low salaries of P15,000 compared to P25,000 in Singapore.
2. Long working hours of 12 hours straight with only a 15 minute break.
3. Low 10 % night differential pay.
4. Mandatory requirement to work on holidays including Christmas, New Year and Holy Week.
5. Prohibition against joining labor unions in violation of labor laws.
6. Inadequate healthcare facilities and coverage resulting in a high incidence of pneumonia, heart, lung, UTI, and other ailments.
It is to be noted too that call center jobs are high risk job because of the night to morning work schedule. There have been several documented cases of call center employees being held up on their way to and from work.
The Philippines is the call center capital of the world both in terms of revenue and manpower. Our call center employees contribute greatly to our economy. Surely they need the support and protection of government. The Senate, by appropriate legislation, should take the lead in providing the same.
The Department of Labor is also asked to look into this matter.
Isa isahin natin.
1.) 15,000 is a very generous amount for an entry level position, and on top of the 15,000 pesos that call center agents are earning during their early months in the company, they receive several incentives such as rice subsidy, meal allowance, transportation allowance, etc. However, because of the working environment and because the job is really exhausting, I think 15,000 isn't enough. Call center employers should realize that call center agents are the frontliners of their clients and they carry a heavy burden. Mumurahin, sisigawan at lalaitin ka pa ng mga clients mo pag di sila satisfied sa mga products na nirerepresent mo. Personally, I am a Microsoft Call center employee and I've had enough with all the complaints about the product but thankfully, because of the call center industry I was able to nurture my sarcasm. hahaha
2.) Long working hours is really an issue. When I read my contract, it was stated that I am required to work overtime. Having a background in Labor Law, I know that mandatory overtime is unlawful, and this doesn't make any sense. Kung unlawful ang mandatory OT e bakit patuloy pa rin ang operations ng mga call center companies? Call centers are proliferating, feeding itself like a virus. Parami sila ng parami, which is good, kasi mabibigyan ng job opportunities ang mga taong walang trabaho. But why? Just because there are periods where call centers lack staffing, and they need to require their agents to render overtime? I really don't think it's right. Mandatory overtime is unlawful, that's what my law professor said.
3.) Night differential rate should be not less than 10%, that's according to the labor code Rule 2 Section 2
SECTION 2. Night shift differential. — An employee shall be paid night shift differential of no less than ten per cent (10%) of his regular wage for each hour of work performed between ten o'clock in the evening and six o'clock in the morning.
30% ang night diff ko so wala akong reklamo. hahaha
Pero sa tingin ko, dapat i-amend ang provision na to, para naman mabigyang justice yung pagod ng mga call center agents na nagtatrabaho sa gabi. Hindi biro ang magpuyat ha, especially if you're bombarded with lots of complaints from your clients, and all you have to do is solve the problems of your customers while the fact remains that those problems aren't your problems. That sucks!
4.) Mandatory work on holidays? Hmmm, e kamusta naman yung mga nurses, doctors, mga mall employees, security guards, at iba pang employees na nagtatrabaho during holidays? Yun na!
5.) Why are call centers not allowed to join labor unions? I guess it will be better if call centers are allowed to join labor unions, so that employees can address their issues and complaints about the industry. Well agents, DOLE is there to listen to your problems. Nabasa ko sa isang forum site kung bakit bawal ang mga labor unions sa mga call centers. The reason for this is to attract foreign proponents to set up operations in a climate where labor unions are not allowed so they do not have the threat of labor unrest.
6.) When you work in this kind of industry you are susceptible to various diseases, dahil sa nature ng work na talaga namang napakastressful. May mga companies naman na nagbibigay ng wider coverage sa mga health insurance at sana, gayahin din ng ibang call center companies para uniform lahat diba? Naniniwala akong gaya ng ibang trabaho, kalusugan ang tanging puhunan para maging productive ang isang empleyado.
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