Industry news
Call centre staff 'health at risk'
Posted Mon, 18 Jun 2012
Trade union Unison has warned that the million call centre workers in the UK are at risk from physical and mental health problems because of the nature of the work.
Results from a survey by the union found that despite health and safety regulations, at least some of the time 70% of workers surveyed suffered from eye strain, 60% reported hearing problems and over 50% had problems with their voices.
On top of this, over 80% said that call centre work made them feel stressed and almost one in four thought that the stress damaged their home life.
Staff said that they could not protect their own heath because of the high-volume, repetitive work, as well as the pressure, targets and closely monitored working. And 25% of people spoken to said that even their toilet access was restricted.
Dave Prentis, General Secretary of Unison, said that workers rightly expect a "duty of care" for both their health and mental wellbeing from their employers. He stressed that the results of the survey "must be addressed urgently".
Copyright Press Association 2012