Another update from the Jungle….
Mason is a slacker dude who attended college for two years on a beer and pizza plan until his dad had a chat with him. His dad gave Mason three options: make stellar grades for a semester and dad would start paying for college again, join the military, or get a job.
Mason decided to get a job. Since he has no marketable skills and his dad isn’t a politician with connections, he accepts the only job he is offered: working in a call center. He sits in a low-walled cubicle talking to customers while wearing a headset that he can fantasize is actually a computer game headset. As long as he’s got his favorite carbonated drink and potato chips, he’s happy.
Mason does so well that his dad daydreams of a day when Mason will be a responsible adult. Then Mason is transferred to the “retention” department where angry customers are sent by the regular call center staff. These angry customers explain in great detail how much they hate the company, its product, and its employees.
Mason’s first line of defense to so much hate and fury is to treat it all as a game. He’s actually very good at the job because he never gets angry; he lets the words roll over him. But gradually, the abuse blasting over his headset wears down even the defenses of a slacker dude. Drinking an extra coke or eating an extra bag of chips doesn’t alleviate the dreariness of each work day.
Mason sleeps in repeatedly and is written up for tardiness. He drinks greater quantities of adult beverages on the weekends. On one memorable occasion, he shows up late and still drunk. His supervisor informs him that if it happens again, Mason will be fired. Mason stares blearily, wondering when his supervisor will realize that he doesn’t care.
What are Mason’s options?
- He can continue breaking the rules to see how long it takes to actually be fired from the one job he is good at.
- He can drink more alcohol and become a zombie at work.
- He can look for another job that is less mentally distressing.
Call centers are full of employees who are worn down by the stress of customer service, dull workspaces, and constant monitoring for infractions of company rules. As employees disengage, employers become more rigid about enforcing the rules in an effort to boost productivity which increases turnover. HR staff can ease the pain for everyone by revamping HR policies to emphasize rewards rather than punishments.
If your company is struggling with HR issues, Corporate Compliance Risk Advisor can help you create HR policies that are appropriate for your company’s size and then serve as a resource to your staff as the policies are implemented.
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