Addressing Bullying and Harassment in the Contact Centre
Deepak Selvaratnam
Founder and Co developer of Snapshotz & Remotability - Director at Customer Services Audit
Firstly, I want to commend Laura Frykberg from Stuff for highlighting the struggles of contact centre workers who are allegedly facing sexual harassment.?
It is heartbreaking to learn that these vulnerable workers must endure mistreatment from management just to make ends meet.
Unfortunately, this is not an isolated case; Over the years I have personally witnessed numerous instances of bullying and harassment in the contact centre industry. I have brought these issues to light, which may explain why I am not welcome on some industry association sites.
Bullying and harassment are sine qua non with the contact centre industry
Since 2009 CXSnapshotz has been monitoring health and safety and mental health as well-being is critical not just to the individual but also for the customer and the organisation.
Frontline agents bear the brunt of bullying and harassment from customers and then to bear the same from your team leader and manager causes further dissonance and a sense of hopelessness.???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
Management awareness is critical and so is the need to ensure that frontline team members along with support staff are provided with the appropriate competencies and skills to deal with customers as well as supervisors the awareness and competencies to bring fairness and a human-centred approach to the management of their reports.
Constant vigilance is the key and every organisation that employs students and other vulnerable individuals needs to ensure that all employees have access to independent channels where matters of bullying and harassment can be brought to light and reviewed ensuring the safety of the individual.
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Structure to combat risk
Many organisations have matured and well-structured processes for reporting and management with safety nets and support provided, however not all organisations possess the resources and capability required.
Conduct regular independent assessment
The best approach, regardless of the structure, is to conduct an independent assessment of operations. By examining processes and employee well-being, unfair practices often come to light, which allows for a further review of the organizational culture, management approach, and operational procedures.
Conducting this biannual evaluation independently will help ensure that employees' rights are protected, management remains aware of issues, and there is a continuous focus on staff well-being. This, in turn, fosters a more engaged workforce, leading to higher customer satisfaction.
The CXSnapshotz Snapshotz assessment, which has been applied to over 4,000 assessments, can identify staff wellbeing issues during regular audits. Aligned with ISO 45003, this tool manages psychosocial risks within an occupational health and safety (OH&S) management system based on ISO 45001. It is the only tool available specifically for contact centres and help desks to evaluate employee wellbeing.
Any further information? contact [email protected]
#bullying #harassment
Co-Founder BradshawBolton- Your Client Experience Experts
3 个月It’s also important to know that this is one of te hardest jobs in an organization and the role is often taken for granted. Why is it tough see below: 1. You must be at your best 100% of the time. Contact centre team members are the “voice”of the brand. This requires high energy and focus. 2. All aspects of the job are scheduled down to the minute. Unlike other roles you just can’t leave your desk to clear your head. 3. You must have tremendous knowledge as the interaction can go in many directions. This requires quick thinking and information at your fingertips. 4. It can be monotonous with one call after the next; especially if they are the same call type. 5. There is always tension between cost efficiency and the client experience. Deepak Selvaratnam, it is sad to here this is going. Thanks for the awareness on this!