Proffesionals & Office Sector
Call centre workers suffering physical and mental health
problems
Employment Law & HR update 20/06/2012
Call centre workers in the UK are facing “significant risk” of
physical and mental health problems due to the highly-pressurised,
target-driven nature of the work, according to new research.
A survey carried out by the Unison trade union found that the
restrictive, closely-monitored working conditions in call centres –
where a quarter even reported having their toilet breaks limited –
were preventing workers from protecting their own health and
wellbeing.
Unison general secretary, Dave Prentiss, said that the research
had produced some alarming truths about the industry. Around 70 per
cent of the workers reported experiencing eyestrain from their
work, 60 per cent reported suffering hearing problems, while more
than half said that they had developed problems with their
voices.
More than 80 per cent of the workers surveyed said that they had
experienced major stress due to the work, with a quarter of those
workers stating that it had negatively affected their home and
personal lives.
“Workers rightly expect their employers to have a duty of care
not only to their physical health, but also to their mental
wellbeing, and the findings of this survey – that eight in 10 are
experiencing stress, a quarter of them to a damaging degree – must
be addressed urgently,” Prentiss said.
“The results of this survey should be a wake up call for call
centre employers, and Unison demands that they act now before the
situation gets even worse.”
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