Whenever a reference is made to hazardous work, thoughts of road construction or chemical plants may come to mind, but rarely call centers. Sure, this environment can be high stress and agents can develop health problems due to that strain, but the risk involved in working in the call center goes beyond mere stress.

 

A New Zealand professor, Richard Beasley of the Medical Research Institute in Wellington, has urged contact center workers to be sure and take frequent “micro-pauses” from their workstations in order to decrease the risk of deep vein thrombosis or DVT.

 

Beasley conducted a study that included office and contact center workers and found that 34 percent of patients admitted to the hospital with blood clots had been seated for long periods of time. At times, these individuals were going three to four hours without getting up from their workstation. These call center workers relied on their computer in order to complete the duties of their jobs and thus remained seated at the computer for hours on end.

 

DVT, sometimes referred to “economy class syndrome” because of its association with long-haul air travel, is the result of blood clots developing in deep veins of the legs of those who are immobile for long periods. The clots can break off and travel to the heart, lungs or brain and cause chest pain, breathlessness or even death from a heart attack or stroke. Beasley strongly recommended that deskbound computer users take frequent pauses from their work to take time to stand up and stretch their arms and legs.

 

While such warnings are important for the call center worker to heed, the health of employees should also be a priority for the center itself. While the activities of the job are not a health risk alone, the combination of stress, sitting in one place too long, sleep deprivation for second and third shift personnel and other factors can contribute to a less than healthy employee.

 

While the employee should take some responsibility for their own care, the call center and its parent organization should encourage an environment that fosters good health. This can not only help to keep employees healthy and on the job, it can also encourage a more efficient and productive work environment.

 

A survey by design firm Gensler found that employees believe they would be 21 percent more productive if given a better working environment. In fact, nearly half of respondents said they would log an extra hour per day under such improved circumstances.

 

The call center that takes a proactive approach in providing a healthy environment for their employees provides the maximum benefit to get the optimal performance out of the call center as a whole. It provides employees with the understanding that they are valued and it helps to promote satisfaction that can lead to better performance and longer tenure, which both improve the bottom line.

 

 

 

Susan J. Campbell is a contributing editor for TMC (News - Alert) and has also written for eastbiz.com. To see more of her articles, please visit Susan J. Campbell’s columnist page.