I cleaned out my desk today

[Food Lady]

(just like I did last year one day). I just hit the wall at the end of my shift and I still don't know if I'm going to work tomorrow.

I am sick to death of being babysat. I will be on a call and get an IM asking if I'm OK because the call is long. If I need help I will ask and you are distracting me which isn't helping. I will be called literally 3 minutes after getting off the phone to be asked if I'm OK. Again, I will ask if I need help. I'm good at my job but I don't know everything so I know when to ask. Often while I'm getting that call I will be IM'ed by my boss to ask the same thing. LEAVE ME ALONE AND LET ME DO MY JOB! They *say* they are trying to help but that's not true. They are harassing us.

This afternoon I got that call and I straight ignored it because I was noting something complicated so I will remember what I was doing when I go back to fix this account. It's imperative that I do so because when I do look at it again I will not have the time to re-research it. The ignored call netted me one from Boss Lady which I had to answer. I'd been told on. I explained to her why I ignored the first one and her response was "Well, it's been 10 minutes, so..." to which I replied "I don't doubt it!" If you're going to interrupt me every two minutes it's going to take 10 minutes.
I coded my phone for being away from my desk and finished it. When I was done I was so angry that I actually did walk away from my desk, probably for 10 minutes. We have 20 per week. I can guarantee it will be brought up at my next weekly with her. That will be 2 weeks in a row. A third week and I'm on probation and close to being fired. I have already discussed with Boss that I am not able to walk away when frustrated. I'm literally tethered to my workstation.

To make matters worse, half an hour before I was to leave I got some guy that all but refused to verify his info. I could've hung up on him but I am fairly patient so I didn't I should have, especially when he kept talking over me as I was trying to get info. about the complaint so I could actually help. My coworkers have warned customers not to do so with no reprimands. But I kept trying and was interrupting him to tell him you can't send a note about a billing issue to a payment center with a digital scanner. It doesn't care. At some point I tore off my headset, threw it down, and vented out loud that I was so DONE with being shouted at. I don't even know why I muted it after that; I'm sure it was heard/recorded. I know it was because instead of clocking out and leaving it there I put the headset back on and sat silently. He said "Are you done?" We finished the phone call but I was so angry that I just sat there for 10 minutes.

That did it. I was the one who took his previous call on the issue and was patient. I know that because I'm always patient. People remark on it. And yet, here I was getting yelled at after being treated by management as if I were 5.

I don't have a second job to back me up. I quit my retail and I now regret that. I burned my bridge there; I quit the day after I was injured and put that among other things as my reason. There's a company I worked for recently that's hiring, but only part time. Even if I procure that one, I can't quit tomorrow. I can't afford to.

I called my dear friend who used to have my job for 8 years. I don't know how she did it. I told her I should start doing stuff to see how long it takes them to write me up. She agreed I should while looking for another job. I really want to see because they never discipline me formally, just harass me. My actual record is good. Customers love me. I had one today wanting my boss' email so she could say. But the harassment continues.

[MoonCat]

I'm so sorry, I wish I had some useful advice to offer. The only thing I can think of is to ask for a private sit-down with your boss to discuss this, in which you would point out that you are fully capable of asking for help if you need it, and also could point out that you get positive reviews from customers. But I have a feeling that what they've been doing is their version of "coaching" and your boss probably won't be very open to backing off.

If there is something else you can apply for, I wish you the best of luck! I am finding out just how hard it is to get a new job so I hope things go easier for you!

[Food Lady]

The only thing I can think of is to ask for a private sit-down with your boss to discuss this, in which you would point out that you are fully capable of asking for help if you need it, and also could point out that you get positive reviews from customers.

This is great advice and we've done it. We had a standing meeting on Wednesdays for a few weeks. The coaching or whatever we want to call it will never end because our billing system is so screwed up that the call volume never slows down. We are expected to operate like a regular customer service call center even though we are having to do actual research and complicated notes for other departments.

I just can't do it while having a conversation with the customer and I'm reluctant to put him/her on hold so I end up working on stuff after I hang up with them which is the problem.
Plus I pull other accounts in between--even though I'm not supposed to--because I simply don't trust that I'm going to be given the time to work them. I've been doing less of that because they get assigned to my team lead but honestly she closes tickets before I'm done with everything which drives me nuts. I don't want to go for an actual account manager position because the stress is exponential there and that department has a revolving door. And they are doing more collections than ever before which I do not want to do.

So yeah, a couple of friends I trust have agreed I should look elsewhere. I might have to take a paycut. That pushes out my financial goals further in the future. I finally have the means to take care of that stuff and I will have to lose funds. *sigh*

[telecom_goddess]

I work in a call center with constant "coaching" and monitoring of every thing I do every second of the day, which amounts to micro managing, and I hate it too. I have a panic attack every day I go to work. I'm also very bad on concentrating on other things while on a call, I just can't do it. I've explained this before. So my "adherence" is not passing right now, and I figure over everything else it's the least damn important.

I need to find something else before I go bonkers.

[Food Lady]

I didn't go in this morning but that's because I got a leg cramp that rendered me practically incapable of walking and it's slippery outside. I consider it a blessing. I am going in this afternoon and using sick time for this morning. I'm at the point where it hurts but I'm able to limp. At first I couldn't even put my left foot to the floor. Oh, wow--I can feel that nerve reacting in my foot right now. It's like I'm being poked with needles.

[Seanette]

I work in a call center with constant "coaching" and monitoring of every thing I do every second of the day, which amounts to micro managing, and I hate it too. I have a panic attack every day I go to work. I'm also very bad on concentrating on other things while on a call, I just can't do it. I've explained this before. So my "adherence" is not passing right now, and I figure over everything else it's the least damn important.

I need to find something else before I go bonkers.

Are you me? OK, it's my handle time that's bugging my sup (who's actually reasonable about it, and quite encouraging about improvement), but otherwise, this was my day. See post in MiM for my rant about my day.

[KuariKaydrith]

I used to do call center work, and with each one I found that they started out okay and then went down the shitter. Sometimes it was quick, sometimes it was slow. The one I worked at last has found their employee turn-over go through the roof due to how they treat their staff and their tendency to not staff correctly for the call volume. Only part of the staffing issue can be blamed on their clients because most of it falls on the fact that they've screwed over a good portion of people who have vowed to never return (like myself) and have spread the word about what a shit show the place is.

I don't know why it is that these places have a tendency to set unrealistic call stats and refuse to listen when a majority of their agents try to tell them that what management/clients are demanding is completely unreasonable. But I do know that call centers are hell on Earth for people with depression and/or anxiety...I still have nightmares from the last place and it's been over two years since I left!

[gerund]

When I am micro managed I become extremely passive aggressive.

Them: "Are you OK?"
Me: "Oh my gosh no! I was nearly finished [job] and you rang me. Now I've lost my place and I think I will have to start over."

And I would make it so by starting over.

Them: (Ringing me in the middle of a call) "Are you OK?"
Me: "I'm on a call, can I chat afterwards?"
Them: "But what are you doing?"
Me: "I'm on a call. Can I please finish the call before you interrupt me?"
Afterwards when they are schooling me.

Me: "I can't handle our customers when I keep getting distracted. It makes my job so much harder."
Them: "We need to know what is taking so long."
Me: "And I can explain it to you easily after the call."
Them: "But we want to help you if you are having problems."
Me: "I can ask for help if I am having problems. I've been here for 12 months now."

All said in the nicest, reasonable voice.