![]() The Results Companies, a business process outsourcing services provider with over 20 call center locations, gave workers in St.Otherwise, they are still expected to come into the office. According to one agent, the option to work from home is only available so long as employees have access to or purchase the necessary equipment themselves. CyraCom gave its employees the option to work from home after workers walked out in March due to reports that their colleague fell ill and went to the emergency room. One worker at the CyraCom International center in Phoenix, which houses hundreds of workers at a time, started to show coronavirus-like symptoms in February and had to go to the emergency room. CyraCom International bills itself as the largest provider of telephone interpretation services in the United States.Conduent has ironically been tapped by state and local governments to track coronavirus cases with its software product, Maven. According to one employee, Conduent is not abiding by the CDC’s social distancing recommendations. Customer service representatives in some departments at a Cherry Hill, New Jersey call center operated by Conduent, a BPO company that services clients like USAA, Rite Aid, Edison, Reynolds, Honeywell, and Verizon, have yet to hear back from management as to whether they can work from home as anxieties rise amidst the coronavirus pandemic.An ABC affiliate also recently reported cramped conditions in Alorica’s El Paso call center. ![]() Last week, workers at an Alorica call center in Tucson with about 800 workers reported that they are still clocking in to work despite cramped workspaces and sick colleagues, according to the Arizona Daily Star. Moreover, workers say that social distancing measures have not been taken and desks are not spaced six feet apart. and overseas, many employees are still expected to come into the office, and disinfectant wipes or hand sanitizer have not been available to all workers. At Alorica, a massive business process outsourcing company that has been accused of exploiting workers both in the U.S.In recent weeks, employees at bank call centers including Wells Fargo’s, who have been deemed “essential workers,” have tested positive - but protective measures are slow to be implemented. The industry also has one of the lowest rates of union representation in the country. The financial industry, which employs thousands of call center workers to support its customers, is also plagued by systemic issues of discrimination, low-wages, extreme sales goals, and whistleblower retaliation.Some companies have also failed to implement effective social distancing policies and cleaning to protect employees. Some of the companies have failed to move their employees to telework or have only moved a percentage of their workforce home. Workers at major call center operators are speaking out about their concerns. ![]() Union-represented companies including Verizon, AT&T, CenturyLink, and American Airlines have all negotiated quickly with the Communications Workers of America (CWA) to implement temporary telework arrangements and emergency paid leave that covers school closures, high risk individuals, and caregiving responsibilities. Some major corporations have transitioned their call center employees to remote telework and instituted emergency paid leave provisions to support employees impacted by the pandemic. Industry leaders have acknowledged that call centers present special risks for the spread of covid-19. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) has made clear that all companies should take steps to protect their workers and the public, including telework where feasible. As call centers across the country provide support to consumers navigating the coronavirus pandemic and corporations rely increasingly on remote assistance with many storefronts closed down, call center workers are being forced to make difficult choices about whether to follow their employers’ demands to work in close proximity to others, or heed recommendations by the WHO and CDC to shelter in place and social distance to prevent community spread. ![]()
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