Call Centre’s Green Call

More and more people are becoming aware of our environmental responsibilities and have treated it with utmost importance. There are a lot of environmentalists programs that teach or conduct seminars on how to prevent such things that cause problems in the environment and increase the awareness in the society.

We all know the “Reduce, reuse and recycle” slogan that has been going around for years, the constant reformulation of fuels for cars to produce less smoke, and water conservation, these prove how essential it is to protect our environment. As of present time, going green is becoming a popular trend among industries particularly the office furniture world. Using earth-friendly materials or recycled products help with the improvement of our environment by minimizing waste.

Companies like Interior Concepts who engage in manufacturing and designing office furniture for call centers and educational facilities have a whole policy covering how they provide solutions that are friendly to the environment and the responsibilities it comes along with. They are promoting the use of recycled materials to help preserve natural resources and can thus be passed on to the next generations.

Another point they made from acquiring recycled materials was how it can sustain profits for it can be purchased more economically than brand new materials. The company’s policy also states the use of enough materials and human resources to produce a product will of course prevent from over utilizing and wasting of their capital goods. They also deliver their products wrapped in blankets. When it comes to delivery, they try to reduce the amount of shipments by shipping products that are mostly assembled already. By doing so, they lessen the amount of fuels they use. Most of their fabrics too are Green-e certified.

By using mostly recycled materials, they are promoting sustainability and conserving the natural resources needed in manufacturing. Interior Concepts truly takes pride in their dedication to being the environment friendly innovators of furniture.

Call Center Agent's Reality Check

The call center industry is well regarded now as one that can provide employment to the increasing population of jobless Filipinos. Not only that the industry can promise employment but a competitive compensation, tempting fresh graduates to take the seat as a call center agent. But despite of the clear future that the call center career could offer, there is always a consequence upon looking on the other side. Check this article from Alexia Rodriguez of Contact News Magazine, the leading magazine of the outsourcing industry.

Call centers' health hazards

Work's stringent demands exact health toll on call center employees

Long hours of work, permanent night shifts, incredibly high work targets and loss of identity are the dark clouds that threaten to mar the 'sunshine' call center industry in the Philippines.

Results of a survey conducted by the Department of Health among 50 people working in call center firms showed that call center work ranked high for attrition due to health reasons, sleeping disorders, voice loss, ear problems, digestive disorders and eyesight problems.

The survey was undertaken to identify the health problems of call center employees at an early stage, to identify the needs of women, mothers and young workers, to assess the risks perceived, to suggest risk reduction measures, and to review the health status of employees.

Call center agents Health problems

About 30 to 40 percent of the employees working in call centers had complained of eye problems due to poor lighting conditions and intensive computer use. Soreness, dryness, blurred vision, light sensitivity, headache -- all these put together is labeled as computer vision syndrome. This problem is more acute with the team leaders who need to come in early and go home late.

Digestive disorders are also common among employees call centers, according to the DOH survey. Thirty-four percent of employees had complaints of this type, as revealed by the Human Resources managers.

It was also pointed out that employees are facing the possibility of losing their voice. In its chronic form, it is characterized by inability to speak, pain, croakiness of voice, irritating cough, poor vocal power, inability to modulate and breathing difficulties -- all due to intensive verbal interaction with clients, given the odd timing and nature of work that roots people to a chair nine hours a day, reading pre-scripted conversations on the phone endlessly.

Employees have also been complaining of hearing problems due to exposure to high intensity sound from headsets and high sound levels from regular work.

Other issues were related to loss of identity, isolation, drug abuse, work pressure due to long hours of work, permanent night shift, and high work targets.

Negative work attitude

The increased reporting of health disorders results in boredom, job dissatisfaction, anger, etc.

Symptoms of the burnout syndrome, which include chronic fatigue, insomnia and complete alteration of the 24-hour biological rhythm of the body, are routine cause for sickness absenteeism, the DOH survey said.

Chronic levels of stress affect the heart, endocrine system and also lead to sleep disorders.

Although most such cases do not require treatment or medication, they need guidance on physical and mental coordination to cope with a job that requires hyper-alert efficiency.

The DOH underscored the need to implement policies concerning work shifts, especially prolonged night work, and the importance of pre-employment and periodic medical examinations. It also cited the need for counseling sessions to tackle the stress on the job.

In a paper entitled "A Philippine Case Study - Examining Health and Safety in Contact Centers," Occupational Safety and Health Center (OSHC) Executive Director Dulce Estrella-Gust said the two popular health hazards of working nightshifts is still obesity and nicotine dependency.

OSHC, a unit of the Department of Labor and Employment conducted its own survey of a number of call center companies recently and they validated what the industry has been suspecting for years, that call center agents are prone to smoking and over-eating.

"Call center agents are exposed to a lot of stress so they turn to smoking or they eat," says Dr. Estrella-Gust.

The OSHC issues policies to reduce work-related injuries, illnesses and even deaths. As part of its current program, Dr. Estrella-Gust and her people conduct trainings to all call center human resource managers on reducing occupational risk in the business process outsourcing field.

Call Center Agent Stress management

Since majority of the call center employees are fresh out of college, few tend to behave unprofessionally and indifferently. They do not take their job seriously, indulge in teasing, joking, and talking over mobile phones, and have disagreements with co-workers.

The call center executives, on the other hand, have more responsibility and accountability. They need to be disciplined to do well in the job. The supervisors always concentrate on performance and achieving targets. They do not have the time or the interest to go deep into these matters to find out the reasons for some of their employees' behaviors.

Unacceptable behaviors will cause disturbance to others and, overall, will affect productivity. Sleeping while on duty, reading novels and playing games on the computer during working hours brings down productivity: quality suffers.

According to DOLE-OSHC, the HR representatives and professional counselors jointly have a role to bring behavioral changes starting from the training days. Continuous education and counseling will help to prevent or mitigate such problems.

Psychologists say that behavioral/practica l approaches to stress management include exercise and eating a healthy, balanced diet, which includes diverse selections from the basic food groups. In addition, they recommend that the excessive use of alcohol, caffeine and sugar be avoided, as this contributes to fatigue and mood swings. It is also important to allow the body to rest and replenish itself to help the body develop resistance against future stress.

Progressive muscle relaxation is an active form of relaxation, where you contract each major muscle group of your body for about five seconds before loosening the contraction.

Some of the more passive relaxation approaches include listening to music, reading, and using saunas and hot tubs to relieve tension. Techniques used to relax the mind include meditation and visual imagery.

In the meantime meditation teaches you how to clear the mind of stressful and distracting thoughts by focusing the mental energy on your breathing. Visual imagery is designed to help the individual visualize himself/herself coping effectively with a stressor that was previously experienced as overwhelming.

Night work can be hazardous to your health and the demands of working in a stressful environment is a mental and physical strain on your general well being. Dr. Estrella-Gust advise nighttime workers to work on getting enough sleep, eating the right foods and keeping an active, social connection with family and friends. "Recognition of workers' problems in call centers is the first step," she says.

Modular Office Furniture for You and Me

Due to the evolution of the office furniture, modular office furniture has now become the trend when it comes to choosing what is best for your workplace. One must be aware that cubicles and modular office furniture are basically the same, but different in terms only. Many people, however, do not understand the scope of the decision that they are making when it comes to purchasing “modular office furniture”. After all, even if it seems like choosing a few cubicles will not do any harm, with the wrong one, it could be possible. Hence, here are a few guidelines that will prove to be helpful when it comes to modular office furniture for your office.

To start with, loyalty for your selected office furniture retailer is a must since it is basically the determining factor for the quality of your modular office furniture. Even if it may seem like they all look alike, the materials used differ such as the hardware and the panels that are never supposed to get mixed up with each other. Just think of it this way: when your company grows, the next time that you need to purchase modular office furniture, all your decisions will be based from the first one that you have made.

There are two main types of modular office furniture, and they are the panel-mounted and the freestanding. Most systems today is panel-mounted, meaning, that the wall panels act as the basis of the system, and that office desks and file cabinets can be mounted directly on to them. On the other hand, the freestanding systems furniture use separate panels that are strategically placed around the furniture. Depending on the nature of your business or daily task, these two have its own advantages. While panel-based systems offer greater design flexibility and can be implemented with other office peripherals, they can also serve as the main provider of privacy for an employee. Freestanding can be easily installed and reconfigured so this is most ideal for offices that are temporarily adjusting to their new place, etc.

Sitting up straight may harm your lower back

Misconception about sitting up straight may lead to lower back pains. As you recall in your childhood days, you are told to sit up straight. But Scottish researchers said Monday in Chicago that when looking at the spine with a new imaging technology, the spine is strained when sitting up straight with a straight back and thighs parallel to the floor. In fact, it’s better to lean back a bit, even if it looks like slouching.

“Really the best position is what you get in a La-Z-Boy, although that wouldn’t work well for someone using a computer,” said Dr. Waseem Amir Bashir, who led the study conducted in Aberdeen, Scotland.

Bashir’s basis about this findings confirms with ergonomic experts. By using a designed magnetic machine he can view the back while sitting. He said he was able to capture instabilities and deformations not otherwise seen.

It is estimated by the National Institute of Health that 8 out of 10 Americans suffer lower back pains. It is the second most common reason why paople go to the doctor besides colds and flu. “People weren’t designed to sit for hours at a time. With an open sitting position, one can minimize the risk of back pain.” Bashir said.

A person can’t easily operate a computer from a recliner, but it’s possible to keep one’s feet on the floor while raising the chair to open up the angle between the thighs and the back, he said.

Leaning forward as people do while playing computer and video games is even more stressful to the spine than sitting upright, he said. His decision stregthened ergonomists who studies workplace issues. He made images of spines of 22 healthy volunteers. “I would agree with their conclusion,” said Bill Dowell, research director at Herman Miller Inc. of Zeeland, which makes office chairs.

Feminine Office Furniture

Female entrepreneurs are fast increasing in numbers as startup businesses all across the United States are significantly being managed by women. With this development, offices are now getting a makeover. Gone are the days of bulky and monolithic office furniture but sleek and stylish furniture is now becoming the standard.

In light of these facts, most furniture retailers are vying for the ladies’ corner offices by expanding furniture lines and designing new products with a feminine flair.

According to Astrid Oyo, manager of Swedish furniture retailer IKEA’s North American business division, these career driven women are voicing their needs in a clear and concise way. Office furniture has long been designed to cater man and his manly duties. To a man, a desk is a desk, end of story. In feminine eyes however, office furniture are valuable investments that define the progressive path their company is taking.

Office Depot, the largest office supplies retailer in the Unites States, have struck partnerships with office furniture makers Broyhill and Sharper Image Corp. to specifically produce a vast array of office desks, office desks and many other items that would be favorable to female consumers.

Christopher Lowell is an interior decorator and a television personality which won a Daytime Emmy Award for the Christopher Lowell Show. He was hired by Office Depot in 2003 to redesign desks, antique hutches and decorative shelves and display new highly modern design.

According to the information from the Center for Women’s Business Research, more women are in control of companies and how they look. Statistics show that the number of privately held firm that are headlined by women at least a 51 percent stake grew 42.3 percent from 1997 to 2006, almost twice the 23.8 percent growth for all private businesses during that same period.

Offices are now upgrading to a new look. If ever you happen to visit an office that’s highly modern and exclusive, it would be safe to say that perhaps a women is behind the arrangement.

Hail The Graphic Tee Designer

When it comes to tee-shirt design, the boys have more fun. Sure we girls and moms get capped sleeves, bold colors and provocative statements, but the guys styles -- Damnit Clothing and ZAMBALES SHIrT to name a few of the faves we love to see our guys wearing -- are kicking our styles' butts with graphic genius. That's why I was so psyched to find DAMNIT with tees now available for us. Yipee!

Mac Tablet

Designed by Yann Le Coroller, this stunning MacTablet concept boasts a detachable keyboard that doubles as a protective cover. Unfortunately, no word yet on if this device will go into production.

It stays in place with a combination of magnets and notches. On the back of the computer, a hinge allows it to be put in a vertical position so you can use Mactab comfortably on your desk.

Being a MAC and WACOM user at work, this would come pretty handy. There be more space on my table, and that would mean GOODBYE WACOM! I just hope this would be released soon since the MAC Book Air has just been released. And it's still on the design stage. So hopefully next year, hint hint MAC!