Call Centre - put through to handler WFH

Unprofessional. There is a reason dogs, in most instances, are not allowed in the workplace. Nor children. WFH is a great step forward for flexible working and the work-life balance, but far too many are taking the piss.

🤣🤣🤣

I am happy with people who wfh generally, however, when it involved financial transactions, how do you know there is not someone else in the room, may be a partner, may be a friend, listening and looking in as your personal details are displayed on the screen and the worker talks to you about your bank account, pensions, credit cards etc. Seems very insecure to me. As least, in an office, anyone one else who can look in or listen work and have been vetted by the company.

If you can’t hear them and if they can’t hear you then no, it’s not acceptable. You may not know what you’re agreeing to when they lay out their terms and conditions towards the end of the call.

I had a call back from a Doctor who was obviously calling from home. I was discussing my fanjo and I could hear kids tv and a child in the background. Was a bit weird!

YABU to have renewed your insurance with this company, OP. I would have ended the call and gone with someone else.

People in this thread are defending wfh while looking after small kids. Utter insanity

I imagine that headphones that cancel out all noise except the person you are speaking to must be expensive?

A lot of people it seems need to invest in noise-cancelling headphones. Marvellous things.

I don't think you're being unreasonable, OP.

I work from home and do my best to ensure a level of professionalism when on calls or in meetings.

My office is noisier than my home, but a call centre with other taking calls is different (and expected) to a dog barking, children screaming, partners fighting, washing machines rumbling...

I wouldn't be impressed at all.

I have had regular conversations recently with Paul in Manchester from Vodafone due to a work mobile issue. He's absolutely lovely, and has a dog which barks at squirrels when they are in his garden. I didn't mind at all.

Why do you think?

Its not rocket science to figure out why.

WFH militia are out in force again. Trying to make excuses when it is clearly unacceptable level of customer service to have someone serving customer without a good a connection and a barking dog in the background.

These are the people that are ruining WFH for everyone. You can’t blame managers for mandating people back into the office when the culture around it is so bad that this is seen as acceptable.

It might not even be her dog. I don't have a dog but my neighbours have three and if they start barking and I have the windows open it sounds like we're in the same room due to the way the flats are laid out.

I’ve spoken to call centres before and had a bad line and heard other employees in the office in the background, especially as they are usually large open plan offices, so WFH or not there’s always a chance for distraction / noise/ disturbance.
So YABU.

WFH is a brilliant option that enables many people who cannot go into an office daily for many reasons to continue in their employment, including mental and physical health problems.
Yes they should have shut the dog away but it could have been the neighbours dog, office dog, a service dog, or just an accidental oversight eg back door left open by someone else in the family .
Mistakes happen.

And what do you think the dog is going to do with the information? People who handle sensitive date are allowed to WFH you know?

I wouldn’t give it a 2nd thought purely because it was insurance related and they’re usually miserable jobs. If I was her I would have removed the dog for my own sanity 🤣 but you don’t know what else was going on in the house & maybe it was just a bad day for her. There are also some very over subscribed/full offices where it may not be possible to be in the office full time due to desk sharing.

That sort of thing was cute and funny for about a fortnight in the first lockdown, but most of us have moved on and just want a bit of professionalism.

@alpenguin ugh that's vile behaviour!

A post came up on my memories the other day where I’d called about car insurance during the height of the pandemic and homeworking and the person on the other end of the phone was clearly having an orgasmic time, either by his own hand or with help. I’d waited so long to get through I was reluctant to hang up but he did in the end obviously to reach his crescendo. It was awful and made me feel so icky. The company had no record
of the call, oddly.

Well in this case the job wasn't done - the barking dog got in the way...

I had a call with a MH worker, and they were WFH. I could hear their kid in the background... which meant their kid could probably hear the worker's side of our conversation... which was about self harm.

Yet they are being paid to talk to you? 🤔

Yes, the OP could have been on a lunch break at a work at work job and need to both make the call and have lunch in half an hour. She shouldn't have to repeat herself because someone doesn't want to pay a sitter.

Well that’s the point really the job wasn’t getting done OP couldn’t hear for the barking dog and had to keep asking the person on the phone to repeat themselves

terrible customer service