This shouldn't be allowed & I have ruined my life

[deli00]

I work in a call centre ( currently wfh) 12.5 hours

07.45-20.15 one 30 minute break

Im allowed personal breaks but I'm expected to tell the team when I am going for a wee , poo etc and tell them when I return on teams .

I can't cope with this set up much longer :( my back and hips hurt .

Surely it's not allowed to only have one 30 min break . Also I feel I have ruined my life going into this type of work.

@Brieminewine I am plugged in with a headset to a laptop and a monitor . So yes I am chained

@Brieminewine

The issue for the OP is she feels stuck to her chair. She can't get up and walk to the other side of the room to stretch her legs for two seconds

I don’t understand why you have to be sat down constantly, can’t you take calls whilst walking around or be logged on whilst laying on the bed? I thought this was the joy of working from home I hear so much about! I didn’t think people were physically sat at a table unable to move for hours on end

I wouldn't be able to do that because you have to be referring to what's on the screen all the time and putting stuff in. That's what the job is

@purpleme12 I did that when I was pregnant . They said they could fit me in for assessment match and baby was due feb. They are useless

@purpleme12 yes have to bring up customer details read of screen etc

This is an eye opener for me. Am completely shocked!

@deli00 you've got to keep on at them then
If that means being a nuisance then so be it

That sounds awful OP. Definitely start looking for a new job, your customer service experience will be very useful.

I work 13 hour shifts (NHS) and get a paid 20 min tea break in the morning and 2 x 30 min breaks that are unpaid (lunch and dinner)- so we get paid for 12 hours of the shift. How much of your shift are you receiving payment for?

That said, more often that not, we don't actually get those breaks which is annoying given that we aren't actually paid for that time!

The issue for the OP is she feels stuck to her chair. She can't get up and walk to the other side of the room to stretch her legs for two seconds
That depends on a handset. I used to do a lots of movements by the table so my back wouldn't hurt, at one point I had long wire headset. Even just standing up and streching for few second between calls makes difference. Stand up and type standing up for a bit and so on.

I agree though that different job is needed

Yes it's legal but it's shite. Do you actually have to give details of whether you're doing a wee or poo?
A lot of call centres are shite. It's low/no skilled work but the wages are usually ok so people assume it will be a cushty job compared to cleaning or warehouse work or whatever. I'd rather work in a warehouse.

I’m a paramedic and we get one 30 minute break in 12 hours unpaid, when I work on the phones in the control room it’s the same but we have to log comfort breaks and meal break plus any other time we are not available for calls, ie meeting, log entry etc. It’s shit but it’s legal.

The call centre is of a very professional nature I can't give too much away on here . I am educated to professional level . The " customers" would be very shocked at the conditions in which I am talking in , I have to do very personal calls in this horrible environment of explaining myself , I even have to sometimes type please stop calling me as I am on a call whilst talking to a " Customer" about very sensitive things.

Look for something else.

This sounds hard going.

@MrDarcysMa this call Cns get requires you to be on a professional register . I don't wish to be outed but it's not like I am unskilled

*@Brieminewine I am plugged in with a headset to a laptop and a monitor . So yes I am chained"

Well this certainly brings to light an important issue, you physically can't get up, move about?

As a way forward, how about you ask the company for a wireless headset so you can at least do your work while on your feet? Do you can move about a bit more?

I've worked in call centres, where you're in the premises with loads of others but some are standing around with their headsets on, moving over to the window etc changing seats. It gives you slightly more freedom.

@MrDarcysMa call centre rather

@Xenia

I work for myself and on a few days I have been so busy I have had to wee into a glass at my desk whilst on a conference call (not a video call) back in the day.......

What the fuck?

That sounds just awful. Whilst it might not seem like a good time to look for a new role I’m sure there must be something out there better for your health. In the meantime they have legal obligations to ensure your workplace is safe and this is a useful guide www.hse.gov.uk/toolbox/workers/home.htm

They might be complying with minimum break requirements (bad as it is) but they don’t sound like they’re making sure you’re safe at work which is equally a legal requirement

^
Sorry didn't mean to @ you Brieminewine I messed up that post there

@Xenia

I work for myself and on a few days I have been so busy I have had to wee into a glass at my desk whilst on a conference call (not a video call) back in the day.......

Xenia you are a lightweight amateur. You need to have a cat litter tray next tour desk, ideally in a spot where you can still type at your laptop while squatting.

Tsk, don’t be slacking wasting valuable work time holding glasses when you can just piss in the cat litter tray! 😂😂👀😚

Where I am they are recruiting like mad for C19 test centre staff. Admin staff and people that test the samples (I think it is?). Must be loads of this type of work everywhere? Worth a look. Advertised here on local authority website. And it's fairly good pay... at least you'd get to stand up, move around, go for a wee

[quote Gncq]*@Brieminewine I am plugged in with a headset to a laptop and a monitor . So yes I am chained"

Well this certainly brings to light an important issue, you physically can't get up, move about?

As a way forward, how about you ask the company for a wireless headset so you can at least do your work while on your feet? Do you can move about a bit more?

I've worked in call centres, where you're in the premises with loads of others but some are standing around with their headsets on, moving over to the window etc changing seats. It gives you slightly more freedom.[/quote]
I'm surprised by this; in my experience in a call centre job, when you're on the phone you're taking notes, referring to previous case notes etc. I've got no idea how you'd wander about whilst on customer calls!

I currently work 10 hour shifts, 4 days in a row, usually, sometimes 5.
To make up 37.5 hrs, we have two 15 min breaks and one 10 minute break. For two days we have a 30min lunch, and for two days a 45 min break.
We are expected to log out if we need a toilet break, WFH too, I don’t usually.

By law you are entitled to one day off a week, and a 30 minute break after 6 hours of working, and this is current UK law.

I wouldn’t put up with your conditions, look for a new job, and take breaks when you need them.

Some call centres are horrific. I wouldn’t disclose why I needed a break, that’s utterly disgusting, everyone needs to complain and band together.

Contact ACAS, and report your business

You definitely haven’t ruined your life, although you are clearly unhappy. It’s never too late to make a change. I’m an independent accredited career coach - happy to give you a free hour from one Mumsnetter to another if you’d like to discuss what you might like to do instead and help you come up with some options - just PM me.

At a minimum you need a Bluetooth headset so you can at least get up and walk around whilst on the phone.