Reassurance needed re: hubby's job (sick during probation period)

[Vernie822]

Unfortunately, call centers enforce those type of policies for a reason. I don't work in a call center, but other people in my department do. Yes, they can't stand that they are always on the phones and have a strict schedule to adhere to, but it's part of what makes the business run really well.

I'm glad your husband has a job he really enjoys. I'm sure that those 'incidents' are in there to weed out the bad ones, especially if they would want to fire someone within that 90 day period that isn't doing their job right. If I were him, I would just keep doing what I'm doing, without really letting anyone know how good I may be at my job, and it will get noticed!

 

[scrapquitler]

Hi everyone. I'm freaking out, and I feel stupid because it isn't a 'real problem yet', but I'm looking for some advice/reassurance.

My husband just started a job a month ago as a customer service rep with a great health insurance company (they're known for treating employees AND their clients well). He is very good at his job and has been given more responsibility than the other 'newbies' in his group. He really likes the job and he is an extremely kind and pleasant person.

The problem is this: every new employee has a probation period of 90 days. Within those 90 days an employee can only have two 'incidents'; more than two and the employee MAY be terminated. DH went to work and had to leave early due to illness one day (=one incident) and the other day he clocked ONE MINUTE late from his break because he was answering a work email and lost track of the time (= 1/2 an incident). So, now he has 1 1/2 incidents out of 2, and he has 60 days left of his probation period.


I know that no one can tell me what's going to happen. I'm just scared. Life happens, people get sick, people can be late from time to time, and I just feel like it's VERY strict to expect an employee to only have two 'incidents' in 90 days. But regardless of my opinion, that's the policy. I'm just looking for some similar experiences, or general thoughts, to help put my mind at ease a little. I can't imagine that a company would fire a good employee, especially when they are growing by leaps and bounds and their call volume is extremely high and they NEED good people like him. Is this policy one that they use so they CAN fire people who are both racking up incidents AND are poor performers? I work in a much kinder, gentler (read: non-corporate) environment and corporate policies like this seem crazy to me.

Thanks so much for your thoughts.

It sounds to me like this policy is in force so they have a written policy in place to back them up if they decide that they would rather not have this person continue after the probation period. I think the bolded part above is spot on, at least based on what you've said.

 

[Hannathy]

These limitations sound like the Post Office!

It's also the reason I could never work in that kind of environment. I've worked in broadcasting most of my life in management because I like flexibility and HATE rigidity.

A good employee that gets all of his work done and does it well for the team and the company means more than a minute late from break. Those kind of supervisory dictates are ridiculous and I would never put it on my workers, and neither does my boss.

Of course NO company wants flakes who find a way around working, that is why you hire dependable adults. Those who are not dependable will be outed by the end of the probationary period, but this kind of rigid criteria is off putting to me.

Don't work in a hospital then either. The ones I have worked for have been just as rigid as the OP's DH and call out sick in the first 90 days! yeah right!

 

[gunner2010]

As a hotel GM, our industry is really tight about hours also.

We have 90 days "at will" employment to start. That means we can let you go (legally) at will for any reason the first 90 days. After that, it is the 3 write ups and out the door way.

But we watch folks time to the minute in the hotel business. You have to. Labor is where profit flies out the door. I mean we literally track the length of time a housekeeper cleans a room. Over a course of a month , if more then a set time in each room, we coach, retrain and no improvements, terminate.

I don't have issues with it, but that said it works for our industry.

 

[sookie]

He shouldn't be reading emails off the clock. Most of the time it's not taken as initiative but as a liability because an employee could later claim they were forced to work and not paid or didn't get required breaks. Usually middle managers in these corporate places are under the same pressures (if not more) to follow the rules, and they're looking for anyone who stands out so they can come down on you and make themselves look good. Maybe it seems unfair or childish, but at the same time, the phones have to be staffed, breaks are scheduled so that the phones are staffed by enough people at the right time, and people taking a extra minute during the probation period turns into 5 minutes in a few months and then maybe more over time and has a negative impact on the customers and the other employees. It is pretty common in call centers to try to weed out employees with bad habits early on.

Can he write his supervisor and tell him that he was working during his break?

 

[lizabu]

Can he write his supervisor and tell him that he was working during his break?

I wouldn't do that. I work in a call center and your not supposed to be answering emails on break

 

[Nancy]

The OP said it was a call center. Many have to be managed pretty tightly. A person who is late 1 minute from a break means a phone is not being answered for a minute and another person cannot leave on break till that person is back.

There are 250 people in the call center according to the OP. If everybody was 1 minute late coming back from break, that would be 250 minutes late and would put calls behind over 4 hours since everybody needs to leave for a break.

Most call centers unfortunately do not give you the flexibility to do your work on your own schedule. The phones have to be manned.

I could never work in a call center environment as it is very stressful. Hope the OP's husband is successful for the remainder of his probation.

Call centers are tough...I work in one and have been there 7 years. I had a hard time adjusting because my prior job I made up my own schedule and I hated the structure in a call center...now after 7 years it's no big deal and not all the bad. We are not quite that strict though. We have to meet adherence standards for time..but it is a percentage for the day overall. Breaks and lunches are pre scheduled so if I am late it does not affect anyone else. I mean there are times when we are on calls and it goes into the scheduled break or lunch period...we just can't hang up and say "break starts now" so we just go on break as soon as the call ends. The only thing they are strict on is absences and I try very hard not to call in...I need to be very very sick. Most supervisors understand and they will "forgive" a call in or two if it is not a habit.

 

[powellrj]

I wouldn't do that. I work in a call center and your not supposed to be answering emails on break

While I never worked in a call center, at my last job, if you did any work during your lunch or break, you would be terminated no questions asked. You also couldn't be a minute late coming back, it was that strict. What was really hard was we had all been salary workers so we weren't use to clocking in and out when they reclassified our jobs.

 

[Laugh O. Grams]

I wouldn't do that. I work in a call center and your not supposed to be answering emails on break

Good advice. I can tell you that as an employer, FLSA lawsuits concerning overtime are some of the toughest to defend. The employer can have all the evidence they need to win a dispute, but many of these cases, even the most straightforward ones, take so much time and money to litigate, the company's better off simply settling out of court than they are seeing the case to the end. That's a big part of why in so many companies, non-managerial employees working off the clock is cause for immediate termination.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Having worked in a call center before yes they are strict. Not only during probation but ALL the time.

And also agree you should not be working during break. He really needs to adhere to their policies or he is not going to make it.

When I worked we had no time off and I am not joking. We would work 16 days straight. If you could not do it, you were fired.

 

[sunshinehighway]

Call centers are tough. If he can't make it 90 days without too many incidents", maybe it's not the right fit for him. You'd think he'd be really trying to impress his new supervisor, two so soon to starting isn't good.
The one minute late clocking in from break makes no sense.

 

[ronandannette]

Well of course they do. But we are all human beings, not robots. DH was very ill one day and had to leave so he wouldn't throw up over everyone. That is NOT a case of 'the sniffles'. In fact, his boss said that SEVERAL new employees have to call in sick soon after they start because the stress manifests into medical illness, and she was impressed that he at least tried to come in and stick it out.

If you've never been sick or late, then feel free to continue to criticize.

OP, please don't get defensive...nobody's trying to criticize your DH and we all understand how badly you want this to work out and that you only see the side of how hard he is trying. The other posters here are exposing a different perspective and many of them have direct experience in similar work environments. I know you asked for reassurance, but isn't realistic advice better than just hearing "don't worry - everything will be fine"? I think the useful takeaway from the feedback is that a call centre is an EXTREMELY rigid structure and the path to success lies in following policy to the Nth degree. Whether this is a great fit for your DH or not remains to be seen, but we all wish you the best, we really do!

PS: there's another board a little farther down called "Coping and Compassion" where it's better to post if you just want and rather than a discussion of the actual topic which can sometimes turn in unexpected directions.

 

[lizandjason]

And that is why they give him 2 sick days for a mere 90 day period. I do not find it strange at all that 250 people can manage to be on time and to only have 2 sick days during a 90 day period. It is only 3 months.

I am not understanding how he was late clocking in from break. He was working during break? He started an e-mail while he was still on break?

Now he knows. He does not start work after break until he clocks in. It really is very simple. You shouldn't worry about him losing his last half an incident due to lateness. He clocks in when he is supposed to, he leaves home early enough in case there are traffic problems, etc. You time manage.

And I have never heard of a grown man who could not do his "business" in a bathroom in the 10 or 15 minutes allotted for a break. Really, he may need extra time in the bathroom?

Your posts give off the vibe that you think it is ok to bend the rules because your husband is good at his job. Hopefully that is just the curse of the internet and how it is coming across and not what you actually mean.

I wouldn't worry too much. The incidents are all in your husband's control. He doesn't have to have another. And if he is that good at his job, he should pass the probation with flying colors.

You're right, I did come across as seeming okay to bend rules. Rules are rules, and he needs to follow them. Life isn't always fair. He isn't nearly as worried about this as I am, because he is confident he will be able to do what he needs to do to keep the job. I'm just a worry wart!

 

[lizandjason]

OP, please don't get defensive...nobody's trying to criticize your DH and we all understand how badly you want this to work out and that you only see the side of how hard he is trying. The other posters here are exposing a different perspective and many of them have direct experience in similar work environments. I know you asked for reassurance, but isn't realistic advice better than just hearing "don't worry - everything will be fine"? I think the useful takeaway from the feedback is that a call centre is an EXTREMELY rigid structure and the path to success lies in following policy to the Nth degree. Whether this is a great fit for your DH or not remains to be seen, but we all wish you the best, we really do!

PS: there's another board a little farther down called "Coping and Compassion" where it's better to post if you just want and rather than a discussion of the actual topic which can sometimes turn in unexpected directions.

You're too sweet, thank you so much! I'm feeling much better today.

 

[lizandjason]

THANK YOU to each and every one of you. Sometimes the advice we get from strangers isn't the easiest to take but no one is wrong. Life is about learning from mistakes and then moving onward and upward!

I'm confident DH will do great. I mean, I wouldn't have married a slacker. He is the 'chill pill' to my inherent worrying. To quote 'Father of the Bride'... "I come from a long line of over-reactors!"

Again, you're all wonderful and I'm very appreciative of the advice. Happy weekend to you all!

 

[Pea-n-Me]

You seem excessively worried. Is there more you are worried about, besides this?

 

[PollyannaMom]

Try not to worry. The fact that the policy says someone "may" be fired for two incidents leads me to believe that it is used when management suspects incidents are part of a pattern. It sounds like they left room for reason.

 

[lizandjason]

You seem excessively worried. Is there more you are worried about, besides this?

DH was unemployed for 9 months before this job, and he was previously a graphic designer which are a dime a dozen. He was layed off from his job of 10 years and really struggled to find this new job, so we were very grateful for it and the thought that it could go away just like that is terrifying.

I really appreciate you asking. I think it will all be ok.

 

[lizandjason]

Try not to worry. The fact that the policy says someone "may" be fired for two incidents leads me to believe that it is used when management suspects incidents are part of a pattern. It sounds like they left room for reason.

Thank you, I think so too. It really is a great company and I think everything will be just fine.

 

[shortbun]

I worked a job like this. That email, late clock in incident should have been immediately taken to the supervisor. Also, it's just 90 days and it is doable. But...he should plead his case if he's taken to task. Maybe even pre discuss things with his supervisor if he's nervous. A quick drop in to her office asking if he should be worried about the time he left early(throwing up) and his distracted, while working, failure to clock in. Good luck. He needs to do all possible to make sure he doesn't have any more infractions.