As in all work, the telephone operators are subject to certain working conditions that can lead some dysfunction in their health. It is not a particularly "dangerous", but involves some physical and mental efforts that can take its toll. Throughout my experience as a trainer on the platform I have found or have been one of the following.
is here to give a complete list but not verbose, and warning that many people suffer in tiny degrees, while others suffer from more acute. In any case, we must know at least briefly to remedy its effects. Each person has different thresholds of tolerance to these conditions, so it is not thought that this work is something like the nineteenth century mining, nor seeks to alarm anyone.
Without further ado, the list, a personal clothing, has the following important from the point of view of Occupational Health and Safety.
is here to give a complete list but not verbose, and warning that many people suffer in tiny degrees, while others suffer from more acute. In any case, we must know at least briefly to remedy its effects. Each person has different thresholds of tolerance to these conditions, so it is not thought that this work is something like the nineteenth century mining, nor seeks to alarm anyone.
Without further ado, the list, a personal clothing, has the following important from the point of view of Occupational Health and Safety.
- Conditions arising from visual fatigue: The visual display terminals (VDT) are fundamental tools of the work of a human agent. General consultations and treatment the data moves through the use of PVD. It is important to respect the visual rest periods (5 minutes every hour at least), that will prevent eye irritation, blurred vision, headaches and general fatigue.
- Hearing impairment: Another essential tool is the phone and usually the headset. Here, several factors come into play from outside the ear or cleaning the protective pad, the internal and possible links can be annoying or high frequencies are punctual but far from damaging the ear, they can be annoying and increasing the sense stress. Conditions
- the vocal apparatus: Perhaps the most common. Basically quite often lead to pharyngitis, laryngitis, hoarseness, prolonged colds, nodules and vocal polyps. The latter are the more serious, requiring surgery. Learn to speak properly, not smoking or at least do as little as possible and drink cold water so spaced and continuous help to preserve the voice and do not miss it or be troubled.
- Musculoskeletal: derivatives bad posture, prolonged static position and level of stress are the three elements that mostly affect workers. Women must have special care, since it affects more frequently than men. Exercising the back, shoulders, arms and wrists in a continuous and intensive little help prevent these problems.
- physical fatigue: The set of activities that the telemarketer influences the physical tone. Musculoskeletal load directly influences the physical fatigue and muscle tension resulting from a certain stress. This triggers back pain, sciatica, paresthesia (tingling in the extremities), muscle pain and neck and a great sense of weariness among many other effects.
- mental fatigue: Very typical of the work. Can be defined as the ratio between the effort expended decreasing and the yield. Everyone got tired as the day passes. Not a bad thing in itself, but normal. The problem occurs when the feeling is continued in the medium term, the subject can not manage in a rational and emotional point of work overload, the demands of bosses, colleagues and customers and will subsequently those of other actors such as non-work family. It is a worrying situation that causes sleep disturbance, fatigue, digestive disorders and other countless side effects that undermine a person.
- Stress: certainly not because the latter is the least important of the list, just the opposite. It is the individual's response to the demands of a given environment. The fewer personal resources against the demands of that environment, the higher your stress level. Stress is the leading cause of sick leave among the working population in Europe and in Spain is the most stressed workers in Europe. The psychological and physical effects that can produce are endless and deserves more extensive treatment in future posts. Today, the telephone operators are a population at high risk in this chapter.