New Zealand's remote call centre employees asked to come to office

Remote call centre workers in New Zealand are being urged to come to the office to get better support from their employers amid challenges while working from home.

Elias Kanaris, CEO of the Customer Contact Network New Zealand, said it would be difficult for employers to keep contact centre staff safe if they're working remotely.

"Remote working may save costs for companies and make it easier to recruit, but the disadvantages outweigh the costs savings," Kanaris said in a statement.

Among these disadvantages are remote contact centre staff becoming "isolated" and not receiving the same level of support that comes from working next to colleagues.

"You can't just raise your hand when you need supervisor assistance, or vent and decompress with other people around you," he said.

Getting into hybrid work

Kanaris recommended hybrid work arrangements, which are "becoming the norm."

"This model supports not only productivity but also ensures staff have access to direct support and team interaction, which is less feasible remotely," he said.

He said employees could negotiate work hours that align with their personal responsibilities and establish specific days for office attendance.

"Use office days for collaborative and team-building activities, which helps you build relationships with colleagues that can provide support when you are working remotely," Kanaris said. "Like everything in life, there needs to be balance."

Kanaris' remarks came as the 2023 Call Centre Network New Zealand Industry Research Report revealed that only 10% of employees are working from home full-time.

Even management is spending more time in the office, with 20% already working full-time onsite.

"This trend is diminishing. Frontline employees, who constitute a significant portion of the workforce, are now spending more time in the office," Kanaris said.

Union: engage with staff on hybrid changes

Reacting to the request, Unite Union national secretary John Crocker said he was pleased that the network was not "pushing things too far" by asking for a hybrid arrangement.

"Their arguments in favour of being in the office stretch a little thin when you go beyond two or three days a week, for these kinds of workers," he said as quoted by Radio New Zealand.

The union official suggested engaging with staff when making changes to work-from-home policies instead of imposing them, noting that remote work is saving employees a lot of money.

"[Businesses are] asking for a significant imposition of costs on to the workers, I think the company needs to meet some of that," he said.