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How to Tackle Call Centre Health Issues

rding to industry analysts ContactBabel in their HR & Operational Benchmarking report, the mean average attrition rate for 2014 is 19%, based on a study involving 215 UK call centres. To put that figure into a comparative context, XpertHR reported that the average UK ‘voluntary resignation rate’ in 2011 was 7.9%.
As those results show, it cannot be denied that contact centres have high rates of attrition. There are many contributing factors to this sad result, and one is the quality of health management in your centre. The work the agents are doing can be detrimental to their continued physical health if they are not properly supported. This constant or even degenerating state of ill health can result in agents leaving even if all other aspects of their centre are outstanding.
Here we'll briefly cover two of the types of health issues that agents may suffer from and how these can be improved. We'll also hear from someone who used to work in a call centre and found she developed problems as a result of it, and what she thinks would have helped her.
Voice problems
Being an agent means talking. A lot. The rise of social media for companies may be slightly decreasing this for some centres, but the majority of agents are still on the phones all day, every day. ContactBabel noted that agents are answering calls 27% faster than in their previous report.
This amount of constant vocal effort often leads to voice problems. The Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) studied employees from 14 centres and found 11% had been diagnosed with a voice disorder, and another 10% admitted their vocal performance was negatively impacting their work.
Voice problems are much more varied than just a sore throat. Unite's Health and safety in call centres report mentions the following as a non-exhaustive list:
- Pain
- Smarting
- Burning
- Tension
- Swelling
- Irritating cough
- Croakiness
- Change in pitch
- Sore throat
- Squawking
- Whispering
- Poor or no vocal power
Author: Rachael Trickey
Published On: 28th Dec 2016 - Last modified: 18th Aug 2025
Read more about - Call Centre Management, Absenteeism, Accessibility and Disability, Health Wellbeing and Stress, Management Strategies, Staffing