This is my reply to the blog written by a certain Nessa and posted by Mac. This is just my opinion as well. I tried to keep it as balanced as I could but I could not help but take a stronger side in favor of my fellow advisors. This is because I can relate. I am also a part of this debacle. And you will never fully understand what we are ranting unless you are part of those demolishing the queue and making Mother Afina a better sight! ….and I am also part of those whose throats are in danger of havoc. Oooopsssss. I know that. Do not start telling me that this is part of the compromise I entered into when I decided to enter this Industry, blah blah blah... I perfectly know that….
Yes, Jason is right. There is a provision of the Labor Code of the Philippines allowing the imposition of mandatory overtime work hours...
I believe that part of the Code is this….
Art. 89. Emergency overtime work. Any employee may be required by the employer to perform overtime work in any of the following cases:
When the country is at war or when any other national or local emergency has been declared by the National Assembly or the Chief Executive;
When it is necessary to prevent loss of life or property or in case of imminent danger to public safety due to an actual or impending emergency in the locality caused by serious accidents, fire, flood, typhoon, earthquake, epidemic, or other disaster or calamity;
When there is urgent work to be performed on machines, installations, or equipment, in order to avoid serious loss or damage to the employer or some other cause of similar nature;
When the work is necessary to prevent loss or damage to perishable goods; and
Where the completion or continuation of the work started before the eighth hour is necessary to prevent serious obstruction or prejudice to the business or operations of the employer.
And I also agree that resigning is not the best option towards this agony we have all been going through for the past months. Imagine us having a job that earns more than what millions of other Filipinos here in the country do. And imagine the rise of unemployment not just in the country but also across the globe. Yes we are still indeed lucky because we are still able to make both ends meet despite the global economic slump and that we are in a stable company in the BPO Industry where a lot have either closed or have laid off some of their employees....
However, I share the sentiments of Nessa and probably the rest of us and I certainly agree that the new policy on lost hours that must be recovered through mandatory OT has taken its toll on the mind and the body. Tired workers can make tragic mistakes. The issue however is whether those up there are concerned on the effects of long hours of forced overtime on workers' health although experts say there are no studies on the relationship between forced overtime and health problems, and not all studies confirm the harmful effects of working long shifts. But job stress, according to psychologist Stein--which many employees say is exacerbated by mandatory overtime, can be hazardous to health. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health also adds that job-related stress increases the risk of muscle and skeletal disorders, heart disease, depression and burnout. Other than the physical stress that we get, there is more that threatens our psychological and emotional well-beings and that is worse.
And what do we get other than those teensy-weensy "paconsuelo de bobo" freebies last Christmas such as a stick of Stick-o, a piece of jelly ace, a God-knows-how-tiny piece of cracker, etcetera etcetera? A barrage of warnings here and there!!! And this is not helpful either. Let me reminisce this…. Guys! Yes, you who saw, heard, and felt how we were made like vagabonds when we had fun getting those left-over freebies from that big “supot” whose contents were bought from the precious fat paycheck of those up there. Alam nyo yun? Ikaw pa ang nagmukhang patay gutom sa kakarampot na pinamumudmod. You just don’t know how much It felt so kawawa not on our part but you know who… and you know who looks more like a vagabond…. Tama na…. Sorry pero hindi ko nagustuhan yun. I can buy more expensive chocolates for each single advisor on the floor…. Haayyyy.. This is so bad of me…
Something drastic must be done to cushion the hazardous psychological effects of this policy other than having disgruntled advisors whose lips are at the waterline and a few more pressure and bang! They will sink in the water and got no other option but resign. I have that feeling too and I feel like I am hanging in there by my fingernails. We are not motivated by those warnings and those snowman goodies only make us even feel worse. We need to feel valued. We need to feel that we are being nurtured and not as immediate tools to save somebody else's ass. Sorry for the word and I am also sorry to say that not a single and sincere way of apologizing has been said and done for this severe inconvenience that has stolen some precious hours from us. Who would feel good if you have already toggled in 3.0 "end of shift" 3 minutes before the actual end of shift and your best friend "schedule change" pops up your colossal screen and tells you to glue your ass some 30 minutes more on your seat? I know everyone understands the agony of seeing your lunch trimmed down to just 30 minutes and this is excruciating because an hour of break from nonstop talk on the phone is only one’s invaluable respite not just from tiring queue but also from that endless list of metrics that you have to bear in mind in every single call that you are taking.
The worst that I had where I almost committed homicide with my bare hands was when I was plotted a one and a half-hour of pre-shift mandatory OT. It’s not just that because I already knew about that pre-plotted snowman. When I pulled up my schedule viewer application, I almost fainted and I was foaming in the mouth. I almost went ballistic because my break schedule was break-break-lunch. Ang sakit sa bangs di ba? I was nauseated and I felt like throwing up. I was thinking that sticking my finger in the wall socket or pricking needles in my eyes might have even felt better. Good thing I arrived at my station 30 minutes before the plotted pre-shift OT and saw that set up. After pulling up all my sh*t, I had to go down and run like Barbie runs to the newly-opened Jollibee downstairs to grab a quick munch of their all-new burger. I had no time to eat anything before leaving the house since I was in a hurry to be on time for that pre shift sh*t. Tell me anything humane about taking lunch only after 6 hours from the start of your shift with an empty stomach… I had to rant and vent out but I calmed down. I let it pass. I was almost on the verge of casus belli for World War III but I thought it was futile. The survival of the whatever was far more important than my hunger. I just comforted myself by the fact that probably, that schedule helped saved a million bucks and that millions of Filipinos are in dire poverty and do not have the opportunity of having a fairly-decent paying job such as mine.
On the other hand, I also understand that we need to save our ass*s from the clients by finishing the day with a passing SL, that precious SL, among other KPIs. After all, passing SL is among those that continue to feed us. I know that this is the silent part of the contact that we all signed. Sort of like a social contract that there can be times when we have no option but to make the organization survive by certain sacrifices. At this point in time, no one should be blamed. Everyone is just doing his job and this is what the situation calls for. This is all part of staying intact and unscathed by the plague of the global financial crisis. But remember that doing sacrifices has its end for some people. I hope that the situation when everybody leaves because everybody is tired and burnt out will not happen…
But those up there must realize, I certainly still believe they do, that losing people and creating an atmosphere of dissatisfaction and the lost of motivation among its people is the worst nightmare that an organization can suffer from. There needs to be a mutual relationship between the organization and its people to fulfill each other’s needs. The organization needs people and the people need the organization as well. Organizational communication then is a vital factor. There must be an effective implementation of ways to allow healthy and open communication between the two. Sound management policies are best implemented when there is an open door. People must have access to voice out their opinions and join in formulating the best ways to improve the overall efficiency of the organization because after all, the people who are at the forefront of the organization’s processes also know and have equal access to the real issues and problems that affect the organization.
…I just miss those days when I cannot wait to go to work, all excited and ready…now, I do not know. My lips are also at the waterline…
