Any Work Is Better Than No Work--Not Always

If you are unemployed currently or have been unemployed, you no doubt have heard or even said to
yourself that "any work is better than no work." In other words--at least your working and paying some of the bills.  I have worked in all kinds of jobs throughout the years that were mentally and physically demanding.  However, not all jobs are equal in the toll they take on you.   In the past, there was one such job for me.  I would never want to do it again--call center work!  Call center work may be defined for our purposes as working in a center (or large room) that makes continuous calls through an automatic dialer to new or existing customers regarding an existing product or service.  Here are some of the pitfalls I found in call center work...

• You may find yourself working in a room of 50-60 people all talking at the same time to their customers.  The room can get very noisy with the inability to hear your customer. At times, your customer may not be able to hear you.
• Calls are put through to you by a random dialer of which you have no control over. You barely get a breather between calls.  As soon as you are disconnected from your customer, a fresh call comes through your earpiece immediately.  Little or no time to mentally prepare for the next call.
• You are expected to talk for eight hours, less your breaks and lunch.  Very little downtime is allowed away from the phones.  After two hours or less of straight talking you may begin to lose your voice.
• Since the job requires sitting most of the hours you are there, you get very little physical exercise.  Also, we won't talk about the eyestrain you also get from constantly looking at the computer screen.
• The dialing system used may repetitively call the customer at work or at home. Many customers do not like being called at work and may get irate; or do not like getting called so frequently.  Consequently, many times you will be the brunt of their frustration. Not fun...
• Depending on the company, many companies have a pay rate based on a tier system.  Low sales, despite your best efforts, will not mean much in your paycheck.
• Most call centers have intense monitoring by supervisors that critique the quality of your calls.
  New employees may already be nervous, this only adds to their nervousness. 
• A call center can be sales-driven or customer-service-driven.  Make sure your personality is a good fit for the particular center.  A wrong fit can be as disastrous as a heavy-duty construction worker wearing white dress gloves to do his job.  It just doesn't work.

I listed a few reasons why call center work is so difficult and for some people will go against their grain. Of course, different strokes for different folks would mean there are some people that actually enjoy call center work.  That's great for them.  In my estimation though it is just a tough job. 

So what should you do if you find yourself in such a job?  Move on.  It is always best to have another job though before quitting your present one. The conclusion is to remember not all work is equal.  Find out as much about the job before you take it.  Know your physical and mental likes and dislikes as well as your limits.  Yes, you just might want to pass this job up.

What is your "nightmare" job?  Most people have worked one some time in their career.  I would love to hear from you on this. 

What Are the Seven Blessings of the Unemployed?

So you haven't worked for a while, and things have not been easy.   However, despite the negatives there are many positives or blessings to be grateful for.   Here are seven reasons to be happy:

 

• With limited funds you are forced to prioritize your entire life.  How?  Realistically, with less money your budget will eliminate your "wants" and keep your "needs."  You now can focus on the more important things in your life.
• You have much more time to spend with your family; you also have a lot more time for yourself to meditate and process life's changes.  You may want to set some new goals.
• Consider new ways to entertain your family and friends.  Instead of going on expensive excursions, have family night with friends.  Game night together with some popcorn can be great fun.
• Extra time to volunteer.  Taking your mind off of your problems and looking to see what you can do to help others is another source of happiness.  There is More Happiness in Giving Than There Is In Receiving--Volunteer at a woman's shelter, animal shelter, or whatever cause moves you.  Just do it.  This may be the single most positive change in your life.
• Eat less meat and more vegetables and fruit.  Many health experts agree that less red meat is the way to go for a healthier you.  This should also fit into your budget quite nicely.
• Exercise and fresh air should be your daily routine.  No more crammed days leaves you time to get out and either walk, run, or bike.  Perhaps all three once you get your second wind!
• Time to take up that hobby you always wanted to do.  If it's too expensive, pick a new one.  I personally like to write poetry--it cost nothing but a pencil and paper.

So here are seven great reasons to be happy.  Less money can actually equal  a better quality of life.  Isn't that what we all want?