Call Center Employees Facing Double Burden of COVID-19 and Emotional Labor

Suffering Emotional Labor at Work
After COVID-19 Cluster Infection at Call Center
'Infection Hotspot' Harsh Criticism
Building Residents Feel Pressured and Withdrawn

[Asia Economy Reporter Donghoon Jung] "Please let us use a different elevator from the call center employees."

Kim Seohee (32, pseudonym), who works part-time at a nighttime designated driver call center in Geumcheon-gu, Seoul. She recently heard that employees working in the same building had conveyed this request to the management office, which shocked her quite a bit. As cases of COVID-19 cluster infections have been reported one after another in call centers recently, all call centers are being viewed as 'hotbeds of infectious diseases' by those around them. Kim said, "No confirmed cases have actually occurred in our office, but being treated like this is even heartbreaking."

The emotional labor intensity, which is already high for call center employees, is causing their worries to deepen. Cluster infection cases have been reported one after another at call centers such as the Guro-gu call center in Seoul (166 people), KB Life Insurance call center (13 people), and SJ Investment call center (11 people), causing innocent employees to suffer. The cluster infections in call centers are more due to structural issues than individual problems. Call center telephone counselors work closely packed in enclosed spaces and have the nature of work that requires talking all day long.

The emotional labor problem remains. Kim said, "I receive dozens of calls a day from people drunk on alcohol who hurl all kinds of insults and abusive language," adding, "I wasn't unaware of this situation, but when it actually became my job, it was very difficult." Kim plans to quit working after this month.

According to a survey conducted last year by the Emotional Labor National Network, a civic group, targeting 2,765 emotional labor workers at call centers and department stores, 61.7% of women and 56.8% of men were classified as a 'risk group needing psychological healing' due to emotional labor-related distress. About 80% of respondents answered that "the workplace does not comfort the emotional wounds experienced during customer service." Although the 'Emotional Labor Worker Protection Act (Amendment to the Industrial Safety and Health Act),' which mandates employers to take preventive measures against difficulties and disabilities caused by customer abuse toward customer service workers, was enacted in 2018, progress has been slow.

Lee Yunseon, head of the Call Center branch of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions Service General Labor Union, said, "Companies subcontract call center operations to specialized call center companies, shifting responsibility," adding, "We need to improve the situation where telephone counselors are used and neglected like 'human shields' in problems that companies do not want to take responsibility for or are reluctant to handle."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.