Proposed new labour law - are you on the case?

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Posted Thu 8 November 2007 @ 9:01 a.m. by Ernie Newman

Contact centre managers should be following with interest, and possibly concern, the government's planned Flexible Working Arrangements Bill. The DomPost this morning has good coverage.

As a sector of the economy with a large, female-centric workforce, it seems to me that this will be one more headache contact centre managers can do without. As with so much law of this kind it seems to start from an assumption that employers are inflexible, draconian, and unwilling to cooperate with the reasonable needs of their staff so the law needs to step in!

Industrial law is out of scope for TUANZ. But most or all of our members belong to business groups that specialise in this field. My suggestion is you talk to your HR colleagues and make sure they are across the implications.

Categories: Leadership | Lifestyle | Recruitment and HR

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2 comments

  • Ariki Gell says:

    call centre managers draconian? tyranical perhaps? no cant be not the call centre industry I have been working in. Ive worked in a few of them and work hours flexibility have never been negotiable, mind you neither have decent pay rates. Most call centre managers need to come out of the Employment Contracts Act era and wake and smell the skill shortages. I live in Lower hutt, where 3 have closed down. Its simple if you cant recruit, train and retain good staff, because you come to work on a broomstick and wield power like its the sword of damocles, then you cant meet KPI's and cant stay in business. Im looking to build as many contact/tech support centres as I can, in places where they are closing down. Do I know something the others dont?

    Added: 23 November 2007, 3:56 p.m. Flag as Spam  |  Flag as Offensive

  • John Bosomworth says:

    I'm keen to hear from any contact centres who have or are considering how they will incorporate the concept of Flexible Working Arrangements (FWA) into their scheduling practices. I've been working with a client on this specific issue and while it is seen as a potential minefield, their approach from day one on this has been that it's a "Must-do". This is based on a desire to be recognised as an employer of choice within the contact centre industry. The challenge for the WFM team has been to provide capacity within the schedules for staff to take up FWA shifts, while at the same time maintining service levels and remaining within budget.

    From various discussions with collegues in the industry, it would appear that the prevailing view on this is that it's just "too hard" to implement. I'd like to hear from others out there who have considered how to deal witht he new legislation, and what steps they have taken (if any) to operationalise it. Thanks!

    Added: 7 November 2008, 2:19 p.m. Flag as Spam  |  Flag as Offensive
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