72 reasons - No More Call Centres EVER EVER again

Followers of this blog may know that I HATE call centres.  The problem is that once you are in one it is fairly difficult to get out unless you go to another call centre.  I don't know why this is - I totally hate call centres.  I hate being plugged in to the National Grid from 9 til 5. I hate that all your calls are recorded and any can be pulled at any time and listened to.  I hate that Joe Public can be as rude as he/she damn well wants to be but you are not allowed to be rude back. I hate that you are not allowed to hang up if someone is flinging colourful language and abuse at you down the phone. I hate that every breathing minute is logged - how long you were on a call, how long you were on hold, how long you were on the toilet.

Seriously - everything is there in decimals to the nearest millisecond. They can draw up charts and compare you to the rest of your team.  Voice software can pick up certain language traits and certain words you should not be using. As the job I was in was financially regulated we HAD to say this but never say that. We MUST say this word for word on every call, but only say this if they say that. Don't tell them this but if they say that then you can. Make sure they know this and if you don't say this then say that. Without fail ALWAYS say this - unless they tell you that.

Seriously it was doing my head in.

I HATED IT.

So - when I woke up at 3.22 on Monday morning and could not get back to sleep I decided to write a list (perhaps it's a writer thing).  A list of reasons I should not go to work in the morning.
1) I don't want to go.
2) I hate call centres
3) I am sick of being abused by the public and not being able to fight back
4) ...

I came up with SEVENTY TWO reasons - yes really 72 (and have since thought of 12 more).

So. On Monday morning at 9am I went into work and handed in my work pass to my boss and told him I was leaving. Goodbye!

He was a bit stunned but I left with my head held high and I don't regret a thing. I now have no job and I have to say it is somewhat liberating if not a little scary.

I had entered the book in for a local bursary with the local government to write another book, of 141 entries there were ten bursaries.  Although I didn't get a bursary I was on the shortlist which was a boost.  So I am going to take a few months off and concentrate on a novel - not giving any details away (because I don't know then yet) but I am planning a grisly murder.

That night I had the best night's sleep ever.

And the next night...

So my next job will NOT be in a call centre.

Watch this space...