Winnipeg CON, Bell project.
So here's my story, which I really wanted to tell when I worked for CON but didnt want to get fired.
I was hired in spring 2008 and worked until quitting in October 2008. I had always looked at CON as a quick place to get a job if I was desperate. A couple of times in my life I was and got called back. Fortunately, it wasn't until last Spring that I had to accept.
The first thing that turned me off was that CON called me a few times (we played phone tag) and simply advised me to "drop by" if I was in the neighbourhood. I always returned those calls, assuming it was like most professional places where you'd set up a time and date for an interview. Not at CON. Here, they just wanted warm bodies and that more or less qualified you.
I dressed up nice and "dropped" by. They had me do a computer test which essentially checked to see if I was a) an idiot,
able to read and write. Passing those tests, I got an interview. Interviews are easy...look nice, smile pretty, and tell them what they want to hear. I said I used to work for a bank and I was hired.
They had me shadow a Bell employee for a few minutes who told me honestly, it was a lousy job.
My training was weekday evenings. My trainer was Bobby and a guy who's name escapes me (he was new, asian and a great guy).
I quickly learned that Bobby was a dick. I feel bad for saying that now because I am sure he meant well. He was a malicious asshole...but he was a condescending prick a lot of the time.
A couple of us made a habit of heading over to Triple B's at lunch and downing as many cocktails as we could in half an hour. It wasn't until training was almost over than I learned a couple others in the class actually brought booze in their water go-cups. Normally, I would not condone such behaviour, but this was CON. I did not not to be sober or commited to do a quality job.
As training dragged on, the class grew restless. Often times, we'd spend a good 30-60 minutes at the end of each shift doing "product research", ie. watching television. Bobby was pretty anal about the content of the programming. That seems cool, but really, it showed the inefficiency of the CON. If we have so much time to sit around and watch TV, why not decrease the length of training?
The training itself, what I can remember, was pretty bunk. We didn't actually get hands on the systems until much later so the training was pretty ineffective. I think a brief over-view and then throwing us onto the floor to learn trial by fire style would have been just as effective.
Group dynamics being what they are, and the class being made up of a lot of 18 year olds and Bobby's style frustrating everyone, the class began zoning him out more and more. This frustrated Bobby. Apparently he was a school teacher in the US and he taught adults the same way as kids. So as we became more restless, he became angrier. It culminated one evening when he gave us the most offensive lecture I've ever heard from a member of management at any place I have ever worked.
He told us we should be grateful that CON hired us or else we'd be pumping gas or flipping burgers. He pointed out that the $11.05/hour CON was paying was more than most fast food joints or gas stations would pay. Most of the class was stunned by what they were hearing. He had essentially called us all idiots with no talent or abilities above what any simple, menial job would require. Though I suppose it was a reasonable assumption since it was the CON. He went around the room solicting feedback, basically challenging people to retort.
I sat there, very tense, staring down. I wanted to speak up, but I knew if I said what I wanted to say, there was a good chance I'd be fired and, sadly, I did need the job at the time. However, I promised myself if Bobby called on me, I'd tell him what I thought. He didn't. But it was then that I promised myself that I would give CON the same level of respect they were giving me. And, as I will explain, that is exactly what occured.
The last day of training was our "graduation". They actually give you a certificate which I thought was odd since by their own admittion it wasn't much above a burger joint or gas station. We ordered pizza at Bobby's behest and several of us were drunking throughout the class. Myself, I went through two 2l bottles of Vodka Orange. A group of us went to Triple B's at lunch for some more. I have to admit it was a poor plan as we spent the latter half of the class coming down from our buzz which wasn't too cool.
After training, we were thrown to the wolves. If I recall correctly, they had promised us a week of shifts with several senior agents shadowing us. I believe that lasted two or three days. None of us really knew what we were doing, though being fairly intelligent, I did pick it up pretty quickly and helped a lot of my classmates out.
Aside from the pay, there was very little incentive to actually being there. Generally, I would take my breaks whenever I wanted to as opposed to when they wanted me to. That meant I'd start my shift and last as long as I could without a break and then save up all my breaks for the latter part of the day when I really wanted to kill myself rather than take another call.
CON made it too easy to not come in. I will say this (and I have said this to people), if you want a decent paying gig, that is easy and no one gives a f uck about you, work at CON. Dress code? No problem. As long as you showed up, you could probably have your cock hanging out and they wouldnt care (there were girls with their tits practically hanging out). They only enforced the dress code when they wanted to send people home when call volumes were low so they could save a few dollars. I once came in after a bunch of people had been sent home and was told I was "fortunate" not to have been busted or else I'd be sent home. I seriously considered stripping down as I felt being sent home was a reward.
But really, it was a great gig for some reasons. In the early days, we'd leave whenever we'd want. We didnt even fill out a sick slip which was easy enough...we just up and left. It took about a month before I was "warned" that that was not cool. I feigned ignorance and they gave me a pass.
What bothered me was some of the TL's. I mean, what were these people making, $12/hour? But some of them acted like they were big shots, walking around with chips on their shoulders. Even some of the senior reps who were the floor walking helpers did this. Once little guy gave me shit for having my cell out. He wasn't even a TL. And then I caught him checking his cell.
During training I actually got into a small argument with Bobby about this issue. They were sticklers about cell phones. I got in trouble for just having it on my desk. Another time I got in trouble for checking it during my break, while I was in the classroom. While on the floor, I challenged them on this issue. Their official position was that it was a privacy issue, that cell's could be used to record personal information off of computer screens. Never mind that they began requiring us to write down that information on paper that could easily have been taken home with us, it was a lame excuse. The real reason was they didnt want people distracted...so why not be honest. When I retorted that the "privacy" and "corporate espianage" excuse was idiotic because if I was a corporate spy would I really go through the indignity of working at CON and taking pics of personal information with my $20 samsung phone? Come on...losers.
I recall one TL giving me shit for having my foot up on my bottom draw. "This is still a place of business" she huffed. There were people around me playing poker in the aisles but I was unprofessional. I think I left early that day.
My TL was James Stewart. At first I didnt like him, but his attitude seemed to be "if you don't give a shit, I dont give a shit" and that was fine by me. So we had a good relationship. He would always chastize me for not calling him when I was going to be absent (I would only call the far-too-easy to use automated line), but I never gave in on that one.
He went to bat for me twice. The first time when myself and another person in our class were told verbally by HR that because we had prior call centre experience, we'd get paid a higher wage. Courtney Robinson (who was hot but seemed like a prude as she spent a lot of time during her training class speach telling us why she personally felt it was unprofessional to date or sleep with co-workers) wouldn't budge, telling me that was an old policy when the Bell project paid less. Nevermind that two of us were told that when we were hired...it seemed they'd tell you anything to get you in there. James argued my point but to no avail.
The second issue he supported me on was vacation. They wouldnt let many people take vacation in summer. I remember one TL telling people that worse case scenerio, just quit and then re-apply. Not only would they re-hire you, but they'd probably make you go through the easy-money training again. I didnt plan to take vacation in summer, but an opportunity for a sweet-ass trip came up within a three week period. I went to James and told him and he said it would not be approved. I replied that I would be sick that week then, to which he warned I'd be fired. I then said "well, the day before I leave is my last day. I quit". Instead, James went to the vacation people directly and got it approved. Cool.
As the summer wore on and my cheques got smaller due to my rising absenteeism, I knew that there were only two solutions. Get a new job or kill myself. I did get a new job, making twice the coin for what I suppose you could call a "competitor". Not wanting to quit before the new job was really and truly confirmed, I decided to wait until I actually started. Since I knew two weeks before starting that I had the job, I spent much of that time calling in sick to the CON or going in for half shifts etc. The entire last week I was there, I didnt show up and didnt call in.
A few days into training for the new job, I went to CON to officially resign. Keeping in mind I really hadnt shown up consistantly for a couple of weeks, James greeted me and asked if I was working that day. It seems CON hadnt even noticed I wasnt there. I quit and did the exit survey which, considering the questions, was clearly not something management took seriously.
While waiting for James in the lunch room, I saw Bobby. He said hello and asked what was up. I told hom of my new job and where I worked and he seemed a bit sad replying "Don't they pay like $20/hour?" "Yes." I replied. "Yes they do". I almost thought he was going to ask me if I could get him in.
What bothered me about quitting was being "escorted" out. Did they think I was going to steal trade secrets, like how to run an ineffective, inefficient operation with staff that didnt care and management that cared even less? What a joke...and a final indignity.
But you know something, if I was ever desperate for a better-than-minimum wage job that was easy with low expectations, I'd go back to the CON.
BB
