Anybody who has worked in a call centre knows that employees often put up with nasty verbal abuse from annoyed or angry people. Some workers have reported racist or sexist comments and even death threats, according to the United Steelworkers’ (USW) Canadian branch. But many call centres prohibit their employees from simply hanging up on abusive customers, the union has claimed.

Now, the USW – which represents about 10,000 call-centre employees across the country – has launched a campaign to let these workers hang up. Called Hang Up on Abuse, the campaign is urging call centres nationwide to adopt policies that allow workers to hang up when a customer becomes abusive. A new website, HangUpOnAbuse.ca, encourages call-centre employees to share their stories publicly and to sign a petition to demand that their employers allow them to pass on abusive calls without fear of being fired.

“We know that abuse and harassment of call-centre workers is a problem, and it has to stop,” USW national director Ken Neumann said, as quoted in a Dec. 7 news release from the union. “While we can’t persuade everyone to treat call-centre workers respectfully, we can persuade companies to adopt policies that empower workers to end abusive calls.”

Hang Up on Abuse is urging call centres across Canada to do the following:

• give the right to hang up to their workers;
• train managers to support employees who undergo abuse;
• flag clients who have a history of abuse or harassment;
• have a policy of zero tolerance of abuse;
• allow all workers the option to report threats to the police; and
• ensure that employees who report abuse are not disciplined.

Lee Riggs – president of USW National Local 1944, or the Telecommunications Workers Union – called verbal abuse of these workers “dehumanizing,” adding that it remains very stressful for them long after their shifts have ended.

“Some of this abuse is extremely serious,” said Riggs in a press statement. “This can lead to problems at home and to mental and physical pain.”

The release also quoted call-centre employees who have experienced racism and misogyny from clients. Kaoutar Belaaziz, a worker in Montreal, said that she and her colleagues were experiencing abuse and harassment on a daily basis.

“There are callers who tell us to perform sexual acts on them, callers who threaten violence,” said Belaaziz. “People realize they can treat you like this and get away with it. We need to be able to hang up on these calls.”

Michelle Dey, a call-centre employee in Vancouver, said that verbal abuse from customers has an effect that clings to employees for the rest of the workday and even follows them home. “It’s very difficult to just move on to the next call,” she said.

“I had a caller ask me what colour of panties I was wearing. Another one made it clear he was performing lewd acts in a hot tub while he was talking to me,” added Dey.

According to Riggs, these employers have a legal responsibility to create safe working environments. “While some companies say they have zero tolerance of abuse and policies in place to protect workers, we are not convinced that policies are empowering and protecting workers on the frontline,” he said.

“We want all employers to allow call-centre workers to hang up on abusive callers.”

There are currently about 175,000 call-centre workers across the country, according to the USW.