Effective and Ergonomic Design of Call Centres

By 2003 an estimated half a million people will be employed in Call Centres. For facilities managers this trend could provide many headaches, as there will be more and more demands for innovative, cost effective, space-saving designs. Christine Critchley investigates the components of an effective, ergonomic call centre.

The main health and safety 'risks' associated with working in Call Centres are work-related upper limb disorders (RSI), voice loss, stress, and a feeling of being cooped up—like battery animals.

Comfort is even more important in the Call Centre environment than in a normal office situation. Temperature needs to be maintained at comfortable levels at any position within the Call Centre, with no cold draughts.

A great deal of thought needs to be given to the positioning of a Call Centre within the building, as there is a tendency to put it in the middle of a floor with no access to natural light or windows. In most cases this leads to a feeling of isolation and depression, unless great care is taken with the lighting and décor.

The following is a brief checklist which may enable facilities managers to cope with the demands of providing the perfect Call Centre.

Space

Hot-desking is the usual method of working, so account has to be taken of the size of the individual. Good workstation design should respect and accommodate those differences. It should provide sufficient adjustability to accommodate the smallest and the largest worker.

There is usually a need for a high degree of team working and consequently adequate provision needs to be given for formal and informal team spaces to allow staff to contribute to the development of their team.

Storage

Vending areas need to be sited close to the work area. I know from experience (having been the Health and Safety Controller for Freeman's Mail Order for many years), that drinks, food, etc., should be consumed away from the work area. This has two main benefits, firstly it prevents the workstations from becoming soiled, stained and crumb-leaden, and secondly, it encourages the staff to take breaks.

Environment

Ensure that you have organised your cleaning services to keep the workplace clean and healthy at all times. This can take a great deal of organisation, as the tendency is for the work schedule to be 24 hours per day, 7 days a week.

We have talked about the temperature above, and equally important is the level of humidity. As voice loss can be one of the risks, maintaining the humidity levels between 40% - 60% (47% being the optimum) is essential.

Plants can help to enhance the humidity if carefully placed, and will also add to the colour and overall design of the area.

Noise also plays a significant role in the Call Centre, so the materials used in the design of the workstations needs to be carefully chosen. People need to be able to communicate with each other without distracting the caller with excessive background noise.

Staff are usually discouraged from personalising the workstations, and therefore providing adequate storage for individuals usually means lockers or moveable containers for personal possessions. Careful thought needs to be given to the provision of adequate storage, as staff frequently feel that they have nothing "of their own".

Equipping the workstation

When providing furniture and equipment, remember that there needs to be twice the flexibility on a workstation used by numerous people. To ensure that all sizes and shapes can be accommodated, the workstation should be sufficiently large to allow a flexible arrangement of all necessary equipment.

The height of the worksurface should be between 710mm to 740mm and the underside of the workstation in particular needs to be free from obstructions such as bars, C-legs, or any form of lap-drawer, to allow sufficient leg room and easy access for all users.

The chair must be fully adjustable in seat height, and the back must adjust in both height and tilt. The question of arms is often a prickly one, and I would suggest that the chair provided either has no arms or adjustable arms, to ensure that everyone can achieve a comfortable seated position close to the work surface.

Both a footrest and document holder should be available at the workstation to be used when necessary. The screen and keyboard should be set centrally, to ensure that the users can sit straight-on to the equipment.

The last reminder, we are talking about health and safety, so do not forget the evening / night time fire drill to ensure that all the staff understand the emergency procedures.

Christine Critchley