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Hello,
I've just been hired as a temp at a call centre in London before I go back to uni in September to finish my degree. I've got my first shifts (6 hrs per day) next week. Advertised hourly wage is £8.50.
Someone I know was hired for the same role and had theirfirst shift yesterday. They told me that despite arriving at the specified time and spending 6.5 hrs on site, they have been told they will receive 5.5 hrs pay because the first hour was a "briefing" during which no calls were made, as will always be the case before the team can start cold calling for a new survey.
I did the maths and 5.5 hrs at £8.50 produces a total very, very close to 6.5 hrs at the national minimum wage for 21-24 year-olds (£7.10). My instincts tell me that this is perhaps not a coincidence, and that the advertised hourly rate is inflated to make the job look more attractive.
The contract does, indeed, specify that pay begins when an employee makes their first call - and when there is a required introductory briefing, this means the employee will always arrive at the workplace about an hour in advance of when their pay begins. I have not signed the contract yet, and depending on what I hear from experts on this forum, I might never.
What are your views on this - is the call centre taking advantage of its staff? Is the company allowed to advertise an hourly wage that will never match the "effective" hourly wage (total pay divided by total hours staff are required to be on site, including an unpaid briefing)?
Thanks in advance for your responses on this!
I've just been hired as a temp at a call centre in London before I go back to uni in September to finish my degree. I've got my first shifts (6 hrs per day) next week. Advertised hourly wage is £8.50.
Someone I know was hired for the same role and had theirfirst shift yesterday. They told me that despite arriving at the specified time and spending 6.5 hrs on site, they have been told they will receive 5.5 hrs pay because the first hour was a "briefing" during which no calls were made, as will always be the case before the team can start cold calling for a new survey.
I did the maths and 5.5 hrs at £8.50 produces a total very, very close to 6.5 hrs at the national minimum wage for 21-24 year-olds (£7.10). My instincts tell me that this is perhaps not a coincidence, and that the advertised hourly rate is inflated to make the job look more attractive.
The contract does, indeed, specify that pay begins when an employee makes their first call - and when there is a required introductory briefing, this means the employee will always arrive at the workplace about an hour in advance of when their pay begins. I have not signed the contract yet, and depending on what I hear from experts on this forum, I might never.
What are your views on this - is the call centre taking advantage of its staff? Is the company allowed to advertise an hourly wage that will never match the "effective" hourly wage (total pay divided by total hours staff are required to be on site, including an unpaid briefing)?
Thanks in advance for your responses on this!
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