Contact Lens

A Closer Look at USP’s Contact Centre Operations
July 2023

By Josef Rosenberg, Contact Centre Manager

July’s heat bakes down on the concrete of Alberta, hot enough to fry an egg and create what used to be called a Dog Day Afternoon (though it has since drifted out of common parlance, despite the efforts of Sidney Lumet). We hold our hands to our foreheads and squint at the bright sun, and then wipe the sweat from our collective brows in one single motion.

Whew! Just typing it out makes me start to perspire. Yes, summer has arrived with all of its heat and intensity. The agents of USP’s Contact Centre are mostly sheltered (though some do prefer to work outside…madness!) inside their home workspaces, but let us spare a thought and quick prayer for those excavators tirelessly working outdoors under the powerful beams of a July sun.

Of course, being indoors during the summer doesn’t entirely mitigate the heat, and in fact can increase it under the wrong circumstances! USP agents have many methods to beat the heat however. The work-from-home nature of the position of course allows them to wear clothing providing maximum breeziness (thankfully, there are no cameras required in this position). Casual Day is every day! Fans, open windows and bowls of ice can create a wonderful cross-breeze for any stale and baking room. Of course, some may be fortunate enough to have an air conditioning unit, but they don’t get the opportunity to get creative. 

Of course, there was a time when we all used to work together in a large call centre. While battling traffic to and from work and dealing with other day-to-day irritations were always painful, don’t you sometimes just miss a nice, breezy, air-conditioned workspace?

Though, too many fans might be a tad loud for handling a call.