The AA has denied allegations that it plans to electronically tag its call centre staff to ensure they do not take too many breaks.

According to a report in today's Guardian, nearly 3,000 AA call centre staff are to be monitored by computers to measure their performance.

The report said the move forms part of a performance-related pay deal whereby workers get a total of 82 minutes' free time, to include lunch, tea breaks and visits to the lavatory.

The GMB union criticised the reported move, saying workers were being treated "like battery hens".

But a spokesman for the AA said the quoted total of 82 minutes' free time is "wholly inaccurate" and is based on the wrong assumption that 85% of the employee's total shift is to be spent 'online' on the phone. He also denied that the company would electronically tag staff.

"The actual situation is that an allowance is made for all breaks, refreshment and convenience breaks, staff briefings and training and so on, and that 85% of the remainder of the shift, that is the available working time, is to be spent on the phone talking to customers," he said.

All working practices are agreed in full consultation with the AA's recognised trade union, the AA Democratic Union (AADU), the spokesman added.

The GMB ceased to be the AA's recognised trade union in March 2005 following the establishment of the AADU.

I didn't notice this when Jason first posted it, don't really know how.

I can't imagine the AA ever would have plans to tag staff. Most of the adhearance statistics can be calculated from the telephone system and the rest of the story can be made up by the team managers. This is how it successfully works in most call centres, and this system would have to be failing big time to enable an electronic tagging system to prove a suitable return on investment.

That aside, the issue of breaks and such will always rage in call centres. If you don't monitor what the staff are doing, many managers will know from experience that staff will take advantage. They are paid to do a job, which they should do.

I was recently interviewing staff at a large call centre where adherance was heavily monitored. Upon asking the CSR what she thought the worst thing about the operation was she answered the strictness of breaks.

Strangely - when asked what the second worst thing was she said that they weren't strict enough on breaks. She did accept the confliction in her answers, but she recognised that most people literally took the p*** when they went for a p***.

Intersting story Jason, good spot.

Regards,
Darryl

By how employees find it acceptable to be late, from break, to arrive etc, so long as they where in the building or room at the alotted time....No.. you are supposed to be logged in helping customers....

The amount of times I have heard this used as an excuse in a disciplinary hearing...If I had £1 for each one my chances of winning the Euro lottery would be greatly improved.

This was another good one.... the employee who thinks that his break shouldnt start until he has...talked to his friends, been to the toilet and got downstairs to the canteen....

The more I think about this maybe the tagging idea isnt such a bad one.....only joking....

If the call centre is run so poorly that they even begin to consider such plans the first person to be tagged should be the Call Centre Manager, its clearly an issues with management rather than general staff.

Jason