The Cincinnati Enquirer reports, "American Airlines is being sued for alleged age and gender discrimination for targeting its downtown call center for closure this summer."
"Thirty employees, mostly women over 40, this week sued the suburban Dallas-based airline in U.S. District Court in Cincinnati and accused the carrier of offering inferior severance and only half-hearted assistance in getting other positions with the company. Their lawyer, Eric Deters, is seeking class-action status."
"American said last fall it would shut the facility at the historic Bartlett Building at Fourth and Walnut streets after the carrier learned its landlord wanted to convert the building into a hotel or condos once the lease expires this summer."
"The roughly 450 employees were offered the option of doing their job from home or transferring to another call center elsewhere in the country, but Deters claims those options have been rigged to discourage most employees from selecting them."
"For example, home-based employees would not only have taken a pay cut and reduced benefits, but also have been required to report to Dallas in person at their own expense if their equipment failed until the problem was solved."
"Deters said the work-at-home program was canceled because not enough people signed up."
Friday, March 14, 2008
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Home-based agents are saving the environment
From Yahoo.com, "West Corporation, a leading provider of outsourced communication solutions, today announced the results of an internal study showing the tremendous positive environmental impact of its home agent solution, West at Home, and the overall industry-wide benefit of home-based agents."
"According to the results of the study, West's home-based employees prevented an estimated 17,000 metric tons of air pollution from reaching the earth's atmosphere in 2007. By eliminating the need for lengthy commutes to the office, West at Home agents also reduced gasoline consumption by more than 2 million gallons and saved approximately $22.9 million in commuting expenses."
"Total industry estimates are staggering, when considering the growth estimates from Interactive Data Corporation's (IDC) report, Home-Based Agent 2005-2010 Forecast and Analysis: Converging Economic Forces to Drive the Expansion of Homeshoring in the United States. According to the report, there were an estimated 112,000 home-based agents in 2006 across the United States and that number was projected to grow to approximately 300,000 by 2010."
"According to the results of the study, West's home-based employees prevented an estimated 17,000 metric tons of air pollution from reaching the earth's atmosphere in 2007. By eliminating the need for lengthy commutes to the office, West at Home agents also reduced gasoline consumption by more than 2 million gallons and saved approximately $22.9 million in commuting expenses."
"Total industry estimates are staggering, when considering the growth estimates from Interactive Data Corporation's (IDC) report, Home-Based Agent 2005-2010 Forecast and Analysis: Converging Economic Forces to Drive the Expansion of Homeshoring in the United States. According to the report, there were an estimated 112,000 home-based agents in 2006 across the United States and that number was projected to grow to approximately 300,000 by 2010."
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Arise is looking for bilingual agents
Customer Interaction Solutions magazine reports, "Home-based agent service provider Arise Virtual Solutionsannounced today that it is actively seeking to recruit at least 250 bilingual customer interaction professionals with French and German language skills to handle multilingual customer requests from its technology and retail clients. The French and German language program follows Arise’s successful Spanish-speaking program. The company states that bilingual agents, on average, may earn 20 percent more by putting their language skills to use."
"Arise recruits, screens and certifies thousands of what it calls Arise Certified Professionals (ACPs) that invest in their own training and equipment to answer calls, e-mail and provide interactive chat services from their home offices. Operating as individual small businesses, or Virtual Services Corporations, ACPs choose specifically when and with which Arise clients they would like to work. Arise’s says that its mission is to match the capabilities of its professionals with the goals of its clients and the needs of their customers – inspiring trust and creating results for those it connects."
"'Many of our retail and technology clients serve customers around the globe, as well as a growing international population within the U.S.,' said Jared Fletcher, Vice President, ACP Admissions and Certifications at Arise. 'We want to ensure we can provide the most flexible customer care solutions based on growing client demand for these language skills. At the same time, there are hundreds of potential agents across the nation that could be paid a premium for a skill that comes naturally to them,' he added."
"Arise recruits, screens and certifies thousands of what it calls Arise Certified Professionals (ACPs) that invest in their own training and equipment to answer calls, e-mail and provide interactive chat services from their home offices. Operating as individual small businesses, or Virtual Services Corporations, ACPs choose specifically when and with which Arise clients they would like to work. Arise’s says that its mission is to match the capabilities of its professionals with the goals of its clients and the needs of their customers – inspiring trust and creating results for those it connects."
"'Many of our retail and technology clients serve customers around the globe, as well as a growing international population within the U.S.,' said Jared Fletcher, Vice President, ACP Admissions and Certifications at Arise. 'We want to ensure we can provide the most flexible customer care solutions based on growing client demand for these language skills. At the same time, there are hundreds of potential agents across the nation that could be paid a premium for a skill that comes naturally to them,' he added."
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