Telecommunications giant EE has stressed employees at its six huge call centres are classed as key workers and that only essential staff are still in the buildings during the coronavirus crisis, after receiving criticism from some employees.
The mobile network operator and internet service provider employs 1,300 people at its base in Plymouth, and thousands more in five other centres: Merthyr Tydfil, Greenock, Darlington, Doxford and North Tyneside.
The company stressed it, and its workforce, are providing an essential and important function, keeping the nation connected during the COVID-19 contagion.
But it has been criticised by some employees who claim sales and customer service staff are still operating and debating whether they are providing an essential function.
There have been questions raised about whether debt collection teams are key too, and one worker said: “There are people coming in because they think they have to even though they are high risk.”
But EE stressed its workers have all been classed as essential by the Government and said only those able to come in during the pandemic, and those who can’t work from home, are on the Plymouth site.
EE said it has suspended “all proactive sales and marketing activities” and stressed: “We have been asked by the Government to keep our vital services running.”
The company, which has also come under fire for hiking monthly bills by 2.2% for millions of Ƶ customers just as the virus lockdown began to bite, has furthermore stressed that cleaning regimes have been ramped up at its contact centres.
A spokesperson for EE said: “Our priorities are to help everyone stay connected and to keep our colleagues safe.
“Our contact centre people are considered key workers by the Government because of the essential role they play in keeping the country connected. We’d like to thank them for their critical work at this time.
“Our colleagues are coming in only if they’re able to do so. If colleagues are not able to come in for reasons such as self-isolation, we’re continuing to pay them. Those who can do their role from home are doing so.”
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The spokesperson added that any pregnant women have been sent home and home working is being allowed “wherever possible”.
“This means in our contact centres we’ve chosen go beyond the current government advice, which has been relaxed to allow pregnant women to attend work in centres where they can undertake social distancing,” the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson added: “We’ve increased cleaning at the centre and continue to ask our colleagues to protect themselves by strictly following personal hygiene measures.
“We’ve arranged work spaces at recommended safe distances and opened up communal areas to create more space. We are also providing free meals to those colleagues on site.”
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The spokesperson said it insists contact centres follow formal guidelines around social distancing and the firm is utilising other space on site, increasing space between desks and changing shift patterns where possible.
It has also adopted a one-way systems into all centres, plus “safe queuing for toilets” and marking areas to drive awareness of the two-metre rule.
“Currently, we’re seeing huge demand to help people stay connected at this critical time,” the spokesman said. “This includes ensuring vulnerable customers receive handsets which allow them to have video calls with their friends and family.
“We’re determined to help those people who need us most, and this is only possible thanks to our brilliant contact centre colleagues. We will be reviewing our approach on a daily basis to reflect changes in government advice.”
