I just started my job on campus at a call center 2 days ago. Not only was I horrible at getting donations, but I quickly felt uncomfortable with the job and what it was asking me to do. How do I go about resigning my position with the call center? Because of scheduling issues, my supervisor is usually unavailable to meet unless it's time for work, and I know he would patronize me in front of everyone there and I don't want to have to see him, but I don't want to discredit myself. How do I do this?
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1Would you not meet with him in private to discuss that (so he couldn't patronise you in front of everyone)?– komodospCommented Oct 11, 2016 at 14:01
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2@DavidK disagree. The answers to that question don't apply to this one.– Old_LamplighterCommented Oct 11, 2016 at 14:20
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Could you be more specific about what makes it uncomfortable for you? A lot of the answers here seem to assume that your work is just calling and saying "I am calling from University X do you want to donate? Just say yes or no" but from your question & comments it seems like you are being forced into pressuring people into donating. The former may be uncomfortable to you, but the later may be unethical to you. There is a big difference between both.– SJuan76Commented Oct 11, 2016 at 15:53
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Are you 100% sure you are not the right person or do you just feel that way because making these calls seems daunting right now and it's case of lack of experience? Totally respect if you know you are not suitable for the role, takes a bit of critical thinking and reflection, not to mention resolve to do so. If it's just jitters, there's always ways of getting over that initial hump.– CthulhubuttCommented Oct 11, 2016 at 18:34
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It's not a dupe– Chris ECommented Oct 11, 2016 at 19:51
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3 Answers
Talk to your co-workers about it. Call centres like this typically have a high staff turnover, so anyone who's been in the job a while will know the score.
I guess many people will simply not turn up to work.
Or, you can work on things and try to find the positive in working there. Call centres are there to help people after all. If this is one of your first jobs, try to stick it out longer. If you start quitting jobs early in your career, you might end up constantly looking for jobs that you like and never settling anywhere.
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3It's not a help center, it's a telemarketing position, as she said she's soliciting donations. Commented Oct 11, 2016 at 13:55
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@RichardU - Helping the college then. Or helping people to see how helping the college is a good thing...– user44108Commented Oct 11, 2016 at 13:58
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2@Pete, yes its for the benefit of my school, asking for donations go towards scholarships and other funds. The uncomfortable part for me, is calling these people who have no money, making them feel guilty about it, and then having to hear that they just put their wife, who suffers from dementia, in a nursing home just yesterday and was crying to me about it. It just feels wrong somehow.– KaylaCommented Oct 11, 2016 at 14:08
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1@Kayla - Yes, I completely understand, and how upsetting that must be. Try to talk to your co-workers and see how they deal with this kind of call. If you feel you're not a good fit, also talk to your co-workers about the best way of quitting.– user44108Commented Oct 11, 2016 at 14:11
In a word: Deal.
The workplace is not there for your comfort. Bosses are mean, customers are mean, coworkers are mean. Get a thick skin now, or you never will.
I just started my job on campus at a call center 2 days ago. Not only was I horrible at getting donations, but I quickly felt uncomfortable with the job and what it was asking me to do.
Two days is hardly enough time to become proficient at anything. and unless they are asking you to do something illegal or unethical, your discomfort is irrelevant. A job is not designed to make you comfortable. that is why it is called work and not play.
Because of scheduling issues, my supervisor is usually unavailable to meet unless it's time for work, and I know he would patronize me in front of everyone there and I don't want to have to see him, but I don't want to discredit myself.
Quitting after only two days is in and of itself discrediting yourself. A dressing down from a supervisor over it is not. Actions have consequences.
How do I do this?
My recommendation is to stick it out for a while. Talk to your supervisor about any difficulties you are having and come up with a plan to overcome them. If the work turns out to be something that is not for you, be professional and give the standard two weeks notice, or, if you can, give notice with the understanding that you will stick it out until they can find a replacement.
Your supervisor will likely dress you down for giving up, but that is life. Learn from it and become a stronger person for it.
answered Oct 11, 2016 at 14:16
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5"Your discomfort is irrelevant," if you have no reasonable alternative, sure, but otherwise I find this to be quite a depressing perspective.– Ant PCommented Oct 11, 2016 at 14:36
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@AntP Depressing or not, it is a very real thing to remember. If we liked what we did, we'd call it play. Commented Oct 11, 2016 at 15:29
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3@RichardU there's a world of difference between enjoying your work and having it not make you uncomfortable. To be honest I pity anyone who has given up expecting at least the latter.– Ant PCommented Oct 11, 2016 at 15:31
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1@RichardU I'm not really sure where you're coming from. You're paid to provide a service, not to be made uncomfortable. I think you might be misappropriating what is implied by "it makes me uncomfortable."– Ant PCommented Oct 11, 2016 at 16:15
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1@AntP, what Richard is saying is it's time for her to grow up. Call center jobs are not fun for anyone. Giving up after two days for anything less than personal safety is just a horrible idea. Every job has bad points. You need to learn to cope. People just starting out need to learn to deal with things not being exactly as they would like because it is not possible to make everyone happy all the time at work. What she wants to do is just giving up and running away. It will not help her survive at her eventual professional career when she graduates if she goes on this path.– HLGEMCommented Oct 11, 2016 at 17:50
This is a topic depending on the work law environment of the country. Practises may vary. Still, it should absolutely be depending on your contract content. Some do contain section about probation period, it goes usually 30 to 90 days. In that time both party may live with the statement that the job is not fitting for the applicant (or vice versa), and may abandon the contract. If no probation period is indicated in the contract, the paragraph about quitting is left, most commonly including 30 to 60 days notice period. Are you directly contracted with the employer, or via student association or different?
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There is no contract, and this isn't my first job, just my first on-campus job. I know that I'm not the right type of person for this job. I don't know whether or not to just suck it up and push my morals aside, or to just quit because of how much I'm uncomfortable there.– KaylaCommented Oct 11, 2016 at 14:00
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4@Kayla if you don't need the money (or can get another job) and you're really uncomfortable doing what you're doing then I would just quit. If you have no contract, send an email and stop turning up. Life is too short to fight yourself on things like this.– Ant PCommented Oct 11, 2016 at 14:11
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1Most importantly, being uncomfortable with a job is a reason to leave it and look for other. In education the people connections might prove to be important, so it is a thing you can assess better for your case. In my time I was working via student associtaion to avoid dependencies like this, so my morals were safe in that way. Since this is a not contract related situation, I suggest same as Pete said, ask your co-workers for local best practise.– SonicCommented Oct 11, 2016 at 14:20