“My mother once told me that I was sleep-talking, as if I was answering phone calls during my sleep. That’s how much it messes with your mind,” says 29-year-old Mohamed Sayed, on his work at a call center in Egypt. At the end of last year, Cairo woke up to the extremely devastating news of a call centre employee who died by suicide, reportedly due to workplace stress. Multiple groups on social media began sharing the news while commenting on the harsh workplace conditions that call center agents go through, and the daily stress associated with their jobs, whether with clients or with their managers. Despite being a highly stressful job, millions of Egyptians work at call centers, whether for a temporary period, or as a permanent source of income. “When I first started working at a call center, my first call was with a sexual harasser,” says 30-year-old Marina R. who has been working at call centers for over seven years. “I was not allowed to hang up, I could only put him on hold, and pass the call to the assisting team. But I remember thinking, ‘What if…
‘It Sucks the Life Out of You’: Struggles of Working at a Call Center in Egypt
February 2, 2022
