Your Body Almanac

Call center agent

Headset on, calls back to back, timed and monitored.

Call center work combines desk sitting with nonstop talking and close performance monitoring. The voice, the neck and the nerves take the strain, along with the usual costs of a long seated day.

01

Voice strain

Talking for most of a shift, sometimes over a noisy floor, tires and irritates the vocal cords. Hoarseness and a sore throat by the end of the day are common.

SourcesTaking care of your voice (NIH National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders)
Look after your voiceDailySip water, rest your voice between sessions and stop shouting over noise, so a talking-heavy job doesn't wear out your vocal cords. Drink water through the dayDailyKeep a water bottle within reach and sip through the day instead of waiting until you are thirsty.
02

Stress from call targets and difficult callers

Tight call-time metrics, scripted conversations, monitoring and angry customers create steady stress with little control, a combination linked to burnout.

SourcesSo stressed out fact sheet (NIH National Institute of Mental Health)Stress (NHS)
Practice slow breathingDailyTake five minutes to breathe slowly and deeply, such as box breathing with a count of four for each step. Spend time outdoorsDailyGet 20 to 30 minutes in a park, yard or green space most days, walking or just sitting. Make time for peopleWeeklyReach out to friends, family or neighbors each week, and build in regular shared activities.
03

Long seated hours at a fixed station

Breaks are scheduled and short, so many agents sit for hours at a time. Long sitting is linked to back stiffness, weight gain and heart and metabolic risk.

SourcesHealth Risks of an Inactive Lifestyle (MedlinePlus)
Get up and move every 30 minutesDailyBreak up long stretches of sitting with a few minutes of standing or walking. Take a brisk daily walkDailyWalk at a pace that raises your breathing for at least 10 minutes a day, building up over time. Stretch your hip flexorsDailyA kneeling lunge stretch for the muscles at the front of your hip, which tighten when you sit for long stretches.
04

Neck, wrist and eye strain

Typing notes while talking, a headset and a screen at the wrong height load the neck and wrists and dry the eyes.

SourcesComputer workstations eTool (OSHA)Computer vision syndrome (American Optometric Association)
Check your desk setupAs neededSet chair, keyboard and screen so you can work in a relaxed, neutral posture. Do chin tucksDailyGlide your head straight back to counter the forward-head posture that screens and desks encourage. Follow the 20-20-20 ruleDailyEvery 20 minutes at a screen, look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds.
05

Headset volume and hearing

Turning up the headset to hear quiet callers over a loud room, for hours a day, adds to sound exposure. Ringing in the ears after a shift is a signal to turn it down.

SourcesNoise-induced hearing loss (NIH National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders)
Get your hearing checkedYearlyAsk about a hearing test at your yearly checkup, especially if you work around noise or notice signs of hearing loss.

When to see a professional

See a doctor, ideally an ear, nose and throat specialist, for hoarseness lasting more than three weeks. See a doctor for ringing in your ears that doesn't fade, numbness in your hands, or stress and low mood that are affecting your sleep or life outside work.