When the corona 19 mass infection occurred at an insurance company commissioned call center in Guro-gu, Seoul, the financial sector responded that it would burst.

Financial firms call centers have many dense structures where employees work together at a distance of less than one meter.

It is a structure that is particularly vulnerable to infectious diseases such as Corona19.

There are also concerns that telecommuting is not easy and that most of the irregular workers can lead to job loss.

According to the government and local governments, at least 34 employees, trainees, and their families at the call center on the 11th floor of the Korea Building in Sindorim-dong, Seoul have been confirmed as corona19.

The largest group infection in Seoul.

Most call centers in the financial sector are booth-like booths with very small private spaces.

If you place your computer or phone on a desk less than 1 meter wide, you may not have a place for personal belongings.

The space is so narrow that the distance between the shoulders and the person next to you is very close.

It's a dense space where infectious diseases can be easily transmitted.

A card company official said, "Because we do a lot of non-face-to-face sales, each company has increased call center workforce instead of reducing branches." I think the cost increases if the space for is increased. ”

The official said, "It's about half the size of regular employees in financial companies."

Call center workers working in dense spaces also find it difficult to work from home, where the financial sector is currently working to prevent the spread of Corona19.

Because of privacy issues

Normally, call center employees respond by looking at various personal information related to customers when they make a phone call.

For this reason, financial companies often manage their personal information so that it can't be opened at all.

Call center customer service is basically only possible within a narrow call center.

The problem is that the majority of call center counselors are irregular workers, such as dispatched or contracted employees.

I work for the financial company, but I often belong to a subcontractor.

Because of poor employment security, the risk of job loss is greater than regular workers if they close their call centers or reduce their workforce.

The situation is good for large non-life insurers with a call center as a subsidiary.

If you have an independent building, you have space to allocate your workforce.

Small companies often run outsourced call centers, but relatively small work spaces are reported.

A financial authority official said, "We are trying to implement the call center as much as possible, such as setting up an alternative site or distributing it to telecommuting." I'm trying. "

(Photo = Yonhap News)