Republic is home to one-third of Europe's army of teleworkers

When a photocopier malfunctions in Dusseldorf, or when a Flemish speaker in Antwerp wants to book a flight to San Francisco, our fellow Europeans reach for the phone. What they probably do not realise is that their call is answered in the Republic by one of the 7,000 agents currently working in the expanding international teleservices sector.

On the other end of the line, connected to their desks by headsets and grouped into "pods" of 12 is an ever-growing army of teleworkers.

The number of international call centres operating in the Republic accounts for one-third of the European total as corporate giants like Xerox have been closing down their local helpdesks around Europe and centralising their services in multilingual centres..

The atmosphere in the purpose-built Xerox complex in Blanchardstown in Dublin is one of quiet efficiency. In operation since July 1998, and still under construction, 1,040 employees have been recruited out of a final total of 1,600. In all, 12 nationalities are working under one roof. They are divided into sections for each language group.

General manager Mr Enda Darcy personifies the ethos of the call centre - determinedly upbeat in a very do-it-by-the-HR-book kind of way. The word problem seems to be banished, instead the talk is of solutions and much has been done to make the work environment as pleasant as possible.

The largest section is the British "welcome centre" where about 130 agents are manning the phones in a converted warehouse space. When building work is completed, Mr Darcy pointed out, these agents will all be within four feet of a window in a new wing featuring an atrium.

While they work, the agents and their "team leaders", or supervisors, keep an eye on the digital displays on the walls where they can see at a glance a statistical overview of their work rate. There's a breakdown of how many calls are waiting, how many are being processed and how many people are available or idle.

When an agent is finished taking a call and does not switch to being immediately available for the next incoming call, they enter "idle" into the phone along with a code that explains the reason why they are idle, i.e.: paperwork, talking to supervisor or on a break.

Also on the walls are pictures of inspiring positive images, such as the sun setting in a canyon, a rosebud, a skier, with uplifting captions like Teamwork, Opportunity and Do it Now.

Although most people are busy dealing with calls, the atmosphere is friendly and surprisingly relaxed.

The youthful general manager seems to cause no stiffening of backs as he strolls around the shopfloor, even when a rogue email which is being opened up at intervals by unsuspecting agents causes the computer to shout out "Hey I'm watching porn over here" in a raucous hillbilly accent.

There is a conscious effort to lighten the atmosphere in Xerox with barbeques, 1970s fundays and friendly hands-on management, but the agents still have a difficult job to do. They take 60 to 80 calls a day and the number can rise to 95. Mr Christophe Desproges from Paris has been working in the centre for three months. "Financially and socially speaking Xerox take care of their employees but the job is very stressful. Without some kind of outlet you would have a nervous breakdown within two months. For me the outlet is football."

He patiently talks French callers through problems they have with the company's machines and works the complex computer-prompt system adeptly. He received three weeks' training, including "buddying-up" with another employee, before "going live".

Because call centres are a relatively new phenomenon and growth in the area has been so rapid, research into the subject is limited. Young women make up the majority of agents across the board. A 15-month study of women working in the industry in the Republic, Britain and the Netherlands, funded by the European Commission has reported mixed findings.

"Although many women find their working environment pleasant and enjoy working in teams, they find the constant and repetitive work very exhausting and dull," said Dr Juliet Webtser, leader of the British research team.

Supervisors may listen in on a call at any time unknown to the agent and excessive supervision is an unpopular stress factor among workers, she said.

At slightly more than one in 10, union membership in call centres is very low compared to the national average. Mr Chris Hudson of the Communications Workers' Union (CWU) acknowledges that unions have not kept up with the rapid growth in the numbers of new workers in the high-tech sector. However, he is concerned that some call centres are hostile to union presence and make it difficult or undesirable for their employees to become members.

Mr Hudson also pointed out that the low membership rate could be explained by the attitude and priorities of the staff, many of whom don't expect to stay long in the job. "During one seminar, I told a young woman working in a call centre that she had a right to be a member of a union and she answered that she had a right to be a member of a tennis club too - it's up to her to decide which is more relevant to her life."

One of the first international call centres in the State, American Airlines in Dublin city centre, has a staff of 300 and handles reservations for the whole of Europe. There seems to be some confusion amongst staff as to the company's position on union membership. Asked why no one was a member of any union, some workers said they did not know why and presumed it was through lack of awareness or interest. They also said they felt the lines of communication with management were open and they were well able to solve their own problems.

Reservations sales manager, Mr Barry McKimm, said he doubted a union could represent the staff better than they could represent themselves but he said they were free to join if they wished.

However, some of the staff said they thought they were not allowed to join a union and said that no one would dare. They were under the impression that it was "in the contract" but they were unsure.

The CWU is launching a recruitment drive in the industry, starting in November.

Ms Rita Campbell has worked in American Airlines for three years. Although the entry jobs are not at graduate level, she is a language graduate like most agents starting off. "There are great opportunities for rapid promotion here, you can be a lead agent within a year. Yes, it can be stressful, tedious, boring and repetitive, especially in reservations but the travel perks are excellent."

Postcards and framed holiday snaps from exotic destinations are prominent on the walls of this workplace and Mr McKimm said the main thing the staff have in common is their love of travel. The starter salary is £9,600 (€12,189) per annum for an agent with English only and £12,100 for an agent with a second language.

Half the employees are on this level. But with the shift work and the freedom to swop days and build up time off, the staff frequently avail of amazing deals on long-haul flights. Mr Nick Reuland from France enjoys the job, especially the fact that it doesn't follow him home.

"There's a good atmosphere, the money is the only downside." He is also very impressed by his experiences flying first class.

Many of the foreign workers are not so happy with what they find when they come to the Republic. Mr Cliff Wayenberg from Holland has lived here for three years and has seen many young people come and go in American Airlines. "They come over here not knowing what to expect and are disappointed with the salary, the culture and the cost of living. The ones that stay usually have a relationship tie here."

One thing all tele staff have in common is the headache of dealing with "irates". They may be driven to tears by a difficult customer but they learn to deal with the aggression by not taking it personally and an agent will pass a call on to a "team leader" if they feel things are getting out of hand.

IDA Ireland is actively encouraging pan-European call centres to set up in the Republic. The number of people working in the international centres is expected to rise to more than 10,000 by the end of 2000. The companies are attracted mainly by the telecommunications infrastructure and costs. Mr Peter Lillis of the IDA said the jobs being created are good news for the workforce.

"We don't expect people to stay in call centres forever but for school or college leavers they represent an opportunity to work with a world renowned company using important IT and customercare skills. These are all positive attributes to put on their CV and will make them well-equipped for career advancement."

The attrition rate in call centres is high with up to 70 per cent of staff in certain companies leaving within 12 months. Even companies with relatively low attrition rates are constantly recruiting and they devote a lot of energy to keeping their employees content.