It was a couple of minutes before 8 am when I felt a sense of jolt. There was an earthquake. I was at the office and our office is at the 7th floor of a building along Quezon Avenue in Quezon City when I noticed my swivel chair swinging lightly. It was noticeable enough because after a few seconds, all employees in the floor were on their feet trying to verify if indeed there’s an earthquake. And in fact, it was reported later the day that a 5.3 magnitude earthquake shook parts of Mamburao, Occidental Mindoro Monday morning and was felt as far as Metro Manila. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology reported that the tectonic quake struck at about 7:50 a.m. It was felt at Intensity IV in Looc, Lubang; Intensity III in Batangas City ; Iba, Zambales and Clark, Pampanga; and Intensity II in Talisay, Batangas, Calamba, Laguna, Makati , Manila , Pasay , Pasig . Muntinlupa, Mandaluyong and Cavite.
Well, we are in Quezon City but we felt it. I think it was intensified by the fact that we are on a high-rise building. My parents who live within the Quezon City area didn’t have a clue when I asked them if they felt the tremors.
Most call center sites are located on high-rise buildings and the knowledge that you are on top of a 30 storey-building during an earthquake can cause extreme panic. But this should be avoided. Listed below are a few earthquake safety tips from the SagipKapamilya website which when kept in mind can spell safety during an earthquake.
WHAT TO DO IF THERE IS AN EARTHQUAKE DURING BUSINESS HOURS AND YOU ARE IN A BUILDING:
1. Duck, cover and hold. Advise others to do the same. Do not run or panic.
2. Do not leave the building until the motion stops and it is safe. Stay where you
are. If indoors stay indoors. Most injuries occur because people are trying to enter or leave buildings in a state of panic.
3. If inside the building, take cover under a desk, heavy table or bench, or against
inside walls and doorways, or in the corner of the room. Stay away from
glass, windows, and outside doors. Watch out for falling debris or tall
equipment that may topple or slide across the floor.
4. Do not dash for exits since stairways may be broken or jammed with people.
Do not use elevators as the power may fail. Seek safety in the immediate
area you are in and then calmly evacuate the facility after the quake.
5. Do not distress if you hear alarms going off or if the sprinklers begin to
operate. These systems will likely be activated in the event of a major
tremor. Expect to hear noise from breaking glass, cracks in walls, and
falling objects.
6. Prepare for more than one aftershock. Aftershocks are common after an
earthquake. After the first motion is felt, there may be a temporary
decrease in the motion followed by another shock. Aftershocks can occur
several minutes, hours, or days after an initial shock.
7. Do not use candles, matches, or open flames during or after the tremor.
Extinguish any fires immediately with a fire extinguisher.
8. When leaving be alert for possible falling objects.
9. Assist people to safety.
10. Administer first aid as needed.
11. Make sure coworkers are safe.
12. Report to the Department's Evacuation Assembly Area.
Note: Each supervisor is responsible for assuring the safe evacuation of staff
and clients.
Source: http://www.sagipkapamilya.com/
Today is the start of the Daylight Saving Time in some states of Australia. Since we are supporting Australian customers our schedule will also be adjusted one hour earlier starting tomorrow. So if our shift normally starts at 6:30am to 3:30pm, it will now start at 5:30am to 2:30pm until the DST ends in April of next year.
What does this means to us? Well it only means we will have to wake up an hour earlier. And I can tell you that it will be a real punishment for us in the first one or two weeks since our body clock has been accustomed to the usual schedule. Another effect which can bring smiles in our faces is the added compensation for us starting tomorrow. We will now be entitled to hazard pays because of this favorable change of schedule.
One of the advantages of supporting Australian customers is we get to live normal lives as their time is just behind our time for 2 or 3 hours depending on the state. We also don’t have shifting schedules since our support is only open during office hours in Australia. And when they are celebrating public holidays, most of the time our lines are also closed.
By the way, I think two or three states in Australia are also celebrating public holidays tomorrow. They are celebrating Labor Day. This is good news for us since it is expected that we will have fewer calls during public holidays.
Have a great weekend to everyone!
A few days after the onslaught of tropical storm Ondoy, some areas in Metro Manila and nearby municipality are still in the dark since the power restoration of the Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) is not yet fully completed.
However, the electricity distributor, issued customer safety reminders as it begins to restore power in nearly all of its service areas, including places which were previously submerged in flood water. They are asking customers to "exercise caution before plugging and turning on their appliances," and to seek advice from licensed electrical practitioners if it would already be safe to run power back on.
Meralco likewise provided a list of precautionary measures with regard electrical facilities after a household has been submerged in flood.
1) Make sure that the main electrical power switch or circuit breaker is turned off. When you need to touch a switch and the floor is still wet, stand on dry board or carton or wear rubber sole boots. Use a dry stick or rubber gloves, or well-insulated pliers or tools to pull handles;
2) Unplug all equipment and appliances. Turn off the switch of permanently connected equipment. Unscrew all light bulbs if possible;
3) Remove mud and dirt from the service equipment or main circuit breaker/fuse and its enclosure with rubber gloves and rubber sole shoes;
4) Allow electrical wires, connectors and other wiring devices to dry completely. Drying may take days, depending on how wet the system is and on external temperature;
5) When all electrical wires and accessories are dry and clean, the wiring system must be checked, and;
6) The appliance itself must be completely dry, serviced or checked by a licensed electrician. Do not turn on damaged electrical appliances.
Tropical storm Ondoy is no longer in the country but its devastating effect on us is still being felt. I know a couple of people who are unable to work at this time since their houses are still flooded. Even our office building was flooded with waters reportedly filling the basement.
I don’t have a car so I don’t worry much on the basement not being accessible for parking. But the worse thing is the elevator is also not working. I don’t mind if my office is just on the second or third floor as it was before. But man, my office is now on the 7th floor!
When my office was on the 3rd floor, I don’t even use the elevator. I always prefer using the stairs as I consider it a form of exercise. That and brisk walking. I don’t go to the gym and I don’t have any special diet so I’m afraid that my sedentary lifestyle can take its toll on my health in the future. But to use the stairs to go to the 7th floor is a punishment!
Because of this, I also needed to limit the times that I have to go down or out of the office during breaks. We use to complain on how we can not rely on the elevator as it was taking forever to wait for it to come up or down which was very frustrating. But now I’ve come to miss the elevator dearly.
It’s so great to see the sunrise once again! Thank you God for this blessing!
I understand that there are people especially those who were devastated by the tropical storm Ondoy who may never see life the way it was. Those people who have lost their loved ones and their homes, those who are now in evacuation areas waiting for help from the government and their countrymen. But still, life has to go on for all of us.
I went to the office quite early today as I was expecting that there may be some streets that are still flooded in Quezon City. But that was not the case; there were no traffic jam on my way to the office.
When I arrived at the office, I noticed that there were only a handful people going in and out of the office building. There were two trucks situated in front of the building. Then I recalled that one of my officemates told me that the basement was flooded last Saturday. I wondered on how this will affect our jobs.
When I entered the building, I noticed a small notice posted on the wall informing all employees of our account to proceed to our site in Makati! WTF! I immediately called my team leader and she verified the information, I needed to go to Makati. It was now past 6 am and I am expected to log in at 6:30 am! She said that she’ll take care of it. Then I realized that my TL doesn’t have my celphone number.
So I reached our site in Makati at about 7:05 am, thanks to MRT. Then I hurriedly set up my tools and everything else. It was such a hassle but I can never complain. If there’s one thing that I’ve learned from the onslaught of Ondoy, it is to count our blessings. I still have a job, a house and more importantly, I’m alive. Why should I complain?
As of writing, the death toll after the onslaught of tropical storm Ondoy (international code name Ketsana) now rose to 73 based on the evening newscast. And the number is expected to rise as some of the municipalities affected are still submerged in flood water. Not to mention the number of people who were displaced by the extensive flooding in Metro Manila and nearby municipalities.
Earlier in the day, a state of national calamity has been declared over 27 provinces in 7 regions, as well as in the NCR. The provinces included are Mountain Province, Ifugao, and Benguet (CAR); Pangasinan, La Union, and Ilocos Sur (Region I); Isabela, Quirino, and Nueva Vizcaya (Region II); Aurora, Nueva Ecija, Zambales, Pampanga, Bulacan, Tarlac, and Bataan (Region III); Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, and Quezon (Region IV-A); Mindoro Occidental, Mindoro Oriental, and Marinduque (Region IV-B); and Catanduanes, Camarines Norte, and Camarines Sur (Region V).
Early reports from weather forecasters said that the equivalent of one month’s worth of rain fell on Metro Manila in less than a day. Reports said that about 34.1 centimeters of rain fell on Metro Manila in just six hours, close to the 39.2-centimeter average for the whole month of September.
As of 11 a.m Sunday, the tropical storm has moved on to South China Sea but it left a number of areas still underwater particularly in Marikina, Pasig, the Camanava area and parts of Manila, Quezon City and Rizal.
The sight of people stranded on rooftops desperately waiting for help is heart-rending. Some of them are on their rooftops since the nine-hour deluge on Saturday. I even saw on TV and on Youtube how the raging flood swept away shanties and even automobiles.
If you are just like me who was spared by the tropical storm or the flooding, then you are lucky. It is now time to count our blessings and be thankful to God. But it is also the time to help our fellowmen who have lost their loved ones and their homes. The government is exerting its efforts to help in the rescue and recovery of the victims but we can also do our share. Media institutions and various NGO’s are conducting telethons and fund-raising activities to help the flood and typhoon victims. It’s now time to do our share.
God bless us all!
I’ve been to three call centers and I’ve worked with almost all kinds of people, call center employees in particular. And it’s not unusual for some agents to complain of the management’s inability to provide this and that to its employees. Let’s face it, we will always have complaints. That’s human nature, we can get no satisfaction!
Don’t get me wrong, I’m also a frequent whiner. I easily get irritated. But I try to be reasonable most of the time.
What I find amusing is when call center agents complain of receiving calls. Ironic, isn’t it? Don’t they know what they signed up for? We should be reviewing our job descriptions to find out that our duty is not simply to wait but to receive calls.
“Ang dami namang calls?
“Ano ba yan? Kaka-log-in ko lang may call na agad!”
“Ba’t nauna pa akong pinasukan ng call?”
“Hay, buntung hininga lang ang pahinga!”
Those are just some of the complaints that I’ve been hearing from my team mates everyday. Honestly, I sympathize with them. We are in a very stressful job. Fewer calls mean less stress for us. But, really, this is what we sign up for when we decided to apply for a call center job.
I suggest that we start counting our blessings. If you found a call center job with fewer calls, good for you! In my girlfriend’s previous account, the minimum calls that they were getting were 60 calls per day. I can not imagine myself receiving that number of calls. I may never show up the next day, lol.
The good thing is we still have jobs. If there are no calls coming in then we better start updating our resumes and begin job hunting again. No calls means no jobs for us! That is the bottom line.