You may have talked to one of them. At Bell Atlantic, employees in customer service are quitting or retiring faster than the company can replace them. They are stressed to the point of being physically sick, frustrated by the company s lack of training and fed up with harsh rules and excessive, forced overtime.
New workers cycle in and out, lacking the knowledge and skills that come with time.
It s bad business, bad for the bottom line. It s costing the company money and that s something stockholders should be concerned about, said Carol Summerlyn, who recently left Bell Atlantic s Virginia Beach, Va., office. Meanwhile, unfilled jobs mean employees are required to work overtime, sometimes every night. It s not a choice. Even parents with young children are forced to stay, regardless of their daycare dilemmas.