[June 21, 2009] FREED FROM THE CUBICLE: Call center's work-at-home program allows employees to fashion a schedule that dovetails with their family lives Tweet Jun 21, 2009 (Albuquerque Journal - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Jennifer Shaver, married and the mother of two young boys, struggled for years to find a balance between work and home life before hearing about Sitel Corp.'s work-athome program. Called HomeShore, the program enables qualified employees to forgo a cubicle at Sitel's 10-year-old call center near Interstate 25 and Jefferson NE, and work from a computer station at home. HomeShore employees, just like coworkers at the call center, provide customer service and technical support for various companies. "I'd never worked in a call center before," Shaver said about taking the HomeShore job. "I guess I still haven't." After 10 years of managing stores, she took a pay cut to join Sitel but figures her real income increased because of the time and money saved commuting to and from work. In addition, she sold the family's second car needed for her commute, thus saving on car payments. To top it off, she arranged a work schedule with Sitel that dovetailed with her husband's job. They now have time for the two boys without stress and hassles. "I've been able to arrange work around my life," she said. "Not the opposite." Now Sitel is looking for more people like Shaver to work at home, taking calls for Choice Hotels and a satellite TV provider that doesn't want to be named. Over the next two to three months, Sitel will hire 150-200 people for its Home-Shore program. Never mind the slow economy: Employment at Sitel's Albuquerque operation is currently at a peak of 950 -- a year ago it was at 600. Of those 950 workers, 225 work out of their homes. "The Albuquerque center has done well for our clients," said local site director Diana Grandinetti. "Our quality and ability to perform is well known." The HomeShore program isn't for everyone. "You have to be responsible for yourself," Shaver said. "You have to hold yourself to the same standards as if you were in a work environment." You need to be customer service oriented with a stable work history -- one to two years at your last job. Just as importantly, you need high-speed Internet access and either a landline or voice-over IP phone connection (no cell phones). You also need a computer screen. Sitel provides a pre-programmed hard drive with keyboard and mouse. Although you're working at home, Sitel will monitor your activity by recording phone calls and capturing what's on your computer screen every few minutes. Pay starts at $9 an hour, depending on experience, plus health and dental benefits and 401(k) plan. HomeShore employees get the same pay as workers at the call center. Learn more For more information on Sitel's HomeShore program, go to www. sitel.com. Click on Careers, then HomeShore. To see more of the Albuquerque Journal, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.abqjournal.com. Copyright (c) 2009, Albuquerque Journal, N.M. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]