Say ‘hello’ to the telephone mystery caller. Like the mystery shopper (those ‘researchers’ often employed to double-check that others are doing what they’ve been commissioned to do), the mystery telephone caller does much the same thing. Restaurant and hotel chains have their own version of the mystery caller, the “mystery guest.” These are professionals paid to check on the quality of check in, food, and housekeeping. Well, thanks to Covid-19, employers have developed their own “mutation” of this covert professional, and they’re calling them: “Mystery Callers”.
Telephone Mystery Callers are a Thing
Long recognised among Dublin Recruitment Agencies and HR Professionals as recruiters alert to the shifting roles in corporate Ireland, it’s expected that we’d be one of the first agencies recruiting for their new industry. And so we are. So when we tell you that the telephone mystery caller is “a thing” you can take it as read.
Our career transition services are designed to help candidates make the most of the workplace shift happening in the wake of the pandemic.
CATHERINE MURTAGH
What Astute Remote Workers Know
Even while working from the privacy of home and away from the gaze of an attentive manager, an astute employee should always protect the good name and reputation of their company. That means avoiding any temptation to lie-in or to be less than professional in every other respect.
Too often in recent times have employers complained that—when calling a work-from-home colleague—suspicion arises that all is not as it should be. Common is talk of bleary-eyed phone conversations. So too are calls taken against the background sounds of children playing or supermarket loudspeaker announcements. And there are those online ‘zoom meetings’ that reveal a ‘dress-down, dressing gown’ approach to work-at- home attire. Well the mystery calling companies are alert to this phenomena. More to the point, they’re alerting employers to staff performance while they work remotely.
You Have Been Forewarned
Right or wrong, in the minds of many, working from home means exactly that! It means getting out bed at a proper hour. It means wiping the sleep from your eyes and getting fully dressed in proper office garb. It means locking yourself away in your temporary office and being ship-shape and ready to tackle whatever the day throws up.
Mindful of your future career, it is best always to remember that ‘out of sight does not mean out of mind’. Though you might be locked away, secreted from public view, modern technology ensures that you are wholly accessible. It is the job of the mystery caller to exploit this accessibility to evaluate your remote working brand proposition.
The background sound of a seagull will immediately convince a caller that – short of being at your desk – you may be strolling the beach while engaging in conversation. That’s fine if you work for the Parks Department of your local Council, not fine if it’s 10.30 in the morning and you work in a solicitor’s practice.
Mystery callers are about. Don’t say you weren’t told!