A paper in a recent issue of the journal Archives Of Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery (2002, Vol 128, Issue 5, pp 571-577) discusses the problems facing telesales people, particularly with regard to voice problems. Telesales staff, the study, led by Katherine Jones of the University of Nebraska found, were twice as likely to report one or more symptoms of vocal “attrition” compared with controls, after adjusting for age, sex, and whether they were smokers or not. Apparently, voice problems and “occupational vocal load” can adversely affect productivity and “are associated with modifiable risk factors.”
We hung-up before finding out what these factors are but was left wondering whether the researchers cold-called the people and whether those interviewed were in the middle of dinner or had had to get out of the bath to answer the phone. In a more malicious moment we’d like to think so.