If there's anything that comes out of Convergys' decision last week to close its Truro-area call center we can only hope it's a better understanding of how this province's system of payroll rebates works and whether it's being used wisely.
As much as the Ohio-based company says the decision to close the facility was strictly related to the removal of a client program from the site, there will be speculation that the company, which signed a six-year deal with the Nova Scotia government in 2004, decided to pull up stakes when the provincial money dried up.
It's a story Nova Scotians have seen before with other companies who have called Nova Scotia home only to leave the province when the funding from the public trough comes to an end. Unfortunately, as frustrating as it has to be for officials with Nova Scotia Business Inc. and the province's Economic and Rural Development Department, think how difficult it must be for employees to walk through the doors of their employer only to be blindsided with a pink slip.
We have to be reassured that the province is going to take a long,hard look at payroll rebates and whether their short-term gain is really worth the long-term pain. Economic and Rural Development Minister Percy Paris said last week that an analysis will be done of whether using payroll rebates is providing value for taxpayers.
The international call centre market is very competitive and as has been seen in various communities in New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island, these international companies will open and close facilities depending on many factors. Having a skilled workforce is definitely an advantage, but sometimes it appears as though government handouts often supercede those skills and will often rule the day when it comes to landing these facilities and the jobs they provide.
There are countless other communities in this province with hundreds of call centre jobs, many of which are probably protected by payrollrebates that reward companies for the number of jobs they create. Let's just hope what happened in Millbrook is not the tip of the iceberg and the start of a string of bad news announcements in the call centre industry.
At the same time, let's hope this provincial analysis ensures we get the biggest bang for our buck and those companies getting payroll rebates aren't just hiring people simply to get the money and then run.
It's easy to tell you've never worked in any call center.. You have to be able to Multitask and use various computer software, and you have to deal with Americans who just hate their cell phones.. It's not an easy job and kudos to those who lasted