Day One of the Government's new Workplace Reforms hotline, and word has reached Waiting On Hold that things were remarkably quiet on the phones. According to a source who was on the front line, the government is using three call centres - one in Canberra one in Sydney and one down in Melbourne - to handle the calls, but on the first day there was barely a trickle, let alone a flood.
The government launched the information campaign on the next round of workplace reforms with the PM and the Minister at a press conference in Canberra, followed up by a TV ad campaign blitz on Sunday media, directing people to both the hotline and the new website, WorkChoices.
Such was the woeful lack of calls to the hotline that some employees reported not taking a single call in a shift. Given the generous pay for work on a Sunday - $37 an hour - it amounts to an embarassment for the government and a shameful waste of taxpayer dollars. Considering that the government has designated long hours for the hotline (at 8am-10pm seven days a week it keeps longer hours than most government hotlines) the massive expense seems likely to grow.
Much as those of us in the industry dream of good pay with few calls, it's hard not to wonder about just how ineffective and poorly planned this campaign seems to be. No real objective for the hotline beyond selling the government's message, no detail on the legislation available yet, and a decent website keeping most punters happy. Just what is the point? Still, nice work if you can get it!
