Staff working for private contractors on Australian government helplines have described a demoralising environment of inadequate training, low wages, and high staff turnover, where management uses random cash bonuses and social events to mask systemic problems.
‘A Disincentive to Care’: The Bonus Culture
Workers at several major outsourcing firms told Guardian Australia that incentive schemes often feel tone-deaf. One employee at Probe Operations, which runs lines for aged care and other services, labelled occasional ‘seat bonuses’ – a lucky dip for $200 simply for attending a shift – as “bizarre.”
“Seeing someone get a $200 bonus for no reason other than turning up is actually a disincentive to even care,” the worker said, explaining it bred resentment. Another worker, Oliver*, at the Perth-based TSA Group, said management ran competitions and sausage sizzles to distract from a “pretty miserable” workplace dealing with sensitive issues like domestic violence on Centrelink lines.
Minimal Training and Extreme Turnover
Multiple sources reported being thrown into complex roles with minimal preparation. An employee at Serco, handling National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) calls, said she still struggles after a year due to “lack of support and retraining.” She warned that “mistakes can cost lives.”
At Concentrix, which holds contracts with Services Australia and the Australian Taxation Office (ATO), former worker Anne* said her training was a “very casual talk fest” with staff called “gamechangers.” She resigned after three weeks, unprepared for the stress of helping vulnerable callers. The attrition rate is reportedly so high at Probe that new cohorts of 10-15 staff are rolled out every few weeks.
The Cost-Cutting Reality Behind Outsourcing
Professor Emmanuel Josserand from the Sydney Business School argued it is economically impossible for a private firm to deliver the same service quality as a public agency at lower cost while turning a profit. “You have to do something to get the cost savings, so you put pressure on workers and you hire people who are less qualified,” he said.
This is reflected in stark pay disparities. Starting salaries at these outsourced centres are around $52,800 annually, compared to over $72,000 for public servants doing equivalent work. Cost-cutting extends to equipment, with workers complaining of cheap, uncomfortable headphones that fail to block office noise.
Despite a 2022 directive from the Labor government to bring skills back in-house, progress is minimal. The ATO, for instance, plans to reduce its outsourced work by just $500,000 this financial year—a figure unions thought was a typo given its multi-billion dollar budget.
One Probe worker has now lodged a “same job, same pay” application with the Fair Work Commission, a move that could challenge the viability of the entire outsourced government call centre model if successful.
