COVID Leave Disrupts Telco Retail and Field Staff Numbers

Major telcos report massive disruption as a significant proportion of their customer-facing or field staff take COVID 19-related leave. 

For Telstra, 15% of their staff in customer-facing roles were affected. Meanwhile, TPG says 10% of their retail staff are impacted, while NBN Co says 6% of their field staff are affected.

Telstra added that it is also currently managing some COVID impacts to its field services team. “As a result, we’ve had to temporarily close or change the trading hours of around 40 of our Telstra stores. In some cases, we are consolidating nearby stores into a single trading outlet. While some of these stores have reopened, the others will re-open as soon as there are enough team members to serve our customers.” 

“As the Omicron variant of COVID-19 continues to spread around Australia, like many businesses, we’re experiencing some disruptions to our operations due to staffing levels. Our online store remains open and is fulfilling all orders for customers, and you can always get help through the My Telstra app,” the telco further added.

On the other hand, an NBN spokesperson said that as of yesterday, just under 6% of its total field workforce is currently unavailable due to COVID illness or close contact isolation. “We are aware that there is some risk if the COVID impacts rise in specific geographies, and we are actively monitoring the situation and preparing plans in the event that we will need to mobilise resources to cover any metropolitan or regional hotspots. In the worst-case scenario planning, there is some potential risk for extended service lead times in both restore and activation,” said an NBN spokesperson.

The spokesperson further added: “From a network management perspective, we do have a number of team members who have either contracted COVID or are close household contacts, but our ability to fulfill our 24/7 shifts needed to manage the network in realtime is not currently compromised.”

The NBN spokesperson also said: “We are maintaining a daily watching brief on our resource capabilities at a territory level with a view to redirect resources if required. We will provide immediate updates to RSPs on any significant changes that could impact service availability or completion rates.”

According to TPG Telecom, around 10% of its retail staff are currently impacted by COVID-related issues. “Our retail operations are coping at the moment as we manage staff levels and we will continue to closely monitor the situation as it develops,” said a spokesperson for the telco. 

“We are seeing increases in absenteeism due to sick leave, COVID confirmed cases, or COVID flu/cold symptoms, which is impacting queuing times for customer care across some of our brands. However, we have plans in place to address any potential staff shortfalls and are anticipating additional resources in the coming weeks to help mitigate some of the impact. At the moment we are encouraging office staff to work from home and will revise our plans as the situation evolves.”