Female telemarketers say they are victims of constant harassment.

Saudi women who work as telemarketers in the private sector have complained that they face constant harassment by clients and are poorly compensated for their work, Makkah daily reported.

Although the women said dealing with the harassment they face is one of the most difficult aspects of the job, there are other problems such as low salaries, belittlement of their capabilities as telemarketers, society’s attitude toward women working in this field and the job’s effects on their relationships with their husbands.

Fatima Muhammad has spent five years working as a telemarketer and she has faced many difficulties, especially from male clients.

“The moment I call anyone to market a product, they believe that this gives them the right to know me on a personal level and not the product I am marketing. In most cases, when I tell them about the purpose of my call, they hang up,” she said.

Muhammad said she spends a lot of time at work without receiving sufficient financial compensation for the suffering and harassment she is subjected to on a daily basis.

According to marketing company managers, telemarketers are compensated on the number of products they can sell.

“Company officials link employees’ success to a commission that depends on how many items a telemarketer can sell. In most cases, employees do not get a commission for achieving the target as their rights are usurped for no reason,” said one manager on condition of anonymity.

 
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