‘It drove us to innovate’: Startek explains Kingston work-from-home transition

As the novel coronavirus pandemic continues, many businesses are making changes to their day-to-day operations.

In Kingston, Ont., one of the community’s largest employers is doing away with brick and mortar and transitioning its employees to work from home.

“It drove us to innovate,” said Mario Baddour, Startek’s global chief operations officer.

Startek call centre, located on Innovation Drive in Kingston’s east end, has employed hundreds of locals over the years, but that is set to change at the end of the month.

According to Baddour, on Oct. 30, staff will be required to work from home as the company looks to evolve — process that Baddour says began back in the spring of 2020, when Startek began preparing on how it can be progressive while being future-proof.

“We figured out that we need to pivot to something much more futuristic. We need to pivot to something much more conducive, and we started having conversations with agents (employees),” said Baddour.

“Staff was very receptive in some areas. Some pockets of the staff were very concerned, saying, ‘I have roommates. I can’t work in an isolated office. I do not have Wi-Fi.'”

Twelve of the just over 300 Kingston Startek employees raised concerns with the transition to working from home, according to Baddour.

It’s an issue he says the company is looking to solve over the next few weeks as the deadline nears.

“I’m working with major MSOs in the country — the Shaws, Telus, Bell, and Rogers — and they’re becoming very innovative. They have to transform their business, as we did, to have the mobile hotspots and extend that to rural areas,” said Baddour when asked how he’s addressing rural employees’ needs if they do not have adequate internet.

Donna Gillespie, the CEO of Kingston’s Economic Development Corporation (KEDCO), says Startek’s 10-year lease was near its end, and with it now vacant, it lends an opportunity to new businesses to come to Kingston.

Now, she says, they are focusing on attracting e-commerce, real estate brokers and anyone else who would be a candidate to utilize the space left behind.

“I do know that Startek had been exploring options to their physical space pre-COVID, as their lease once was coming up. Certainly, the pandemic really did launch a lot of companies like Startek into work-from-home models,” said Gillespie.

As many companies look at the prospect of moving away from traditional workspaces, those employees who face challenges working from home may contractually have the right to have their employer pay the bill for needed adaptations.

“If it imposes enough of a cost, that it amounts to an effective pay cut, then you can’t do it without attracting potential liability,” said Queen’s University law professor Kevin Banks.

“You have to offer the employee at that point notice of termination or pay in lieu and then you can do it. So, it really depends on the circumstances of the individual employee.”

Baddour says although this transition to working from home will be challenging for some, it’s necessary for them to maintain jobs and keep a footprint in Kingston.

He says the company is looking to expand, and this may provide more local jobs.

The employees have until Oct. 30 to sign the letter of agreement to work fully from home with equipment provided by the company.

Baddour says if it isn’t signed and returned by the 30th, human resources will work with that employee on a solution.