They Don’t Turn People Down For Fun

I was hired at a call center for 401k support. I was told I’d be answering basic questions, but that wasn’t what happened. Most calls required problem-solving, and since calls were timed, we were under huge pressure.

The worst part was that because of the rules of 401k plans, I occasionally had to tell people that they didn’t have access to their own money.

A woman tried to withdraw money to pay for her sister’s funeral, but it was denied because she forgot to check off a box on her application. A man needed to get money to keep his girlfriend and her kids from being evicted, but he couldn’t because Hardship withdrawals could only be done to help him. I had to listen to people cry and beg me for help, and there was nothing I could do to help them get their money.

One day, I was pulled into a meeting where a few others and I were told we were being put on a special line to take calls after someone lost a laptop containing a lot of people’s personal information.

As soon as I got back to my desk, I sent my supervisor a message saying I was feeling sick and needed to go home, then walked out the door and never looked back.