Woman With Tourette Syndrome Takes Customer Calls Despite Vocal Tics—’How Can I Help You?’

A woman who has Tourette’s Syndrome recorded herself working her job that required constant phone conversations. Throughout the conversation, she has several ticks, including ones that included inappropriate words for the workplace. The video prompted online debate about how employers should accommodate disabilities in customer-facing roles.

“Would you feel comfortable being served by someone with Tourette syndrome working at a call center?” the post’s caption reads. “Genuine question. Where should employers draw the line between reasonable accommodation and the demands of a customer-facing job?”

The video shows a woman speaking with someone over the phone at work. “Thank you for calling, how can I help you?” she asks the person on the other end of the phone. She then says “f*** off,” which is obviously inappropriate for the workplace. However, she quickly explained her condition to the caller.

“I’m so sorry, I have Tourrettes,” she says while laughing. “How can I help you?” She continues to tick while talking. When she stopped ticking, she went back to her job, asking if the person had their account number so they could better help them. She tics a few more times before she asks the person on the line what their name is.

Her tics became strong again. She says “f*** you” again to the person, along with random things in a high-pitched voice. While she tried to carry on with her job, it seemed like she was going through a lot at that moment. Eventually, she transferred the call.

X Users Debate Whether Call Center Work Was Right for Her

X users had mixed reactions to the video, questioning whether a customer-facing call center job could accommodate her tics. “I suspect this is a skit, but if it’s real she has the wrong job to have Tourette’s syndrome. Although it probably shortens any customer call time,” one person wrote. Someone else added, “Yeah, that's not a reasonable accommodation. She needs to be in the back, not interacting with customers. This is not OK.”

Others were happy she was speaking English, noting that more often than not, these call center jobs are sent to other countries where they can pay less for their labor. “Rather an American that speaks English than the ones I can't understand and usually hang up on after telling them ‘I Can't Understand You’ 10x. Better yet, put her on the complaint dept phone. Bet complaints would drop dramatically lol.”

Someone thought it would be awesome to talk to someone saying swear words at their job. “I would love it! Be the funniest conversation I've ever had with telemarketer.”

While some commenters questioned whether a customer-facing role was appropriate, others supported disability inclusion in the workplace.

The Daily Dot was unable to independently verify the circumstances surrounding the video or determine whether the woman’s workplace has accommodations for her Tourette syndrome. The reactions to the video varied, with some commenters questioning the suitability of a customer-facing role and others supporting disability inclusion in the workplace.