Call Recording Featured Article

There is disturbing news out about the workforce, and it should be of some interest to those who manage call centers, where dissatisfaction can sometimes seem the norm: U.S. workers are not particularly engaged with their jobs.

The news comes from polling organization Gallup, which has released its monthly numbers for May. Gallup’s findings show that the percentage of U.S. employees "engaged" in their jobs has neither improved nor worsened so far for 2015, but that the “engagement number” is rather low overall. (Gallup defines engaged employees as involved in, enthusiastic about, and committed to their work.)

According to the company, employee engagement was 31.5 percent in May, which is about on par with the 31.7 recorded in January, March and April. Still, it’s the lowest monthly average for 2015 so far, Gallup said. The figure has been fairly even, edging just over or just under the 30 mark, since 2011.

“At 31.5 percent, the latest employee engagement figure reflects a workforce in which less than one-third of employees are engaged in their jobs. While the nation's employers reduced their percentage of actively disengaged employees in May, they did not increase their percentage of engaged workers” Gallup said in a statement discussing the numbers. “Instead, more employees moved to the ‘not engaged’ zone. Here, employees are essentially ‘checked out.’ They sleepwalk through their workday and put time -- but not energy or passion -- into their work.”

So what’s an employer to do? One option may be to utilize some Workforce Optimization Software such as that provided by Coordinated Systems, Inc., which has consistently evolved its solutions over time. Consequently, its business has thrived on building high quality, long-term relationships with customers and partners, resulting in happier workers and employers.

The numbers don’t lie; workers need some motivation. And if they don’t find it in your workplace, they might seek it elsewhere.