Call Center Scheduling Featured Article
How to Address Call Center Absenteeism
They say that 80 percent of success is just showing up. So when employees fail to make an appearance at work, it can really put a crimp in business operations. And absenteeism is a particularly acute problem in the contact center.
Studies suggest that the average contact center employee takes 7.4 sick days a year, and is absent 8.2 days per year. Such unplanned absences add to business costs, may create new stresses for those who do show up for their shifts, may adversely impact a call center’s ability to meet its key performance indicator goals, and can lead to less than desirable customer experiences.
Of course, everybody gets sick from time to time. But, as we all know, when employees call in sick, that doesn’t always necessarily mean they’re ill. Employees may also call in sick when they need to care for others, like an elderly relative or a sick child, or have car troubles or are otherwise unable to secure transportation to get to the job site. Absenteeism is also sometimes due to lack of employee engagement or worker worries about job challenges.
Eliminating absenteeism completely is not possible. But there are a few ways call center and contact center managers can work to lessen the extent to which agents miss their scheduled shifts.
One is to take aside agents who are good workers but have had a fair amount of unplanned absences and gently ask them why they’re missing work. If it’s an issue like scheduling or job concerns, ask what the organization might do to help them solve those problems.
Providing more flexible hours can sometimes be a good solution. So can allowing agents to work from home when caregiving and transportation are the issue. Of course, creating and sharing schedules as far in advance as possible gives agents and call center managers time to plan for things like child care, transportation, and the like.
And when absenteeism results from lack of employee engagement or taking off a “mental health day,” that can be a sign that the call center needs to focus on improving its culture and building an environment that’s fun and creates a sense of belonging among agents. To do that, call centers should consider having occasional office gatherings with snacks where employees can interact and build relationships; reward good attendance via gift cards, leaderboard rankings, and other incentives; and simply having the call center manager check in with agents during each shift to say hello and ask if they can help in any way.
Edited by Maurice Nagle