Call Center Scheduling Featured Article
How Contact Centers Can Lower Agent Absenteeism
Absenteeism costs businesses big each year. And reports suggest it’s an especially acute problem in the call center.
“The total yearly bill across 14 job types for lost productivity due to workers being above normal weight or having a history of chronic conditions is $84 billion,” Gallup said in an oft-reported 2013 study. That same report estimated absenteeism cost organizations $160 million related to agricultural workers and as high as $24.2 billion for “professionals”.
Studies indicate workers in general take 7.4 sick days on average annually, while contact center agents take 8.2 days.
Sometimes people get sick, we all know that. And the reality is that in many cases we simply can’t do much about that.
But there are some absenteeism factors that businesses can work to address. For example, organizations may want to consider implementing health and well-being programs, and providing online tools, to help employees better manage their health and in turn reduce absenteeism. Businesses may also consider using Voice of the Employee efforts to ask contact center agents and managers why they’re missing work, and take steps to address those challenges.
Willis Towers Watson recently released a study indicating that employees in poor health are twice as likely to be disengaged and take almost three times as many days off as those in very good health. The company goes on to say that “Online tools are critical in helping employees of all ages make decisions about health care choices in a complex market.” It also says that offering childcare, medical services, and well-being activities onsite or nearby can both improve employee health and greatly enhance worker perceptions about your business as a whole.
However, delivering these things is not always an option for cost-constrained contact centers. And while health-related benefits are wonderful for workers, addressing physical health only targets part of the absenteeism problem.
To discover what other factors are most responsible for agents not showing up for scheduled shifts, contact centers can implement Voice of the Employee efforts. They can do that using messaging or online portals.
That way they can understand their employees better.
Is an employee missing work because of transportation issues? Perhaps the call center can help identify public transportation options to help them get to the office more reliability. Or maybe telecommuting or more flexible scheduling is the solution. Using remote agents can lower absenteeism and allow call centers to draw from a larger and more experienced pool of agent candidates.
Is a manager making the workplace a toxic environment? That’s unpleasant but very useful information too. The business can now look into this and make any needed changes to improve the situation (and protect itself from possible liability).
Or does the work environment simply fail to inspire, leading to high agent churn? In that case the call center might consider hiring a more dynamic leader to create a community of dedicated workers, recognition and rewards, and fun.
Edited by Maurice Nagle