Many of the Chicago Midway airport newsstands were closed when I traveled through last week. It was 3 pm. I settled on a glass of wine at Reilly’s Daughter in the A Concourse. Typically, they serve food, but the kitchen was closed that afternoon. The bartender told me they couldn’t open the kitchen because they couldn’t find employees. Lack of employees is why the newsstands are closed, she told me. Ahhh, the Great Resignation.
What about you? Are you struggling with high levels of attrition and employee engagement issues? You’re not alone. About 30-45% of contact center employees leave annually for voluntary or involuntary reasons. And that number doesn’t include what’s going on with the Great Resignation.
One of the top reasons your employees leave you is the same reason people leave relationships. They aren’t happy.
One of my clients, Balto, surveyed over 2,000 contact center employees and asked them what they needed to be fulfilled and successful in their roles. Basically, what does it take to make contact center employees happy? That’s the point of the survey.
Here’s a peek into what Balto found:
- In general, employees are happiest 3-5 years into their careers, but happiness continues to rise for those in leadership roles the longer they work.
- In terms of benefits, women were more likely to value flexible work schedules and their relationships with coworkers. At the same time, men cared most about whether their industry was growing and if their pay was competitive.
- Pay varies significantly by industry, job function, tenure, education, whether an employee is hourly or salaried, and gender. Even though there is a significant pay gap between men and women, there is not as large of a difference in pay satisfaction.
- Hybrid workers were happier and better paid than virtual and in-person employees. Most hybrid workers were men: men comprised 47% of our survey but 60% of hybrid workers.
- Both an employee’s motivation to join an industry and their 5-year career outlook varies significantly as a function of age and gender and represent shifting priorities along life stages.
Read my client’s survey findings about happiness and contact center agent retention here.