If agents are calling out sick more these days, here’s one “illness” you can cure quickly.
Offer agents new challenges and tasks, and you’ll cure a major reason they use sick days: Boredom.
Turns out, workers are 2.5 times more likely to call out when they expect a light workload than on days they had a lot to do, according to researchers at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm.
There’s a good and bad side to this. On the upside, employees are loyal and want to come in when there’s much to be accomplished. On the downside, there’s a possibility that their work isn’t fulfilling all of the time.
One way to prevent boredom in the contact center – where monotonous work is often the norm – is to cross-train. At slower times, offer agents opportunities to shadow in other areas and learn how to handle other responsibilities.
Another tip: Invite agents to regularly contribute to leading your training sessions. They can take charge on the topics in which they’re most skilled. Give them the go-ahead to address the subject in ways they’re most comfortable, rather than in the ways you’ve always done it.
