I currently work in the call center industry where team synergy is something that is sought after continuously. Part of the reason is attrition. I’ve seen turnover rates as high as 45-50% in a year. To me that is outrageously high! Team cohesion suffers, work quality is inconsistent. It seems like attrition is necessary at times, but at the cost of team synergy. So my question to everybody is what are your thoughts on attrition and team synergy? Is it completely negative? I’ve also heard of good attrition. Do you feel there is such a thing? Can attrition affect a team in a positive manner? Let me know what you all think.
Chris
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7 comments:
I believe part of the problem is the nature of the beast. It can be a very high stress job. People on the other end of the line can be extremely rude. Their situation is the only one that matters, and they want it taken care of now. The operator is the whipping post. I would think that normally, the personnel working as operators in a call center are not looking at that position as their permanent employment solution.
That being said, good or bad, attrition is a normal part of business. People leave companies for various reasons; better opportunity, retirement, winning the lottery, etc. So, it must be included in the business model. Getting people to work as a cohesive unit takes creative thinking on the part of the leader.
We just learned about some things that are necessary for a team to be successful. First, the information they need must be readily accessible, and the manner in which it is obtained should be user friendly. Next, they must be properly educated. Do they know all they need to know, and if not, is training available, or manuals, or other means of obtaining the knowledge they need? Lastly, and probably most importantly, is the reward system supportive? The team members must feel that what they do makes a difference, and that they are a strategic part of the organization as a whole. The rewards they receive for the work they do must be something they feel is of value and worth their efforts.
With those things properly in place, they may feel better about what they are doing and stay longer.
John
I was always of the mindset that low atrrition rates represented a successful team. As experience has taught me; staff turn over can sometimes be the catalyst a team needs to create change. When our management team underwent a turnover of 40% of it's members last summer; we discovered, (pleasantly, that the change created a new level of creativity, and synergy was apparent.
With that said, teams who experience constant attrition are difficult to manage and true "team development" may not happend due to the constant flux in members.
I would think in this situation team leadership would take on a more authoratitive role; due to the simple need for task completion and education for new members of their roles and responsibilities.
Sorry about the spelling and grammatical issues. (Melissa!) It is way to early to be working on a Saturday a.m. without coffee...That said, I am going to get my "fix" and start my research on Teams. Does anyone have topic ideas?
Short but sweet. Attrition is good for a corporation if done for the right reasons. If people leave a company for better oppotunities or because they can't keep up with new technology, it can be a good thing for the corporation. That allows new talent to enter the group and motivates(usually) others in addition to moving the company forward.
If people leave a company due to the negative influence/action of management there are greater issues.
Geoff has been in Royal Oak Beaumont since Friday with chest pain. He is having a heart cath at 10:30 tomorrow. Hopefully, everything will go well and I'll be in class tomorrow. If not, please let Dr. Meadows know.
Mariann
Anyone that participates in Gallup for staff satisfaction will know that Gallup organization and others have linked turover to managers in many instances 9:employees don't leave the organization, they leave their managers"). I believe that in some scenarios that may be the case but not always...
Attrition can be linked to high stress jobs, shortages, salary, department morale, etc.
I have seen both good and bad attrition.....I was in a department once where a significant number of long term employess created 90% of the department dysfunction.....some left and you would see minor improvement, but I am aware that enough folks still remain causing employees to leave the department (yes, they will state they leave because of these employees). This is many!!!! years after I have left that department.
While I do think it is a normal part of business particularly in some industries, it cannot be ignored and must be evaluated and should be addressed when able.
Melissa
Regardless of positive or negative impact (positive to you) how do you handle the morale of the employees that dont realize the benefit (when it's positive) and the unfortunately loss (when it's negative).
It's a morale buster either way - right?
-Joe
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