Although ‘quiet quitting’ isn’t anything new, the term has recently been coined to describe when someone is checking out of their role before actually quitting. This could look like doing the minimum amount of work required or seeming distant in the workplace.
The 5 Usual Suspects of Quiet Quitting
- The monotony of the job: When every day is the same, it becomes boring…
- Lack of recognition or rewards: Not valuing your team can be a key cause of them checking out
- Poor management: Can your team easily talk to you? If not, the problem may lie here
- Work-life imbalance: Are your team getting enough free time? Or do they take their work home with them?
- Under pressure and high-stress levels: Any of us in the trade will know, contact centre work is some of the most stressful work out there!
Putting Quiet Quitting to Rest
Combating quiet quitting, especially in a contact centre environment, can be a tricky thing to manage. So, how do you tackle it? The Jomo People team have got you covered with our four top tips below!
Open up, Let’s Talk
Working in a contact centre means communicating with customers and clients all day, every day, but don’t forget to communicate with your team! Schedule time for team meetings and one-to-ones to allow you and your team to check in with each other. This will let them raise any concerns, have a little rant (we all need one sometimes!) and generally have a catch-up.
Mental health slips in the list of priorities for an agent when they’re dealing with work stress. It’s your job as their employer to ensure they are taking care of themselves mentally. Make sure there are facilities in place to allow your team to go to if they feel they need extra support. This could be in the form of weekly sessions, where you as management or HR, keep an hour or two free to allow team members to come and talk about any worries they are having that could be affecting them mentally.
Remember that bad days will happen occasionally. When the bad days are consistent, that’s when they become a problem. Take the time to listen to your team and allow them to share their experiences and any negative feelings. It can aid you in tackling any issues they may have before it turns into quiet quitting.
To begin with, try a weekly team huddle so there are no nasty surprises for your team during the week. As well as debriefing your team on any information they need, celebrate successes! It doesn’t matter how small or large, this will get the team motivated for the week ahead.
Energise Those Agents!
Your best agents can turn into quiet quitters when their good work goes unnoticed. Acknowledge them for their standout work. This will motivate your team and show them that good work is appreciated.
Boost morale and motivation in a contact centre with incentives. You could have weekly/monthly targets for the team to reach. The first one to reach this target could get lunch paid for, maybe an extra day of annual leave, or even vouchers for a day out!
You can start small with a financial incentive and work your way up to the bigger stuff. For example, you could create a ‘Compliments Inbox’ where any customer compliments are sent in to. For every compliment an agent receives, they get a voucher for a coffee or a cake.
It starts with a simple “thank you”. This could be a shout-out on the company’s social media pages or creating a ‘great moments’ board that management and the team can use to share achievements they think are worth shouting about.
The Work-Life Sweet Spot
An agent seeming a bit demotivated is no need for alarm. This behaviour may not indicate quiet quitting, they may simply need a break to recharge and have some downtime.
Encourage breaks and make sure your agents are taking them! When the contact centre is having a quiet day (we know this rarely happens) you could encourage activities to get the team out of work mode. (Quick game of mini golf anyone?) This can change up the working day and revive your team. Is an agent seeming particular down? Let them take a longer break to decompress.
Because of the nature of the job, it’s common in many contact centres to work in the office full-time. So how can you ensure your team is getting adequate life away from work?
- Make it clear that work-related tasks (answering emails or phone calls) outside of working hours are not required
- Reward employees for staying late by allowing them to leave early another day
- Intervene when you spot an agent working beyond their set hours (and overtime allowance)
- Give your team paid personal days (We promise this one will be popular!)
Consider offering a company social fund so that you can arrange team outings every month. Organise these across departments to create opportunities for improving the relationships within your company.
Time to Makeover your Contact Centre
Let’s face it, your agents are spending a lot of their time in the office, so making some upgrades to your company’s work environment may well deter the quiet quitting! Think about bringing in some free snacks, a boujee coffee machine, or a comfy chill-out area where much needed breaks can be had.
Introduce a feedback box for your agents to leave anonymous comments on what they would like to see in the workplace. This way, your team can provide direct feedback, and you can easily see what they would like to see in their workplace.
Nip Quiet Quitting in the Bud
People don’t check out from day one. Ultimately, it’s about how engaged your teams feel and how supported they feel in their workplace. Get these elements wrong, and people tap out. Remember to talk to your agents, find out what they value, and incorporate this into their daily working lives. We can guarantee the Jomo tips above will help your agents thrive and put a stop to quiet quitting.
The Jomo Effect
Here at Jomo People, contact centre recruitment is our bread and butter. We know what it takes to build and retain teams passionate about delivering great customer service.
Are you in need of the Jomo Effect? We collaborate with you to place the talent you need to help your contact centre thrive. See more about how we work here.
Interested in what we do? Get in touch with us today!
📱 02922 527 873
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