ICMI's Customer Management Insight - December 2007 - (Page 19) PEOPLE For example, each workweek could be defined as starting Friday at noon and ending the following Friday at noon. This creates two 40hour workweeks. (Consult with your Human Resources Department if you have questions about how to do this.) Hire Mature Workers Job-sharing is a particularly effective way to attract and retain one of the largest and fastest growing labor pools in the U.S. — mature workers (those aged 55-75), many of whom want to continue working well past retirement age, but who do not necessarily want to, nor need to, work full time. In a recent survey conducted by AARP, nearly 70 percent of mature workers who have not yet retired indicated that they plan to work into their retirement years or never retire. Most of these respondents also said that choosing to work longer means hoping to work differently, with “taking time off to care for relatives or attend to other life priorities” and “working a reduced schedule” among the top factors on their workplace wish list. In addition to being plentiful and driven, the mature workforce has a reputation for being loyal, responsible and customer-focused, according to MaturityWorks, the workforce development division of the National Council of the Aging. Several studies have shattered stereotypes about older workers, finding that, in general, these individuals have low turnover rates, possess up-to-date skills, are interested in learning new tasks, and have low absenteeism rates. Nevertheless, companies continue to overlook this viable labor pool, explains Dr. Barbara McIntosh, professor at the University of Vermont’s School of Business Administration and a noted expert on recruiting and retaining older workers. “Despite very positive reviews, 85 percent of HR professionals said that they had no special recruitment strategies targeting older adults. …It is therefore critical that we turn our attention to specific ways to reach this under-appreciated and under-utilized segment of the labor force.” AGENTS OF CHANGE Cultivate Job-Sharing and Part-Time Work Incorporating part-timers into a contact center staffing strategy is nothing new, but many centers eschew this option for fear that it will complicate scheduling. With so many talented and skilled employees today wanting more time off — and willing to earn less money and sacrifice some benefits for a better work/life balance — smart contact centers are reconsidering their parttime prejudice. These centers realize that it doesn’t make sense to give up a valuable employee simply because he wants to work a little less. An agent who is motivated, engaged and refreshed, and who is happy with his personal life, is a huge boon to any center — even if that agent only works 20 or 25 hours a week. And because there is (or soon will be) no shortage of skilled agents who would welcome a parttime stint, it’s relatively simple for contact centers to simplify scheduling issues by pairing two parttimers to form a full-time shift between them. One agent may work mornings, and the other afternoons; or perhaps each agent works two full shifts on alternative days, and shares a shift on another (for a combined 40-hour week). The possibilities are endless, provided that the arrangement satisfies both of the agents, as well as meets the contact center’s scheduling needs. What work arrangements will be most effective with your agents and for your organization? To help determine the right strategies — and to come up with some new, inventive options that work well — progressive contact centers involve their existing agents in the brainstorming process. “If you involve agents in identifying scheduling possibilities up front,” says Brad Cleveland, president of ICMI, “they will often generate ideas you didn’t consider and will better accept and adhere to the schedules that are produced.“ For ideal results, Cleveland recommends ensuring that agents fully understand the intricacies of how contact centers function; this will help agents come up with schedules and work structures that are attractive not only to them, but to the organization and customers as well. “Education on the implications of service level, quality and the impact of each person helps enormously.” • GREG LEVIN is the Creative Projects Coordinator for ICMI. gregl@icmi.com. icmi’s insight www.icmi.com | DECEMBER 2007 19 http://www.icmi.com
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