ICMI's Customer Management Insight - December 2007 - (Page 5) Editor’s Page EDITORIAL OFFICE 11 West 19th Street, NY, NY 10011 212-600-3000 Fax 212-600-3080 PUBLICATIONS DIRECTOR | Susan Hash DESIGN DIRECTOR | Ellen Herndon CHIEF TECHNICAL EDITOR | Joe Fleischer CREATIVE PROJECTS COORDINATOR | Greg Levin ASSOCIATE EDITOR | Janie Iadipaolo CONTRIBUTORS | Brad Cleveland, Rebecca Gibson, Brian Hinton, Attract and Retain: A Global Struggle You might have noticed that it’s getting harder to attract and retain skilled agents. You’re not alone. According to research by global staffing firm Robert Half International, the majority of employers (91 percent) reported a shortage of qualified candidates in 2007. Not surprisingly, the most challenging roles to fill were sales, customer service and IT positions. It is definitely becoming a job-seeker’s market. Although many companies are competing for candidates by upping starting salaries, more innovative organizations are leveling the playing field by offering work/life balance perks — an option that today’s free-agent workforce finds highly attractive. Nearly two-thirds (65 percent) of employees polled in the study said that the option of having a flexible work arrangement might sway them to choose one job over another. Another 33 percent cited telecommuting as a key incentive. The never-ending quest for skilled staff is universal. According to global consulting firm Watson Wyatt, 67 percent of employers worldwide are finding it difficult to attract topperforming employees. It’s 2007/2008 Global Strategic Rewards report also uncovered a critical employer-employee disconnect when it comes to turnover: Employers don’t have a clear understanding of what matters most to their employees. Watson Wyatt’s research found that employees cited the quality of the employment experience as an important factor, ranking both stress levels and work/life balance among the top five reasons for leaving a company. Stress was the top-cited turnover driver in Asia-Pacific, Canada, Europe and the U.S., and was a close second in Latin America. But, viewed from the employer’s standpoint, stress didn’t even make the top-five list, and work/life balance was ranked fifth. Given this insight into employee priorities, what can you do to increase agent engagement and reduce turnover? In this issue, ICMI’s Greg Levin takes a look at a few alternative staffing and scheduling approaches to make that happen (see page 15). The workforce and employee values have changed a great deal over the past decade. Watson Wyatt points out that when employees are satisfied with stress levels and work/life balance, they’re more inclined to stay (86 percent), and more likely to recommend their company as a place to work (88 percent). Susan Hash ICMI Publications Director Jennifer Lovo, Margie Middleton, Marco Peterson, Karen Simmons BUSINESS OFFICE 212 Carnegie Center, 2nd Floor, Princeton, NJ 08540 609-759-4700 Fax 516-476-8275 VP GLOBAL BRAND DIRECTOR | Ruthann Fisher DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS | Linda Harden INTEGRATED SALES MANAGERS | Bill Lange, Marge Genz INTERNATIONAL SALES/ISRAEL | Rhonda Abramson rhonda@marsmarketing.co.il SALES ASSISTANT | Maureen McGrath MARKETING SPECIALIST | Jaclyn Buchholz MARKETING COORDINATOR | Bill Anthony Lange CUSTOM REPRINTS AND PERMISSIONS | PARS International Corp. 212-221-9595 reprints@parsintl.com LIST RENTAL | Merit Direct, 914-368-1000 CUSTOMER SERVICE | 888-824-9793 or 847-763-9589 icmi@halldata.com CALL CENTER EVENTS SHOW DIRECTOR | Joy Sobhani ONLINE BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER | Rick Luhmann CMP TECHNOLOGY LLC ACTING CHAIRMAN | David Levin EXECUTIVE VP AND CFO | Adam Marder PRESIDENT, CMP BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY GROUP | Tony Uphoff PRESIDENT, CMP CHANNEL | Robert Faletra PRESIDENT, CMP ELECTRONICS GROUP | Paul Miller PRESIDENT, CMP GAME, DOBB’S, ICMI GROUP | Philip Chapnick CORPORATE SENIOR VP SALES | Anne Marie Miller SENIOR VP, HUMAN RESOURCES | Marvlieu Jolla Hall SENIOR VP, MANUFACTURING | Marie Myers SENIOR VP COMMUNICATIONS | Alexandra Raine icmi’s insight www.icmi.com | DECEMBER 2007 5 http://www.icmi.com
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