Quiet Quitting? Old News.

Quiet Quitting? Old News.

Is the concept of simply doing one’s job an issue?

Quiet quitting, the hot button topic surrounding the culture of work amongst the newest generation. What is it? “…the idea spreading virally on social media that millions of people are not going above and beyond at work and just meeting their job description” (Gallup). Is the concept of simply doing one’s job an issue? To pose a different perspective on where the problem lies, here is another definition of quiet quitting and how it relates to the contact center world. Quiet quitting means there is a major disparity between companies, their employees and the expectations they have for each other. Cut the ambiguity and communicate clear expectations and mechanisms for employees to be rewarded and developed for their efforts.

Many companies now offer flexible work schedules including work from home and employees have more power than ever to choose where and how they spend their time. Disengaged employees create lower quality work and higher rates of turnover which can dramatically impact the overall success of your business. Agents who get stuck in the rut of their simple day-to-day tasks can become disengaged. Therefore, if employees can engage in critical thinking and experience these “above and beyond” type tasks, they are more empowered to develop and grow. However, it is more the responsibility of employers to establish systems of reward and growth to encourage this type of behavior than their employees.

Let’s be candid, the term “quiet quitting” is simply a fancy new alliteration to ultimately describe what we in the contact center world have been experiencing for years. Managers working to incentivize detached agents is not new in the contact center world, and this detachment has certainly only increased with the WFH transition forced on the industry by the Covid-19 pandemic. Employees nation-wide have reported feeling less valued at work, disengaged with their managers/coworkers, and identified that their work is going unrecognized according to a Gallup report. “…it’s clear that quiet quitting is a symptom of poor management,” Gallup said in the report. When managers aren’t equipped with the skills and technology to train, develop and reward their agents the quality of work starts to fall whether that is in an onsite, remote or hybrid work environment. However, Gallup has also identified a few solutions, many of which can be found in ClearView performance dashboards and gamification.

Accountability is one solution to the quiet quitting epidemic (Gallup). Agents need to see that they are contributing to their organization to feel that they are valued. Managers need to keep agents accountable to their goals for their agents to feel they are contributing. Dashboards make it easy for managers to keep agents accountable. Clearview dashboards include:

• Unlimited data aggregation
• Cloud based software
• Real-time and historical data
• Shareable dashboards
• Personalized performance goals

With assistance from their customizable dashboards displaying their goals, agents can clearly see how their performance is affecting their KPI’s. Real-time data compared against historical data allows them to see how they’ve improved, driving better performance. When agents can see how their performance stacks against their coworkers, they see how they are contributing to their organization. The simple solution for agent visibility and accountability is ClearView dashboards.

Employee recognition is another solution for quiet quitting according to Gallup. If agents feel valued and receive proper recognition for their work, they are more productive, more motivated, and less likely to burn out. “Recognition programs can substantially increase employee and business outcomes” (Gartner). Gamification is a recognition program that works! A ClearView customer who implemented dashboards and gamification saw 40% reduction in average-handle-time and a 68% reduction in after-call-work. By gamifying KPI’s and rewarding agent performance you can develop a culture of recognition that will keep your agents happy, productive, and loyal.

If the buzz around quiet quitting is giving you concerns for your contact center, know that there is a solution that has already proven to be affective. Employees aren’t solely responsible for establishing and maintaining their work goals. Management is responsible for establishing and maintaining a system of growth that supports their employees rather than simply expecting them to work harder. By implementing dashboards and gamification, you will be investing in your agent’s growth which will create higher quality work and lower rates of turnover. Don’t stress out about this perceived new workforce issue and fortify your contact center today!