Even in a tough economy, companies struggle to find and hold onto call center workers who staff employee hotlines on everything from cable installation to surgery scheduling questions.
Tethered to a telephone, call center workers often cope with abusive callers, dreary work environs and computers that monitor their every move.
As a result, call centers nationwide report a 33 percent turnover rate, nearly 10 times the average of all other types of jobs, according to Mercer Human Resource Consulting’s 2003 Call Center Compensation Survey.
High turnover in call centers is such a costly issue that many companies, including Comcast Corp., are developing a variety of benefit programs and worker-appreciation events aimed at boosting employee retention.
Amenities at Comcast’s new state-of-the-art call center on the outskirts of a suburban Detroit industrial park in Plymouth, Mich., include an employee gym and a quiet room with overstuffed chairs for napping or reading.
For this complete story, please visit Turnover High at Call Centers.
