The retention factors of call centre agents at a financial institution in the Western Cape

Abstract

Past employment relationships based on mutual commitment between employer and employee are no longer the norm in the workplace. Instead of a predictable linear rise up an organisation's hierarchy, careers are now characterised by a 'protean' model of movement between many organisations during the course of individuals' working lives (Coetzee & Gunz, 2012; Schreuder & Theron, 2001). This phenomenon adds to the historical concern of staff retention as it is identified as a factor that directly jeopardizes organisational objectives (Campion, 1991). While this is a concern in many industries (du Plooy & Roodt, 2013), Lee (2008) claims that staff turnover has been even more of a dilemma within the call centre environment. iii A worldwide study conducted by Lee (2008) indicated that on average, call centres lose up to 61 % of their agents annually. The situation seems to be no different for South African call centres. Kgomo and Swarts (2010) found unacceptably high levels of staff turnover in the South African industry. De Vos and Meganck (2009) argue that the traditional response of organisations in relation to staff retention is reactive in nature, since they try to decrease the desire of staff to leave (de Vos & Meganck, 2009; Williams, 2008). This approach, however, is seldom successful - once people have expressed the desire to leave, efforts to retain them may already be too late (Milner, Russell & Simers, 2010; Mosley & Hurley, 1999). Simultaneously, organisations need to recognise that the workforce for the first time contains four generations, all with their unique generational characteristics, values, attitudes, ways of operating and skills (Tulgan, 2004). Literature agrees that this confluence of generations holds immediate strategic implications for management in the workplace (Twenge, Campbell, Hoffman & Lance, 2010). The changing competitive landscape, together with the changing and diverse workforce necessitates a different approach to staff retention if organisations want to succeed and prosper in the long term and that a one-size-fits-all approach is not a viable option. iv The aim of the study was to identify the retention variables highlighted as most important by call centre agents at a financial institution in the Western Cape. In addition, to assess which of the independent variables they place more importance on; and to determine whether differences exist between the retention variables highlighted as most important by the respective age and gender groups. The population group used in this study includes call centre agents at a financial institution in the Western Cape. The total population size is estimated at approximately N=66, from which a sample of n=43 was drawn. The formal company protocol was followed to enter the organisation, while a non - probability sampling technique was identified as an appropriate sampling procedure, by means of a convenience sampling method. The accessibility and availability of the respondents, as well as the fact that the technique is more economical in terms of cost and time constraints, contributes to the motivation for selecting this sampling technique. A self-administered questionnaire developed by Birt, Wallis and Wintemitz (2004) was used as the measurement instrument.