1.

Absentee rates

absentee rates among call centre workers.. recorded an average 11.2 days off work.

https://www.auscontact.com.au/newsarticles/industry-news/absentee-rates-
among-call-centre-workers

In fact call centre agents record the second highest number of days off
(behind transport and logistics workers) with 11.2 days off work each
year.

https://contactcentrecentral.com/for-managers/tips/top-ten-tips-for-reducing-
absenteeism-in-your-call-centre/

The average Daily Agent Absenteeism for US In-house Customer Service Call Centers is 8.2%

https://www.metricnet.com/10-key-call-center-statistics-2014-benchmark/

Last year, a survey conducted by ICMI to identify top call center management challenges found
that attendance/adherence issues topped the list, with almost half of respondents (48 percent)
citing it as a major management headache

http://www.icmi.com/Resources/People-Management/2012/11/High-Absenteeism-
Treat-the-Illness-Not-the-Symptoms
 2. Stress Levels

More than 250,000 people, or about one in 40 employed Australians, work

in call centres and more than a third are always or often stressed at work.

RMIT academic Ruth Barton, who conducted the survey for the Australian
Services Union, said high stress resulted in high turnover of staff and
absenteeism.

Among factors causing stress were unrealistic performance targets, abuse

from customers, high call volumes, repetitive work, concern their jobs
would go overseas and excessive monitoring from management.

http://www.smh.com.au/national/callcentre-workers-suffer-high-stress-20091119-
ioxw.html

Stress in call centers is a big problem. A new exclusive survey reveals that 98% of call center
professionals experience at least one stressful call daily. Calls from irate customers are the
leading cause of Tele-Stress.

https://www.amazon.com.mx/Tele-Stress-Relief-Center-Stress-
Syndrome/dp/0936648902

The issue of stress and burnout is widely documented in the call centre literature, and is considered a
critical aspect of employment in this industry (see ACA, 1998; Richardson and Marshall, 1999; Kinnie et
al, 2000; Richardson et al, 2000; URCOT, 2000; Wallace et al, 2000; Bagnara and Marti, 2001; Batt and
Moynihan, 2002; Deery and Kinnie 2002; Holman, 2002; Mulholland, 2002; Paul and Huws, 2002; Shire
et al, 2002; Healy and Bramble, 2003). A study on 433 Australian call centre employees by ACA (1998)
indicated that a quarter of workers experienced high levels of stress on the job; something they had
not experienced prior to working within the call centre industry. The extant literature attributes these
levels of stress to a number of factors, including the exceedingly intensive and emotionally demanding
nature of the work, and the high levels of monitoring and control that employees have to endure on a
day-to-day basis. ( page 11 )

http://ro.uow.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3065&context=commpapers
 https://www.talkdesk.com/blog/15-effects-of-stress-on-call-center-agents-and-the-
company-2/

3. Average Tenure

The age of the call center employee seems to be a deciding factor in their tenure with a
company, according to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics. The statistics show
that the younger the employee, the shorter their stay.

Age 20 24: average tenure 1.1 years

Age 25 34: average tenure 2.7 years

https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/2015/10/employee-stats-in-the-call-center-world/

The widely accepted average is anywhere between 18 months and 3

years. Its now not uncommon though for people to have worked over 20
years in the contact centre industry!

https://contactcentrecentral.com/australian-contact-centre-industry/

4. Turnover Rates

Depending on who you ask, call centers have a turnover rate of between 30 and 45
percent. By comparison, the 2013 average employee turnover rate for all industries
in the United States was 15.1%.

http://www.qatc.org/winter-2015-connection/exploring-call-center-turnover-
numbers/
https://www.talkdesk.com/blog/understanding-call-center-turnover

The average lifespan of a US call center worker is approximately 3 years, with a turnover of 33
percent. Whats going wrong?

http://www.icmi.com/Resources/People-Management/2016/07/Reducing-Attrition-
in-Contact-Centers

The average turnover estimated by the latest Hallis Survey is 23.7% - 29.5% per annum.
The TARP study estimates that Australia and New Zealand have higher turnover rates than
most other countries. Australian turnover rates compare poorly with best practice attrition rates
for US call centres.

https://www.actu.org.au/media/306385/ontheline.rtf

5. Reasons they quit their job

1. Low Renumeration
2. Team Management Issues
3. Career Limitations
4. Alignment of a Job to Skills

https://blog.zoomint.com/blog/4-reasons-why-call-center-agents-quit-their-jobs

https://www.talkdesk.com/blog/9-reasons-why-call-center-agents-quit-their-jobs

According to the 2016 US Contact Center Decision Makers Guide from

ContactBabel.com the Average Annual Turnover Rate for a Customer Service
Representative (CSR) was 29% - an Average Lifespan for a Call Center worker in
the USA of approximately 3.3 years - with Quit Rates representing 60% of Total
Turnover.
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20140518182546-3995896-why-do-your-call-
center-agents-quit

6. Abuse

Call-center employees can average up to 10 hostile encounters a day in which they are
subject to vile and personal insults, screaming, cursing and threats. Imagine being
treated abusively in your job numerous times a day, every single day.
While in-store employees can call security if a customer becomes threatening or
belligerent, call-center employees enjoy no such back-up. They are required to stay on
the line and 'salvage' even the most abusive and hostile calls as best they can. Further,
they are forbidden to 'fight back' as responding in kind to such provocations can cost
them their jobs.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-squeaky-wheel/201103/the-last-
bullying-frontier

Call-center representatives typically experience severe and chronic stress and have high
rates of medical absenteeism, burnout and depression. As a result, call-centers have one
of the highest employee attrition rates in any industry because few workers can manage
our psychological and emotional assaults for long.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-squeaky-wheel/201103/the-last-
bullying-frontier

https://contactcentrecentral.com/industry-news/000-abuse-continues/

7. Mental & Health Issues

https://www.comcare.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0016/41281/Call_centres_-
_A_guide_to_safe_work_PDF,_1.59_MB.pdf

Scott McNamara is a manager with United Services Union, and

represents over 1,000 Australian call centre workers.
He said mental health and creating a healthy workplace is a constant
challenge for call centres.
"The evidence I can see in the organisations I've looked after is in
higher levels of absentee and sick leave," he said.
"An average is around six or seven days leave for an employee.
Contact centres are around 10 to 15.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-09-30/australian-call-centres-worry-about-
more/5776630