With the start of a new year, it looks like many customer service employees are looking for a new job in January. 

Research has predicted that nearly 40% of workers in the industry are less happy in January than in any other month, and as a result, could start looking for a new role. 

It’s estimated that around 5% of customer service workers will actually leave their jobs this month. With 640,500 people currently in customer service roles across the country, this could mean companies could lose over £2 million in January alone!

Why are Customer Service Employees Unhappy?

The research, conducted by EvaluAgent, reckons this could be due to a seasonal slump in motivation, as well as a lack of employee wellbeing processes within contact centres.

They also revealed that employers seem to be underestimating the issue. 70% of workplaces do not believe that their staff are likely to change jobs in the new year.  A salary bonus or pay rise is no longer the solution for the problem. 47% of those surveyed said that money wouldn’t affect their decision to stay or leave a company, with over half of 18-24-year-olds agreeing that it isn’t an effective motivation.

Employees want to be engaged and treated as individuals. They want to be given encouragement when needed. The reality is, employers need to ensure that their workforce is operating in a supportive environment, where they have clear responsibilities and expectations set for them.

Jaime Scott, co-founder and CEO of EvaluAgent, said: 

“High employee turnover in January is a problem for many businesses and can cause significant problems when it comes to productivity and customer satisfaction levels. There is a direct link between employee engagement and turnover, suggesting that businesses need to be making far more effort to engage their workforce at this time of year if they are to prevent the annual surge in departures.”

If your contact centre has a variety of financial and non-financial incentives in place, not only will they see employee wellbeing and satisfaction improve, but they will also have a better retention rate. Employees who are happy will not fall into this percentage that is estimated to leave at the beginning of the year!

We can help you understand what employees are looking for and what they value, as well as finding the right people to join you! Get in touch or find us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or Instagram.