Every generation brings to the workplace a set of overarching characteristics that are shaped by the events and cultural norms of its day. The Silent Generation brought an uncomplaining work ethic, Baby Boomers a spirit of independence, Generation Xes a flexible attitude, and now Generation Ys are bringing a talent for technology and team work. Contact centers that attend to these generational differences can maximize each generation’s strengths while circumventing its weaknesses.
Since contact centers began in the 1960s, with the advent of the Private Automated Business Exchange (PABX), turnover has been relatively high—and it remains high today. What’s changed is this: Workers in this new generation—variously called Generation Ys, Millennials, or Boomerangs—are significantly more likely to walk away from contact-center positions than were the workers of preceding generations.
In the very recent past, high turnover in contact centers was regrettable and a bit costly, but it was not an overwhelming problem. Perhaps it still isn’t for your contact center—at least not yet. A 2011 survey of Generation Y contact-center agents indicates that up to 70 percent are thinking of changing jobs when the current economic downturn improves.
