Contact Center 'Quiet Quitting' Has Morphed Into 'Bare Minimum Mondays'
David Filwood
CEO | TeleSoft Systems | People & Process Improvement For Contact Centers
During 2022 / 2023 – #QuietQuitting was a corporate cultural phenomenon – a hot hashtag on TikTok among GenerationZ & younger Millennial workers – with millions of views & lots of media attention.
‘Quiet Quitting’ may have sounded like someone silently resigning from their job – but it was actually when an employee chose to do the bare minimum amount of work required to stay employed and continuing to collect a paycheck.
The popularity of #QuietQuitting – and the ‘slacker’ work ethic it celebrated – resonated with many younger Customer Service Representatives (CSRs) who were either not engaged – or actively disengaged from their Contact Center jobs.
12 to 18 months ago – back when #QuietQuitting was still the rage – it was a very hot employment market for CSRs.
In every major Metro Area too many Contact Centers were chasing too few candidates.
Competition for new hires was intense.
Employers were poaching workers from each other’s teams.
A bidding war for new hires was driving 10% annual wage inflation.
The number of CSRs ‘Job Hopping’ to do the same work for another Contact Center for more money hit record levels.
CSRs had lots of employment leverage – more than they’d had in a long time – if ever.
Contact Center employers mostly tried to ignore #QuietQuitting – hoping simply to retain the workforce they had.?
In The 2nd Half Of 2023 The Employment Market For CSRs Began To Cool A Little
Total job postings for CSRs declined in 2023 – but demand for job applicants still remained at levels not seen in over a decade.
Some Contact Centers are still in the same position they were a year ago – needing all the labor they can get.?
On the other hand – many Contact Centers have found that with layoffs in other sectors increasing – they’re seeing a modest uptick in applicants for their CSR jobs.
Many CSRs don’t have quite the same employment leverage they had 12 months ago.
The Rise Of ‘Bare Minimum Mondays’
‘Bare Minimum Mondays' are trending among younger Work@Home CSRs.
Unlike their #QuietQuitting coworkers of 12 to 18 months ago – who if terminated could find new employment almost instantly (and probably at a higher hourly wage) – those laid off now will be getting dumped into a different job market.
Introduced on TikTok by digital creator & entrepreneur Marisa Jo Mayes – ‘Bare Minimum Mondays' are her response to toxic workplace environments and burnout – using low productivity on Mondays to:
It’s also a way to avoid the stress & anxiety that comes to many with the approach of a new work week.
According to recently published LinkedIn research – nearly 80% of employees suffer to some degree from ‘The Sunday Scaries’ – a cloud of dread that hangs over people the day before they have to return to work.
The number suffering from ‘The Sunday Scaries’ rises to more than 90% of Generation Z and younger Millennial employees – the demographic making up 75% of the CSR workforce.
Work@Home CSRs use ‘Bare Minimum Mondays' to flip that fear / dread / stress / anxiety on its head by delivering the least possible work – and putting more of a focus on self care rituals.
‘Bare Minimum Mondays' Are A Drag On Contact Center Productivity
On ‘Bare Minimum Mondays' CSRs are on the job in body – not in spirit.
On ‘Bare Minimum Mondays' CSRs display limited motivation – make a minimal effort – and deliver little emotional labor into their caller / coworker interactions.
Absenteeism increases on ‘Bare Minimum Mondays' – and CSRs only deliver roughly 80% of their KPIs.
Is The 4 Day Work Week In Your Contact Center's Future?
For most CSRs – a 3 day long weekend is an occasional experience.
But for a growing number of Contact Centers – as corporations reimagine the post Covid19 pandemic work world and battle the ‘Bare Minimum Mondays' phenomena – 10 hour / 4 day / 40 hour work weeks with a ‘3 Day Weekend’ have become their regular schedule.
The concept of a compressed work week in the Contact Center isn't new.
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It's been common among 911 Police / Fire / Ambulance operators for decades – but until recently rare for CSRs working in general business Contact Centers.
Contact Center Customer Service Is Powered By Women
Roughly 80% of CSRs are female – and two thirds are working mothers / single parents.
Since Covid19 hit – women have been spending nearly 50% more time on childcare / education / household chores / eldercare than they did prior to the pandemic.
5 Day Work Weeks Aren’t Working For Many Working Moms
After Pay & Benefits – schedule flexibility is the next thing working mother / single parent CSRs consider when evaluating whether or not to work for a particular Contact Center employer.
These are people looking for a ‘Mom Friendly’ workplace – where they can have more control over their hours & personal lives.
Compressed Work Weeks Offer CSRs Alternatives To The Conventional 8 Hour Day Job
Google / Amazon / Global financial advisory firm KPMG have recently reported on 10 hour / 4 day / 40 hour work week plus ‘3 Day Weekend’ pilot programs they’ve been operating in some of their Contact Centers.
They’ve found that compressed work weeks:
British Telecom recently released the results of the 10 hour day / 4 day work week pilot program they ran with 1,500 of their CSRs:
More Contact Centers Should Consider Making Compressed Work Week Schedules Available
As long as your company’s business requirements are being met – taking advantage of the benefits that come from offering CSRs flexible working arrangements through compressed work weeks can help you to battle ‘Bare Minimum Mondays' – while attracting more applicants – increasing employee morale & job engagement – improving productivity – reducing absenteeism / attrition / turnover – while enhancing staff Work / Life Balance.
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President @ Contact Center Consulting Group | Outsourcing Expert
1 年Thanks for the post David. Contact center leaders can no longer do things the way they've always done them and this is a good example of thinking differently about how to solve for Agent quality and attrition.