The problem

As a leading insurance company and a large and respected employer in our region, our staff turnover rates are generally exemplary. However, there is one exception: our contact centre. Although it is natural that churn in this department is higher than elsewhere, the figures for the past couple of years have remained stubbornly high – significantly worse than other firms in our position, I suspect.

We have tried everything to improve matters – for example, through the reward package and the working environment – but feedback from exit interviews suggests that people are leaving for only one reason – the nature of the job. There is no getting away from the fact that the roles involve repetitive work that offers little challenge. The only candidates that seem to fit in are invariably young people who see the job as a short-term stopgap before moving on, and few are staying around long enough to learn about the business or progress to other departments. Do you have any advice on how to engage this section of the workforce?