Every organization in the world has staffing issues. The business process outsourcing (BPO) sector has a particularly negative relationship with staffing, suffering from problems such as high recruitment costs, poor employee engagement, and elevated staff attrition rates.
While staffing issues in the workplace are common, not everyone has found an adequate solution. Businesses who manage their workload internally should consider outsourcing as a primary approach to resolving any staffing problems. For BPOs, utilizing the latest technology can help improve life at your organization.
In this article, you’ll find some of the most common staffing issues that every business faces, including BPOs. We’ll explore how each one can negatively impact your company and examine what you can do to mitigate them.
Staffing problems in BPOs and other organizations
Staffing issues in the workplace can range from high recruitment costs to disengaged employees, but all are interlinked. By solving one staffing problem, you’ll find that others follow. Here are some of the most problematic staffing issues that prevail in BPOs and other organizations.
1. High recruitment costs
The cost of hiring and onboarding a new employee can be excessive, so it’s not something that should be taken lightly. Companies who find themselves spending too much on recruitment often have a rushed and reactive hiring process. When staff leave, it’s important to be considered in your recruitment, rather than rush the process.
Improving your company culture can reduce employee turnover, which will in turn reduce your hiring costs. Needless re-hiring is the result of many intrinsic problems in your organization, such as employee disengagement, burnout, and a toxic workplace. Sort these issues out and you’ll find your hiring costs plummet.
2. Staff accountability
With the transition to remote work that many companies are currently experiencing, it’s become significantly more important to hold your staff accountable for their work. Businesses that operate remote and hybrid work environments are frequently concerned about their employees’ output and productivity.
The best way to mitigate this issue is to employ time-tracking and other productivity monitoring software. You can use non-invasive applications to track how your remote team is performing and improve your accountability and reliability as a business. By making use of the latest technology, you can reassure your clients that work is done to a high standard, even in flexible work environments.
3. Burnout and absenteeism
The demanding nature of call center work can lead to high levels of stress around the office. The high-paced, high-pressure environment can cause increased burnout and absenteeism among staff, which in turn lead to more tangible problems like quiet quitting, resignations, and poor performance.
To reduce burnout, you’ll need to relieve some of the stress and strain on your employees. Outsourcing is a great way to do this, since you can shift a lot of work to an external partner and decrease the workload on your own employees. For BPOs, it’s important to ensure you’re sufficiently staffed to handle a demanding workload.
4. Employee disengagement
Employee disengagement is something that affects all businesses. The challenge is to keep your staff happy and motivated so that they produce consistent work to a high standard. Employee engagement in BPOs is often sub-par, since many team members feel stressed, bored, or emotionally challenged in their work. The same is often true, however, in other demanding environments such as internal call centers – so these issues aren’t only felt by BPOs.
Engagement levels can be raised by various tactics. Implementing a rewards system can raise morale and boost performance, since employees will become more incentivized when they know they will receive recognition for their efforts. Providing your staff with the right tools and training will also improve engagement levels, as team members will feel more supported and more able to do their jobs without stress.
5. Employee attrition
Employee attrition is a problem in all industries, and the outsourcing sector is no exception. Call centers – whether outsourced or in-house – have among the highest turnover rates of all businesses, averaging around 40%, which leads to further issues such as understaffing and higher recruitment costs. High attrition rates usually signify the existence of deeper-rooted problems within the framework of a business or its culture.
But employee attrition can be mitigated in a variety of ways. For companies that operate their own contact center or back-office function, outsourcing removes a lot of strain on your remaining internal employees. BPOs themselves are increasingly turning to technology to reduce staff turnover. By utilizing the right tools, they can provide their employees with the respite and flexibility they need to feel happier in their jobs.
For instance, Time Doctor tracks employee productivity and monitors when a team member is struggling. This data can then be used by the management staff to offer more support in the right areas to employees who are finding certain aspects of their work difficult. And if staff feel more supported, they’re far less likely to quit.
6. Unconscious bias and lack of diversity
Even in the 21st century, unconscious bias still exists. Hiring managers may subconsciously choose one candidate over the other for reasons other than an objective assessment of their skills and suitability for the role. These can include race, gender, appearance, age, sexuality, disabilities, and more. This can lead to a number of problems within the workplace, such as a lack of diversity and an increase in workplace toxicity.
A toxic workplace culture contributes to reduced levels of employee engagement, poor productivity, hindered performance, and more frequent resignations. Establishing a culturally diverse workplace is a proven method in reducing toxicity, but it’s actually one of the main challenges facing HR departments at present.
Since diverse teams make better decisions, it’s vital to improve workplace diversity. The ideas that emerge from having a mixture of cultures, races, and genders serve to benefit companies looking to be more strategic and innovative.
How can outsourcing solve staffing issues?
Business process outsourcing is a core solution that can resolve many staffing issues. By offloading some of your operations to third parties, you can reduce the strain on your own employees and improve your internal company culture. Here’s how outsourcing can help your business:
● Improve diversity: Outsourcing to an offshore company will expose you to new cultures and ways of working. This will open you to new ideas and will heighten the importance you place on diversity in the workplace.
● Alleviate the strain on your internal staff: Offloading your work to BPOs will reduce the burden on your own employees. You’ll see burnout and absenteeism decrease, which will lead to increased levels of employee satisfaction and better performance.
● Raise engagement levels: Similarly, your employees will become much more engaged in their work when they have an appropriate amount to do. Outsourcing gives your own employees more time, flexibility, and engagement in their tasks.
● Reduce recruitment costs: Many companies choose to outsource part of their operations abroad simply because it’s so cost-effective. You’ll also give up the stressful recruitment process, since the BPO will take care of it for you.
Choose Time Doctor to reduce staffing issues
Time Doctor’s non-intrusive employee-monitoring software gives companies the insights they need to improve their entire operation. Staffing issues such as employee disengagement, burnout, and turnover can all be mitigated using the real-time analytics that Time Doctor provides. Register today to improve your accountability, productivity, and profitability.
Andy is a technology & marketing leader who has delivered award-winning and world-first experiences.