Response Design Corporation: Kathryn's Blog

We don’t have to question the role of the front-line leader in employee retention and engagement. There’s been a ton of research confirming it. To illustrate:

1. Employees will stay if they have a good relationship and open communication with their immediate boss. (HRI Institute, 2001)
2. Employees typically see the organization as they see their supervisor. (Tross & Egermann, 2005)
3. As the job market improves and people find more employment alternatives, leaders will need to put more effort into retaining talent. (Gantz Wiley Research, 2004)
4. The front-line leader is of critical importance in building engagement. (Gopal, 2004)
5. The root of employee disengagement is poor management. (Gopal, 2003)
6. Employees need bosses who care about them, and will help them achieve their goals. (Human Resource Institute, 2004)
7. Much of engagement work must be done by first-line supervisors. (Bates, 2004)
8. Employees who believe that the supervisor values their contributions and cares about their well-being believe that the organization on the whole supports them more, which in turn relates to decreased turnover. (Eisenberger et al., 2001)

I have often said that the first-level manager is the weakest link in the call center today. We are notorious for taking our best agents and promoting them with little or no management training. We throw them into the daily “running around with your hair on fire” call center operation and ask them to perform heroically. We ask them to balance oft competing objectives and seldom give them the time or know-how to perform well. We hire them to manage people, yet they spend the greatest amount of time managing tasks. Then we wonder, “Why are employees disgruntled and leaving?” The buck stops not with the front-line managers, but with call center leadership.

1. Human Resource Institute (2001). “Loyalty and Commitment: A survey on Attracting and Retaining Workers.”
2. Tross, S. & Egermann, M. (2004) “Employee-Manager Relationship Duration: Effects on Perceived Supervisor Career Development Support & Voluntary Turnover.” Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology Annual Conference, April.
3. Gantz Wiley Research (2004), “WorkTrends 2004.”
4. Gopal. A. (2004). “Flawed Assumptions Can Defeat Your Business,” Gallup Management Journal, April 8.
5. Gopal, A. (2003), “Disengaged Employees Cost Singapore $4.9 billion,” Gallup Management Journal, October 9.
6. Human Resource Institute (2004). “Reengaging the Workforce,” TrendWatcher, Issue 211, May 7.
7. Bates, S. (2004). “Getting Engaged.” HR Magazine, 49(2).
8. Eisenberger, R., Armeli, S., Rexwinkel, B., Lynch, P.D., & Rhoades, L. (2001). Reciprocation of perceived organizational support. Journal of Applied Psychology, 86. 42-51.