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Chapter 4: Enablers of Engagement – What has to happen to make engagement work
33 Stephen Taylor quoted a colleague saying of a manager: “He believed that what we
were trying to do was not impossible, and he made us believe it too, so much so that
we wanted very much to do it with him – and that very thing made it possible.” 118
“Working with children and young people including some who are vulnerable is
semi-vocational work – it requires a real commitment to the work we do. We are
not in a position to offer rewards so we need to ensure everyone feels valued for
the part they play in making a difference.” Josie Warwick, Education Leeds
(submitted via the review’s call for evidence).
Case Study
The Co-operative Group Customer Relations Team
There is no doubt that being a member of The Co-operative Group
Customer Relations team can be a tough job. Part of The Co-operative Food
marketing function, the team are responsible for dealing with all contact from
customers who have comments, suggestions, general enquiries and complaints.
They deal with over 3000 phone calls and 1500 emails and letters each week;
covering all issues from store service and product queries, to recipes and the
Group’s ethical policies. Individuals have diverse backgrounds and ages span
the entire working spectrum.
Despite the sometimes stressful volume and nature of the work, the Customer
Relations team, led by manager Anita Young, has consistently high levels of
employee engagement, a strong team culture, extremely low absence and
virtually no staff turnover – in fact, team members who have officially retired
from the Group can often be found covering an occasional shift to help their
former colleagues out.
Anita believes that there are a small number of fundamental principles that
can be applied to any call centre environment that will build a highly engaged
team. First and foremost is the belief that you cannot ask employees to deliver
more customer care than they believe their employer shows them in return.
Respect and value for individuals is demonstrated in the team in many ways.
The workstations are not in the ‘call centre’ culture of row upon row of desks
but are carefully grouped to encourage natural social interactions that help
build strong teams. Team members are encouraged to take a break from the
phones if they need one, and wireless headsets allow the freedom to move
around the office.
118
Review of Employee Engagement: Notes for a Discussion, April 2009, unpublished paper prepared by Stephen
Taylor (Director of Taylor HAIG and former Chief Executive of the Leadership Centre for Local Government)
specifically for the MacLeod Review
89