Tag: employee retention

In the previous blog, I talked about the importance of self-care and why WFM leaders should care about it, but I didn’t give you any tips on how to execute self-care. Well in this article, we will explore practical ways to enhance your self-care practices, from confidently saying “no” and setting boundaries, to caring for your physical, mental, and emotional needs. By incorporating these strategies into your work routine, you can cultivate assertiveness, focus, and emotional resilience, enabling you to excel in your professional journey. So what are some ways you can practice self-care?

Start by getting comfortable with saying no at work.

You can always start with “yes, if” instead of “no”. When someone comes to you with a request that you can’t accomplish tell them “Yes, I can do this if you…”. So instead of saying “No, we don’t have the resources to complete this project” you can say “Yes, we can take this on if you can get me more resources for my team.” It’s a step in the right direction and might be easier for people that feel “no” is too confrontational.

Being able to say “no” at work helps you build your assertiveness. This ability is necessary for you to be able to stand up for yourself and negotiate, which will be critical for your ability to grab that next promotion or pay increase.

Being able to say “no” is also going to require you to get closer to your boss. If you’re going to start pushing back on people and saying that something can’t be done, then you need to make sure you’re aligned with your boss. The last thing your boss wants is people coming to them saying that you’re telling them “no” for something your boss wants done. Your ability to say “no” and be right about it is dependent upon how well you understand your boss’s direction and priorities.

Get comfortable setting boundaries at work.

Setting boundaries at work helps you build your self-advocating muscle. When you don’t value your time, ability, or effort, then no one will. Setting boundaries helps you speak to the value of your time and ability. This skill is imperative to any professional growth and development.

Setting boundaries allows you to focus on the most important project. Without boundaries we’re often lost in the latest craze or trying to put out the most recent fire. Contact centers will always have chaos and fires, so you’ve got to rein in your focus on what’s the most important thing. Without boundaries, you’re likely to try and fix everything and quickly burn yourself out.

Self-care looks like taking care of your physical needs

Stretch and walk during breaks. This means that you actually have to take breaks from work. This could easily look like only scheduling meetings for 45-55 minutes, making sure you always have a few minutes to move between meetings.

Multi-task work and your physical activity. Take some meetings on your phone while you walk around your neighborhood. Sign up for a webinar and listen to it while you go on a run. Find a way to care for your body even as you continue to work hard.

You can care for your body at work by getting a comfortable working environment. This means finding the right chair, getting a desk that works for you, and making sure you have sunlight available. One of the worst things you can do to your body is sit in an uncomfortable chair, staring at a poorly positioned monitor, in a dark room, for hours on end. Self-care can be as simple as a standing desk and an open window.

Drink water! Make it a goal to finish a cup or two of water every hour. Not only is your body going to thank you for keeping it hydrated, but it will also give you a reason to get up from your desk more often for bio breaks.

Self-care looks like taking care of your mental needs

An important part of your mental needs is understanding where you get energy from, especially around people. If people can drain you of energy then make sure that you have time in your day to decompress and process the events. If people lift you up then make sure you have moments between projects to connect and build relationships.

Completing tasks can give you a hit of dopamine, so create to-do lists and make them simple. Instead of saying “Complete Project X” put it on your list to do 30 or 60 minutes of work. Instead of saying “Finish the blog” just put “Start writing the outline for the blog”. These smaller tasks, while not necessarily changing the work you have to get done, will mentally provide you with hits to keep going. A pro tip is to make a list of things that you’ve already done today. This is an easy way to remind yourself of how productive you’ve been. Get out of bed. Check! Brush teeth. Check! Put on clean clothes. Check! See how productive you’ve been?!

An important part of mentally caring for yourself at work is not working. Your brain needs breaks and often works better when given breaks. So, when you’re feeling exhausted or that you don’t have any more to give to a project, step away (ideally before exhaustion). Do anything other than work. Go on a walk. Eat some food. Mindless scroll on the internet. Self-care can sometimes look like just not working while you’re at work.

Self-care looks like caring care of your emotional needs

Practicing gratitude and tracking what we’re grateful for will position us emotionally better in the workplace. It’s easy to find the negative things in our environment, especially with the amount of chaos we have in the contact center. But practicing gratefulness will reorient our mindset and emotional state and allow us to be even more productive while at work.

Practicing kind self-talk is an easy one to roll our eyes at, but it also positions us to be more effective at work. When we are kind to ourselves we are more confident, assertive, and productive. Our emotional state improves and that allows us to lead and impact our workplace in more effective ways.

Prioritizing self-care as a WFM leader is not only essential for your personal well-being, but it also has a profound impact on your professional success and the overall culture of your organization. By implementing the practical self-care strategies we’ve explored, you can cultivate assertiveness, focus, and emotional resilience, positioning yourself as a confident and effective leader. Remember, self-care is an ongoing journey, and it requires continuous attention and commitment. If you’re seeking further guidance, tips, and ideas on self-care, WFM best practices, or fostering a human-centric company culture, don’t hesitate to reach out to Call Design. Our team of experts is here to support you in your quest for personal and professional growth. Together, let’s create a workplace where self-care and employee well-being are at the heart of success.

—Dan Smitley

As workforce management leaders we often live in a world of chaos and exhaustion. I know, such a cheerful way to start a blog. But the reality is that many of us are constantly staring burnout in the eyes. Whether it’s ourselves, our teams, or the agents we support, our environment is full of people pushing themselves to the limits and hoping they’ve got more gas in the tank. This is why the topic of self-care is incredibly important for WFM leaders, but all too often it’s something that we leave for the HR team to take care of. We assume that it has nothing to do with us or our ability to impact our contact centers. When in reality self-care is critical to our ability to grow personally, and professionally, and create an environment we want to work in. So, what is self-care?

Defining Self-Care:

Self-care is both comprehensive and intentional care for our well-being. It involves us paying attention to our physical, mental, and emotional needs and then taking planned steps to meet them. Whether it’s going for a run, practicing mindfulness, or creating space for our feelings, self-care is a conscious investment in ourselves.

Debunking Misconceptions:

It’s selfish: Unfortunately, many of us have a misunderstanding of self-care and so we typically avoid it. We see self-care as selfishness. We think that it’s focusing on our own needs at the exclusion of others and it inherently feels wrong. We see ourselves as servant leaders and believe we’re benefiting our teams and our families when we constantly give of ourselves. But what we’re missing is that we cannot pour into others if we are empty.

Self-care is not selfishness, and in fact, it’s likely the best thing we can do to help those around us. We are more effective in our support and help to others when our tank is full or nearly full. Prioritizing self-care enables us to replenish our energy, compassion, and empathy, allowing us to better serve those around us.

It’s a one-time act: We also have to remember that self-care is not a one-time event. We get little to no credit for taking a vacation 2 years ago or getting a massage 6 months ago. Think about self-care like a garden. If you do some heavy weeding and planting on a day and then let it go for 6 months all of your work will have been for nothing. Instead, we need to continually water, weed, and care for the plants. In the same way, we need to be paying attention to our physical, mental, and emotional needs and addressing them today, not in 6 months.

Why WFM Should Care: 

The impact: I have a sense that at this point I may be losing some of you. “That’s all great Dan, but how does this impact my WFM or contact center team?”. I’m so glad you asked!

The stats are in and our contact center industry is in a full-on forest fire of burnout. 75% of call center agents are at risk of burnout (source). The average agent turnover is at a 25-year high (source). Burned-out employees are 63% more likely to take a sick day (source). Employees who frequently experience burnout are 2.6 times as likely to be actively seeking a new job (source). If anyone is going to care about employees taking sick days and high attrition rates it’s going to be the WFM team.

When burnout is left unchecked we see productivity decrease, shrinkage increase, and attrition rates increase. This in turn creates an incredibly challenging environment to forecast, schedule, and real-time manage. Simply put WFM should care about burnout because ignoring it makes our jobs harder!

Our environment: Plus, many of us are ripe for burnout. The WFM team sits at the crossroads of IT, HR, Finance, Marketing, Operations, etc. This gives us a great opportunity to know what’s going on in the organization and possibly help lead conversations. But it also easily leads to a sense of overwhelming burnout. When each of these teams brings its own “top priority” we are left holding the bag trying to figure out which one is the “most top of all tops”.

On top of this, we have likely created a career by being right. “Why did we miss service level yesterday?” “How many calls are going to come in on October 25th?” “When should we start hiring to make sure we have enough people for the busy season?” We are used to being the person that people come to for all sorts of questions. We have added value by always being connected, available, and quick with the right answer. I mean, can you think of a better environment for a burned-out leader?

It spreads: In the same way that burnout spreads, so does self-care. WFM leaders should care about self-care because when we do we lead by example. We help create the environment we want to work and live in. Those that are watching us, whether at home or at work, can see the value and benefits of intentionally and comprehensively taking care of our well-being.

Self-care is not a luxury or an afterthought for WFM leaders—it is an essential ingredient for personal well-being, professional success, and cultivating a positive work environment. By understanding the comprehensive and intentional nature of self-care, debunking misconceptions, and recognizing its impact on our industry and teams, we can embrace self-care as a strategic investment. Let us lead by example, prioritizing our own well-being while inspiring others to do the same. By integrating self-care practices into our lives and organizations, we can foster a happy, engaged, fulfilled, and aligned workforce while driving positive business outcomes.

This was part 1 of a 2-part series on self-care so make sure to check out our other blog (coming next week) that will give tips on how to practice self-care. Also, feel free to reach out to us anytime with questions about workforce management best practices, and how to build team cultures that encourage self-care. WFM is often full of chaos and exhaustion, but that doesn’t mean you have to do it alone. We’re here and we’ve got your back.

—Dan Smitley