Staff retention is in the news thanks to the greatly improved maternity leave provisions offered to some employees of the Australian Catholic University, but there are many other approaches to the problem of staff turnover.
According to organisational consultants Innovation@Work, changes to training practices could improve the situation. Managing director Wade Lillington said the 'active learning' coaching technique used by his company with individuals and teams helps all members of the team share in the accumulated knowledge.
"This has the double benefit of creating a workplace where people feel more valued, whilst ensuring the team retains the vital intellectual capital collected by each individual when should a person leave," he said.
The idea behind active learning is that training should engage individuals' preferred learning style. While Innovation@Work points to the 6th century BC philosophy of Lao Tzu -- "If you tell me, I will listen; If you show me, I will see; If you let me experience, I will learn" -- that quotation implies that everyone learns best from experience.
Proponents of learning styles generally contend that there are a variety of styles (the exact number and the names given to them vary) and you need to tap into the learner's preferred style for greatest effect. For example, Jane may well be an experiential learner, while Alice might prefer to concentrate on the underlying concepts. Bill may soak up spoken information, but George needs to see it written down or in some other visual medium.
These ideas also tie in with the concept of multiple intelligences proposed by Howard Gardner. He rejects the idea of a single form of intelligence, instead favouring eight separate intelligences -- logical-mathematical, linguistic, spatial, musical, kinaesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal and naturalist -- that people have in varying proportions. When teachers or trainers activate a wide assortment of intelligences, the expected result is a deeper understanding of the subject material.
According to Lillington, staff turnover in call centres is among the highest in Australian industry, yet he believes that many call centres baulk at the idea of changing or enriching their training methods. "People have used the same tired methods of coaching for so long they are intimidated by change. But unless they find better ways of looking after their people-investment, they will reach crisis point," he said.
The Australian Direct Marketing Association is holding a one-day forum on training call centre staff at the end of this month.
