How to Reduce Absenteeism in Contact Center

Absenteeism in contact centers, where most agents work remotely, is one of the key challenges affecting business efficiency. Unplanned or unjustified absences can disrupt team operations, lower customer service quality, and increase the workload on colleagues. This issue is especially relevant for remote contact centers, where monitoring attendance and employee motivation is more challenging. For those already managing remote teams, we recommend reading our article “Our experience in efficiently managing remote contact center agents.”

In this material, we will take a detailed look at what absenteeism is, how it differs from regular absences, as well as its main causes and consequences. Additionally, we will share a methodology for calculating the absenteeism rate and provide practical strategies to help reduce its level in remote teams.

What Is Absenteeism in a Contact Center?

Absenteeism in a contact center is the percentage of cases where an employee is absent from work, whether for valid or invalid reasons, relative to the scheduled working hours.

Absenteeism includes both planned and unplanned absences, such as illness, no-shows, tardiness, or other reasons that lead to lost working hours and reduced productivity.

Are Absenteeism and Absence the Same?

Although the terms “Contact Center Absenteeism” and “Contact Center Absence” are related, they are not entirely interchangeable. Here’s the difference:

Absenteeism in a remote contact center refers to recurring patterns or issues where agents frequently arrive late or are absent from work, often without prior notice or valid reasons. Absenteeism is typically used as a performance metric and is expressed as a percentage over a specific period.

For example, a high level of absenteeism may indicate potential dissatisfaction due to excessive workload, low motivation, or other management issues within the contact center.

Absence in a contact center (Contact Center Absence) is a broader concept that describes cases when an agent is not present at work, regardless of the reason (scheduled leave, illness, or an emergency).

For example, a shortage of agents during peak hours may indicate the need for better workforce planning and management.

In summary, absenteeism is more about problematic, recurring absences that signal deeper issues, whereas Contact Center Absence is a neutral term that simply describes an employee’s absence. Both terms are important for workforce management in a contact center, but they highlight different aspects of the issue.

Key Causes of Absenteeism in a Contact Center

Absenteeism, especially in a remote work environment, is a serious issue that affects customer service quality and the overall call center efficiency. Understanding the main causes of absenteeism is crucial for developing effective strategies to mitigate it.

Absenteeism Due to Health Issues

Both short-term and chronic illnesses are among the most common causes of absenteeism. In a remote work setting, a lack of physical activity, back problems, or vision strain from prolonged screen time can further exacerbate the issue.

Absenteeism Due to Emotional Burnout

Monotonous work, a high volume of customer inquiries, and constant interaction with clients—often in stressful situations—can lead to emotional exhaustion. In remote work conditions, the absence of colleague or managerial support intensifies this burnout.

Absenteeism Due to Low Motivation

A lack of employee engagement can result from limited career growth opportunities, low wages, or a lack of recognition for achievements. In a remote setting, providing regular feedback and acknowledgment is more challenging, further reducing motivation.

Work Environment Issues at Home

Not all employees have an adequate home workspace. Constant distractions, noise, the absence of a dedicated workstation, or inadequate equipment can negatively impact productivity and contribute to absenteeism.

Absenteeism Due to Personal Circumstances

Family issues, childcare, or caregiving responsibilities for other relatives are also common reasons for absenteeism. In a remote work environment, agents may prioritize household duties, especially if the job does not offer a flexible schedule.

Balancing Work and Education

Many contact centers employ a significant number of students who juggle work and studies. Frequent shift absences or tardiness may result from class schedules, exams, additional coursework, or mandatory academic events. This creates challenges in workforce planning and absenteeism management.

Absenteeism Due to Technical Issues

In remote contact centers, agents often face internet connectivity issues, software malfunctions (such as WFM system errors), or hardware failures. These technical difficulties create obstacles to task completion and can lead to increased absenteeism.

You may also be interested in: Blackouts and Customer Service: How to Retain Clients During Power Outages?

Consequences of Absenteeism in a Contact Center

If absenteeism is not properly managed in time, it can have serious negative consequences for the operational efficiency of a contact center. It affects not only internal processes but also overall customer service quality, financial stability, and the company’s reputation.

Decline in Operational Efficiency

Uncontrolled absenteeism leads to staff shortages during critical moments, making it difficult to meet key performance indicators (KPIs), particularly service level (SL) and average speed of answer (ASA).

Decrease in Service Quality

When a contact center operates with an insufficient number of agents, service quality immediately suffers. Customers are forced to wait longer in queues, which can lead to dissatisfaction, negative feedback, and an overall decline in satisfaction metrics such as CSAT and NPS.

Increased Workload for Other Agents

When part of the team is absent, the workload on agents who are present increases. This can result in stress, burnout, and ultimately higher employee turnover.

Financial Losses

Absenteeism raises operational costs, as the company or outsourced contact center must spend on recruiting additional staff, paying overtime, or compensating for unmet service agreements.

Reputational Risks

Frequent service disruptions due to staff shortages can negatively impact the contact center’s reputation among clients and partners, reducing their trust.

Deterioration of Customer Experience

Customers expect fast and efficient support from a contact center. If absenteeism leads to slower response times or unresolved inquiries, it significantly harms the customer experience and reduces loyalty.

How to Calculate Absenteeism in a Call Center or Contact Center

Absenteeism in a contact center can be calculated both for an individual agent and for a group of agents working on a specific project. Individual calculations help identify personal issues affecting an employee’s productivity (e.g., frequent tardiness or unexcused absences). Group calculations allow for an assessment of overall team discipline, coordination, and trends that may require intervention.

Defining Agent Statuses for Absenteeism Calculation

Absenteeism is calculated based on the analysis of various agent statuses in the Workforce Management (WFM) system, which determine their presence or absence at the workplace. Each status has a specific meaning that helps correctly assess whether an absence or tardiness is justified or simply an isolated incident. Below are some example statuses used for absenteeism calculations:

ABSENT (ILLNESS-WITHOUT SICKLIST) — absence due to illness without providing a medical certificate or any document confirming the illness. Such absences are typically classified as unverified and may be considered absenteeism.
ABSENT (NO REASON) — absence without a valid reason or failure to provide a reason on time. This is the most common type of absenteeism and is usually included in the calculation.
ABSENT (EXAM) — absence due to exams or training with a supporting document. This type of absence is considered based on company policy but typically does not negatively impact absenteeism rates.
ABSENT (PRIVATE REASON) — absence due to personal reasons (e.g., family emergencies, a relative’s illness), usually without official documentation. Such absences may be counted as part of the absenteeism rate.
ABSENT (FM) — absence due to a justified but unofficially documented reason (e.g., transportation issues or force majeure situations). Depending on company policy, this status may also be included in overall absenteeism statistics.
DELAYED BIG — tardiness exceeding 1 hour. This is a serious violation that significantly affects the contact center’s efficiency.
DELAYED-1 — tardiness ranging from 20 minutes to 1 hour. This status affects overall efficiency and should be considered in absenteeism calculations.
DELAYED-2 — tardiness from 5 to 20 minutes. While a less severe violation, it may still impact overall calculations.

It is important to note that status names and their inclusion in statistics may vary across different contact centers, but the general calculation methodology remains the same.

Absenteeism Calculation Formula

Where:

Total hours of absence is the sum of all absence durations for an agent or group within the calculation period.
Total scheduled working hours is the number of hours planned for work.

Example of Absenteeism Calculation in a Contact Center

Suppose a project has 10 agents. The scheduled working hours per week for one agent are 40 hours. The total absence hours across all statuses in the report amount to 20 hours. Applying the formula:

Absenteeism Calculation example

Thus, the absenteeism rate for the project is 5%. This level is considered low, but if it increases, it could negatively impact the contact center’s operational efficiency.

Strategies for Reducing Absenteeism in Remote Contact Centers

Absenteeism among agents during shifts is a challenge that requires a systematic approach to address. Implementing effective strategies not only minimizes absenteeism but also improves the operational efficiency of the contact center, regardless of its working format – in-house or outsourcing.

Developing Clear Procedures for Monitoring and Recording Absenteeism

Clearly defined absenteeism control procedures are a key step in addressing its consequences. For example, at Global Bilgi’s contact center, a standardized absenteeism monitoring process is implemented, which includes a detailed classification of agent attendance statuses such as PRESENT, ABSENT (NO REASON), DELAYED, and others. The rules for entering these statuses into the accounting system are designed to ensure transparency and accuracy of the data.

The process involves specialists in planning, monitoring, project managers, and group leaders. This allows control over absenteeism levels for each project and reporting period. As a result, Global Bilgi not only reduces agent absenteeism but also better plans shift schedules according to projected workloads, ensuring stable operations and high-quality service.

Providing Comfortable Conditions for Working from Home

Comfortable conditions for working from home are one of the key factors affecting agent motivation and reducing absenteeism. Remote agents need access to reliable tools and technologies that enable them to perform their tasks effectively. The lack of necessary equipment or unreliable internet connections can lead to missed shifts or reduced work quality.

At Global Bilgi, remote agents are provided with everything they need for productive work. Thanks to the Sirius cloud platform for contact centers, which has an intuitive, one-page interface, employees can work on any device – laptop, desktop, or tablet – as long as they have stable internet access. A Service Desk and technical support specialists are always available to resolve most technical issues remotely. Additionally, agents are provided with power banks for routers, ensuring uninterrupted work even during power outages. This approach not only increases employee loyalty but also ensures stable service quality for clients.

Using Modern WFM Tools to Reduce Absenteeism

Modern WFM solutions, such as ShiftSwapper by Global Bilgi, are powerful tools for reducing absenteeism levels. By automating the scheduling process, this system enables the efficient replacement of absent agents with employees who possess the required skills, ensuring continuous high-quality customer service.

The uniqueness of this solution lies in the ability for agents to exchange shifts with just a few clicks, significantly enhancing scheduling flexibility. This promotes the creation of comfortable working conditions, reduces stress within the team, and increases employee satisfaction.

For managers and team leaders, ShiftSwapper provides complete digital control over scheduling, relieving them from routine tasks. The automated employee replacement process, such as when agents fall ill, helps minimize the negative impact of absenteeism on the operational efficiency of the contact center. Integration of this tool helps save resources, ensures stability in key performance indicators, and optimizes operational costs. Thus, the use of WFM systems becomes an integral part of the strategy to ensure stable operations for both in-house and outsourced contact centers.

Implementing a Strong Corporate Culture

Creating a strong corporate culture is a key factor in reducing absenteeism among remote contact center employees. A sense of belonging to the team, involvement in shared goals, and understanding one’s value to the company significantly impact employee motivation and loyalty. By investing in corporate culture development, a company not only reduces absenteeism levels but also improves productivity and employee satisfaction.

Corporate training on stress management, burnout prevention, online yoga and fitness sessions, work-life balance, and contact center gamification all play an important role in supporting the mental well-being of remote employees. Working in isolation can lead to feelings of loneliness and burnout, so such programs help employees maintain a work-life balance, increase stress resilience, and improve overall well-being. This, in turn, reduces the risk of “professional” illnesses among agents and absenteeism due to health issues.

Corporate career development culture is also an important element in combating absenteeism. When employees see opportunities for growth and development within the company, they become more motivated and loyal. Mentorship programs, training and development, and opportunities for growth within the company all contribute to increasing employee satisfaction and reducing turnover. Furthermore, the sense that the company invests in their development helps employees feel valued and interested in long-term collaboration.

Conclusions

Absenteeism in remote contact centers is a complex problem that requires a systematic approach for resolution. On one hand, it affects operational efficiency, service quality, and financial performance. On the other hand, it signals potential issues in the organization of work and relationships between employees and the company.

To effectively reduce absenteeism levels, a comprehensive approach is needed. First, it is important to identify the exact reasons for employee absences. Second, favorable conditions for remote work should be created, providing employees with necessary equipment and software, and developing effective support systems. Third, investing in corporate culture, fostering trust, and mutual understanding between employees and management is essential.

The implementation of these strategies will not only reduce absenteeism levels but also increase employee satisfaction, improve customer service quality, and enhance the overall efficiency of the contact center.

How to Reduce Absenteeism in a Remote Contact Center