I’m sure many contact centres have quiet rooms these days and my question is ‘Why’? Do we really need them?
Have we been bullied into creating these rooms for our staff because it was the ‘buzz word’ of the early 2000s? Have we all got caught up in being seen to do the best by our staff? If you are looking for a job and business to work in, does a quiet room have to be ticked as one of your expectations?
During my early days in the Telecom contact centre in Hamilton, there was no such thing as a ‘Quiet Room’ – I think the buzz words in those days were ’Talk time’ closely followed by ‘Customer Evaluations’. These words were around ensuring we performed to the expectations and then we were rewarded appropriately based on our effort, work ethic and commitment to the job.
In my last role as a contact centre manager, the centre already had a quiet room set up so I inherited this room. It was directly off the contact centre, with a couch and two chairs and a coffee table that was consistently under pressure from the weight of the piles of women’s magazines and daily papers, along with plates and food wrappers.
In my first few months and maybe even years, I used to get a nervous twitch when I passed this room. I never entered it as I didn’t see the need or have the desire to due to the small size and untidiness. And the staff who used this room treated it as a given right and at the same time treated it poorly. That showed me that they didn’t appreciate the room.
Ok, getting the point, I don’t like these rooms. I prefer the staff to get right out of the centre on their breaks and walk to the staff cafeteria. This helps with getting out of the contact centre environment and meeting and mixing with other staff in the business at the hub of any business – the caf.
This is where stress can be released, friendships made, and discussions can be had about customers, processes and business direction. And this is where internal networks are created and if you are interested in personal and career development, this is the place to be.
Again, if staff are stressed and need time out, why send them 10 metres to a room that is deemed quiet? A fish tank or lava lamp are not my ideal ‘stress relief tools’ of choice. I prefer to get the staff member out of the area. Most cafeterias have couches or some have outside grounds and gardens that staff can walk around. Now that makes more sense – hugging a tree or smelling the roses is better than looking at a soothing blue colour on a wall.
I believe quiet rooms have received far too much publicity on the how great they are and I think management should stop and really work out whether they are getting bang for their bucks from such a room.
I personally don’t see a need – stress is business wide so the whole of business should be include in the solution for all staff. Again fluffy rugs, lava lamps and pretty coloured walls in one room do not scream value or necessity to me.