Proven Ways to Maintain Fairness in the Contact Centre

“Why does Sarah always get the training courses she wants?”, “Why am I always stuck with the weekend shifts?”, “Why did David get promoted instead of me?”. This is the kind of water-cooler talk that can foster widespread feelings of unfairness, bias, and favouritism.

Sound familiar? Then it’s time to address it!

That’s why we asked our consultants panel for their top tips and advice for maintaining a perception of fairness in the contact centre.

Here’s what they said…

How to Maintain Fairness in the Contact Centre

Stop Training Agents on Old Information but Still Scoring Their Calls Against the Latest Criteria

Don’t forget about training! New hire training material should be current to reflect the calls, chats and emails that occur today.

When new hires are trained with old material, then use it and are penalized in their QA, the misinformation creates a feeling of unfairness!

Contributed by: Sangeeta Bhatnagar, SB Global Human Capital Solutions

Set Out Agent / Team Leader Contracts So Everyone Knows Where They Stand

Contracts lay out mutual expectations between agents and their team leader and are always a good starting point when taking on a new team.

Having this agreement upfront sets a baseline for fairness and builds trust. It also provides a reference point during challenging situations, reducing the risk of perceived bias.

Contributed by: Alex McConville, Contact Centre Consultant and author of ‘Diary of a Call Centre Manager’

Be Transparent About Pay, Bonuses, and Salary Frameworks

Have a clear and documented performance and reward framework, as people may feel unfairly treated if they are not getting the right support, coaching or feedback to help them do their job well. Ensure they have the right tools and knowledge to set them up for success too!

Also, be transparent with pay and salary frameworks. This is often the biggest area of frustration and disparity, especially in cases where new people are recruited on salaries higher than existing teams.

Being clear on what constitutes pay rises and performance-related bonuses and base salaries is crucial to team members feeling they are being treated fairly.

Contributed by: Garry Gormley, Founder of FAB Solutions

…And Be Sure to Maintain Meaningful Salary Gaps Between Staff Levels in the Face of Rising Costs

There are strong indications that contact centres will increase agent salaries by an average of 4.2% in April 2025, largely driven by the pressures of the new National Minimum Wage felt within our industry and our key competing industries for entry-level staff.

This increase will create further strain throughout the wider contact centre structure, as the industry works to maintain a meaningful salary gap between staff levels.

The most significant challenges will be felt in the Team Leader, Coaching, and Technical or ‘Gold’ agent roles. Over recent years, the salary gap between agents and these next-step positions has narrowed.

This leaves us needing to balance increased agent salaries in April with the requirement to ensure the more senior-level salaries remain sufficiently higher and attractive promotion opportunities remain.

Contributed by: Katy Forsyth, Managing Director of Red Recruitment

Avoid Playing the Role of “The Caped Crusader” With Exciting News

For many of us, we would love nothing more than to be liked by everyone. For that reason, we try to please everyone, and this is where inconsistencies can creep up on us and where we leave ourselves open to acting in an unfair manner.

For example, through wanting everyone to like me, I’ve previously resorted to playing the role of “The Caped Crusader” with exciting news.

What I don’t consider is that many agents may not be on the floor at that time – they could be on lunch, on leave, or working from home.

They don’t receive the important message that could positively influence their sales and their commission, so they are immediately on the back foot. And this of course will leave those absent feeling unfairly treated too!

To avoid this, create clear communication frameworks – rather than being accused of favouritism or treating people unfairly. You’ll also by default engineer a central point where people know they can find information.

Contributed by: Clayton Drotsky, Director of Growth Crew Ltd

For advice on improving your communication, read our article: The 7 Cs of Effective Communication

Address Any Issues of Underperformance Immediately

Consistently addressing underperformance and recognizing high performance creates and maintains a sense of fairness and trust in your culture.

If underperformers are not consistently addressed, perceptions of favouritism can be formed and trust is broken. And we all know, trust is a must in any relationship.

Contributed by: Adam Boelke, Founder of the Alignment Advantage Group, and author of the “7 Cs to Success” mastermind course on leadership & culture

Coach Your Managers to Be Aware of Cognitive Bias

Coach your team leaders and managers about cognitive biases, with tips and strategies to overcome them.

In contact centres, decision-making can be impacted by biases, including anchoring bias (relying on the first information we learn on the topic), confirmation bias (when we interpret information in ways that confirm what we already believe), and optimism bias (overestimating success and underestimating the likelihood of negative outcomes).

Contributed by: Michael Clark, Co-Founder and Principal Consultant of CXTT Consulting

If Training Opportunities Are Limited, Always Offer Them on Merit

If places in training or access to certain shifts is limited, then they must be offered based on merit and performance.

A former director of mine used to talk about “earning the right” and this always stayed with me. I performed well and therefore earned the right to additional training and development.

A clear, open, and honest approach is essential. If teams know:

• What opportunities exist (training, development, shifts)
• What is expected of them to be considered for the opportunity
• Why someone else got the opportunity instead of them
• What they need to do differently (with structured support) if unsuccessful

then the team can progress with the right culture, celebrating their collective successes and supporting each other on the journey where needed.

Contributed by: Neville Doughty, Partnerships & Growth Director at Customer Contact Panel

Foster a Culture of Psychological Safety That Allows Fairness to Thrive

Fairness thrives in a team climate that feels psychologically safe. When people feel safe, they speak up and share concerns, so you can deal with them quickly.

Don’t kid yourself, though… Fairness can unravel without the right leadership!

Here are some mistakes I’ve seen:

• Inconsistent treatment – Giving more attention to the loudest voices or top performers? You’re not being fair!
• Rigid policies – Thinking one-size-fits-all works for shifts, training, or feedback? That’s a sure way to frustrate your team.
• Murky decision-making – Keep development opportunities unclear, and you’ll fuel whispers of favouritism.

So, what works?

Fairness, to me, means creating a team where everyone feels valued and has the same shot at growth.

Contributed by: Rob Clarke, Director at Elev8

Make Sure Everyone Gets a Turn at Having Time Off the Phones

The role of a call centre agent can be demanding, tiring and sometimes feel relentless, and colleagues may just welcome a break from taking telephone calls.

If you have in place a system where time off the phones is an option, ensure that the same people aren’t being chosen each time and that everyone gets a turn.

It’s quite traditional that organizations have administration tasks that need to be completed in the background and colleagues are selected to come off the phones with the expectation they may ‘clear the admin’ quicker than others.

This will foster a culture of unfairness and perceived favouritism and not give everyone a fair chance to show their strengths.

Contributed by: Jenna Birchall, Vulnerability Consultant at Helen Pettifer Training Ltd

Seek Regular Feedback on a Variety of Topics

Putting in place clear communication structures, channels and regular touchpoints can really help to ensure that everyone feels part of the team and the organization.

Here are some quick tips to help:

• Seek regular anonymous feedback from colleagues on a variety of topics, so everyone feels they can have their say, and act on any concerns that are raised.
• Create an environment where all colleagues are encouraged to contribute to team meetings and share their thoughts and perspectives.
• Have regular all-team meetings sharing updates and up and coming changes, so everyone is aware and not hearing information second hand.

Contributed by: Gemma Carter-Morris, Director of Wellbeing and Client Relationships at Next Steps Consulting

For top tips and strategies on how best to gather customer feedback from your frontline agents, read our article: Want Your Frontline Staff to Share More Customer Feedback? Try This!

Follow the Same Disciplinary Trigger Process With Everyone to Mitigate Bias

In psychology, fairness is the idea that people should be treated impartially and without bias. However, in the real world, we are neither impartial nor bias-free.

Providing procedural clarity and consistency, such as following the same formal disciplinary trigger process, can provide some evidence of equity and mitigate some of our biases.

For example, if your absence trigger point is three periods in six months, this should apply universally. If one advisor has three absences due to oversleeping, late-night partying or other unacceptable reasons, we might feel comfortable applying this approach.

If a different advisor has three absences due to a road traffic accident, serious illness or medical condition, we might be tempted to apply our own decision-making to the process.

I don’t recommend this happens. Instead, apply the same process and hold the disciplinary hearing at the third instance. The outcome for each individual might be – and likely will be – different.

But applying the process universally means that we are seen to be treating the absences equitably and allows us to formally record any tailored or specific support to an individual in the outcome of the meeting.

Contributed by: Danny Wareham, Founder & Director of Firgun

Make Sure Leaders AND Agents Follow the Same Rules

Leaders must be observed exemplifying the policies imposed on the call centre agents. If the agent cannot do XX, then a leader had better not be breaking the same policy.

For example, in a call centre, the rule was NO open drinks; every drink had to have a sealable lid, and the lid and container had to be spill-resistant. A director regularly violated this policy and spilled what they were drinking. Observing this, the agents constantly violated the policy, and other policies became jokes and unenforceable.

Contributed by: Dr M. Dave Salisbury, COO at D&C Consulting LLC

Proactively Communicate the “Why” Behind Decisions

Whenever possible, I’ve always explained the “why” behind decisions.

For example, if someone is denied a request for time-off, I ensure they understand the business-related reasons.

This level of transparency builds trust and mitigates perceived unfairness.

Contributed by: Alex McConville, Contact Centre Consultant and author of ‘Diary of a Call Centre Manager’

Try to Avoid Taking Smoke or Coffee Breaks With the Same Few People

Are you unknowingly keeping habits that drive a perception of unfairness?

Contributed by: Sangeeta Bhatnagar, SB Global Human Capital Solutions

And… Be Brave Enough to Ask “Do You Feel You Are Treated Fairly?”

A culture of unfairness arises when there is a feeling within team members that they are being treated differently and don’t have the same opportunities as others.

Generally, this is born from a lack of communication. So, get ahead of your team’s concerns by seeking their input and asking for their feedback: Do they feel that they are treated fairly?

Ask them the question and be prepared to take action! Include it in employee surveys too, and drill down departmentally to see if the issue is localized or more broadly felt in the centre.

Contributed by: Garry Gormley, Founder of FAB Solutions

What Do You Do to Maintain a Sense of Fairness Across Your Contact Centre?

Join our LinkedIn community and let us know.

If you are looking for more information on how to improve your contact centre, read these articles next:

• 10 Ways to Attract Fresh Talent Into Your Contact Centre
• Kick-Start Your Next Team Engagement Day
• 12 Inspiring Tactics for Sharing the Call Centre With the Wider Company

Author: Megan Jones
Reviewed by: Xander Freeman