This was a contribution to an article on CallCentreHelper.com
The modern contact centre is undergoing a quiet but meaningful transformation. Long viewed as a cost centre built for volume and efficiency, it is now emerging as a space where employee engagement, empowerment, and operational excellence intersect.
That’s why we’ve drawn on our latest What Contact Centres Are Doing Right Now research into initiatives, engagement levels, and leadership effectiveness – to take a closer look at the evolving workplace dynamics and highlight practical steps for fostering a mature, people-first environment.
Employee Engagement Remains a Reliable Indicator of a Healthy Contact Centre
The good news is that the 2025 survey data highlighted an overall improvement in engagement, reflecting the cumulative effect of these initiatives:
- Good engagement rose from 46.7% to 52.8%
- Combined positive engagement (Excellent + Good) increased from 62% to 67%
- The lower end of engagement (Reasonable, Poor, Very Poor) declined from 38% to 33%
These figures indicate a slow but steady shift toward a more engaged workforce.
Not only this, but, encouragingly, contact centres appear to sit above average on the global trends for employee engagement.
“According to the latest Gallup State of the Global Workplace Report, employee engagement remains a significant challenge at 21%.
In the UK, just 10% of workers feel engaged in their jobs, ranking 33rd out of 38 European countries and at half the global average. Encouragingly, contact centres appear to buck this trend.
Why? Many factors influence engagement, including leadership approach, management practices and job design. For contact centre employees, one area with particular potential is autonomy. This is a core psychological need identified by Self-Determination Theory.
When people have the freedom to make choices about how they work, their engagement, wellbeing and performance tend to improve.” – Danny Wareham, Founder & Director of Firgun
