After completing a multi-client study covering three established offshoring countries - namely India, the Philippines and China, XMG Global’s research findings show a mutual trend in these countries that addresses to strengthen the retention of a group in the talent pool that is in short supply - high performing supervisors, team leads and mid-managers employed in call centers and BPOs.

Research from this latest study indicate that while high compensation in the form of cash continue to be the most essential for talents in offshoring countries, the interest in strictly cash is slowly starting to wane – specifically amongst supervisors, team leads and mid-managers working in call center and BPOs. Results show that while overall the use of cash rewards is consistent with or slightly behind levels reported last year, some categories of awards level desired increased by an astounding 18% - notably what we at XMG Global call ‘quality of life’ incentives. Examples of this type of incentive include flex hours, additional paid time off, telecommuting, stress management and family counseling.
As health and family related issues are on the rise, most particularly due to work related stress and working the graveyard shifts, the respondents indicated they are willing to devote more to a company that recognizes and respects their personal needs and life circumstances. Supporting this trend, XMG Global’s cultural audits of its clients show that high performance and successful retention are more consistent in cultures that stress quality of life and provide challenging work environments, compared to just using cash rewards for doing good work.
Given the current economic slowdown and budget cutbacks, focusing on quality of life incentives can lessen the pressure on cash or cash-oriented incentives. Such incentives do much to address real and important employee needs and concerns, often without cash outlays. They also serve to foster loyalty and commitment.
Bottom-line: Vendors and captives that still believe that cash is the only form of incentive in offshoring countries are missing the opportunity to derive higher performance and retain key performers. Respecting individual needs for leading a better quality of life from work and more flexible approaches to the work environment will be a leading retention practice.
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