TWIN FALLS — Most managers would be furious if their employees were having a marshmallow fight or knitting on the job.
But managers at the Dell Inc. call center in Twin Falls encourage a quirky and casual atmosphere, saying that it increases employee performance and job satisfaction.
As strange as it may sound, they might be on to something.
Corporate officials say the center is one of the top performers among Dell's 25 service and support centers around the world — a badge of honor that may provide job security for the center's employees as Dell continues its work-force reduction efforts.
"We tell employees that if they want these jobs in the future then they need to continue doing a good job,"said Dan VanKeeken, communications manager for Dell. "And although we can't categorically say that the reorganization will not affect it (the contact center), we can say that it is very unlikely that it will be affected."
Dell, a $60 billion company that makes and sells computer systems and services worldwide, announced plans June 1 to cut its work force over the next year by about 10 percent — or 8,000 jobs.
But the Twin Falls center is more likely to grow rather than be reduced.
The center has an employee turnover rate of less than 30 percent — the lowest among all the Dell call centers — and that means that the training it invests into each employee is less likely to be lost through attriculation.
Naomi Carlson, a customer care manager at the Twin Falls center, said the low turnover is due in larger part to the casual atmosphere that the employees create around them — even if that includes knitting covers for pen holders while helping a customer through computer problems.
"What we noticed is that when they (employees) enjoy coming to work, that positive attitude is passed onto the customers," she said. "And because our customers can't see them over the phone, it doesn't make much of a difference anyway."
Reach Joshua Palmer at jpalmer@magicvalley.com or (208) 735-3231.
