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Published On: 22nd Sep 2026 08:00
For better or for worse, the actions of Resource Planning teams can have a big influence over whether agents have a good or bad day at work.
That’s why we asked the experts about the vital role they play in actively helping reduce agent stress levels and their best examples of where even small tweaks can help to take some of the pressure off frontline agents – without compromising service levels.
Beyond planning, day-to-day interactions matter significantly. Real-time adherence teams (RTA) are often tasked with monitoring schedules and enforcing rules, but a punitive approach can erode trust. Instead, a supportive and empathetic communication style can have a profound impact.
“With RTA, so much of the time they’re given benchmarks, and the usual approach is corrective: “Stop being in auxiliary too long”.
I’d love to see RTA lean more on curiosity than correction: “Hey, I see you’ve been in auxiliary for a while, is everything okay?”. This shifts the mindset from fear to support, reducing stress and anxiety.” – Dan Smitley, Founder of 2:Three Consulting.
When agents perceive monitoring as supportive rather than accusatory, they are more likely to maintain productivity while feeling respected. Quite simply, the tone of communication is as critical as the rules themselves!
For advice on calculating schedule adherence, read our article: How Do I Calculate… Schedule Adherence?
Unpredictability is one of the biggest drivers of stress in a contact centre – especially as agents are typically working under rigid structures with little visibility into what their day will bring.
Yet planning teams can help to alleviate this stress by providing more visibility and reassurance about what the day has in store.
For example, clearly communicating expected peaks, so agents can face them with foresight rather than uncertainty; providing some predictability in the form of a psychological safety net.
After all, if an agent knows within the next hour additional agents will be live to help with demand, they can mentally “buckle in”, knowing there’s an end in sight.
Flexibility is another piece of the puzzle, as policies that are too rigid can create resentment – especially when they fail to account for life’s unpredictability.
“Yes, it’s important to maintain clear processes for approving shifts or annual leave, but there should also always be a way to bend the process – because life happens outside of work!
By listening and adjusting when necessary, planning teams can help maintain a baseline of happiness.” – Irina Hollatz, WFM Transformation Consultant at RightWFM.
This all helps to foster an environment where agents feel respected and listened to.
Some contact centres take this one step further by baking flexibility and control into their planning process – so it doesn’t have to warrant special treatment every time someone has a dentist appointment.
“We offer recharge days (last-minute days off for personal reasons) and guaranteed holidays, even during peak periods.
We’ve also introduced a ‘My Time’ initiative, where 70% of the schedule is determined by planners, but agents control 30% themselves. This autonomy reduces stress and lets people manage their lives alongside their work.” – Paul Cooper, Indoor Planner, The AA
From a resource planning perspective, holiday requests are notoriously tricky to manage – especially in the face of peak demand. However, a bit of proactive communication can really help here.
“Ensuring the team take their holiday and reset is really important to us, so I recently hosted one of our ‘Level Up’ training sessions all around our holiday approvals process.
By sharing the data behind the process, we give the team better awareness of the impact. Consequently, they get their requests in early to avoid disappointment and we can continue to resource our contact centre effectively.” – Matthew Brennan, Worcester Bosch
For advice on best managing holidays in the contact centre, read our article: How to Manage Holiday and Vacation in the Contact Centre
Training, one-to-one sessions, and career development are often deprioritized when contact volumes spike.
Yet these interactions are vital for employee engagement and can add to agents’ stress levels when they are cancelled at the last minute. So protecting this time is key!
“When training, coaching, and 1-to-1s are consistently ring-fenced, agents feel valued and supported.
By contrast, regularly skipping these elements to react to daily spikes may improve short-term efficiency, but it damages long-term morale and retention.
People are, of course, your most valuable resource, so make sure to plan and protect their development time as carefully as you would any other critical input.” – Sven Hill, Workforce Management Effectiveness Manager at IVC Evidensia.
For practical methods leaders can use to keep on top of training, read our article: How to Keep on Top of Training in a Short-Staffed Contact Centre
Planning teams shouldn’t operate in a vacuum either! Effective planning requires alignment across Operations, HR, Finance, and Marketing to set realistic targets and manageable workloads to ultimately deliver seamless customer service.
As too many have learnt the hard way, misalignment can lead to chaos, overworked agents, and missed opportunities.
Therefore, when Resource Planning teams lean into the opportunity to be the eyes and ears of the organization, they can ensure resources meet expectations, whilst protecting agents from undue stress.
And let’s not forget the impact of forecast accuracy! As, of course, this isn’t just about being operationally efficient, but can directly correlate with the mental wellbeing and engagement of the frontline.
“If we nail forecast accuracy, we can avoid overstaffing or understaffing. Why does this matter so much?
Quite simply, being understaffed creates stress – agents know they’ll be back-to-back all day. Whilst being overstaffed can be just as demoralizing – the shift drags, and boredom sets in.
Accurate forecasting is a building block for wellbeing, letting agents focus on their work without unnecessary stress or downtime.” – Arlyne Pardo, Senior Workforce Manager at DASH BPO.
After all, when agents truly feel that the Resource Planning teams are invested in their wellbeing and have “got their backs”, everyone reaps the rewards.
Click here to join our NEW Readers Panel to share your experiences and feature in future Call Centre Helper articles.
With thanks to the following people for sharing their thoughts for this article:
For more advice on improving the relationship between resource planning and contact centre agents, read these articles next:
Megan Jones, Editor, Call Centre Helper
Megan interviews inspiring people across the contact centre industry to capture these amazing voices and turn them into best practice articles – covering all elements of what it takes to deliver truly outstanding employee and customer experiences.
Connect with Megan on LinkedIn
Read more by Megan JonesReviewed by: Xander Freeman
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