Headquartered in Leeds, Lowell Financial is a credit management company. It employs over 1,500 people in offices throughout the UK, the Nordic countries, Germany, and Austria.
Many of its employees work in a call centre environment, liaising with clients who are struggling with debt management.
The challenge
Aware of the emotional labour involved in credit control for its call centre employees, Lowell had invested in human resource management strategies to help improve support.
However, it had proved difficult to get their employees to engage with the support, so Lowell engaged in a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) project with academics from Leeds University Business School to explore why its practices were failing and how the company could better support the mental health of client-facing colleagues using human resource management systems.
The solution
The academic team of Dr Hugh Cook and Professor Irena Grugulis from Leeds University Business School, and KTP Associate Dr James Brooks embedded themselves at Lowell to better understand the internal environment and organisational culture.
The team used a combination of qualitative and ethnographic research techniques to garner insights into the true state of colleague welfare. Data was gathered through job shadowing, observation, focus groups, and interviews.
The COVID-19 pandemic hit while the project was in progress. The academic team adapted rapidly, shifting from immersive research methods to remote working techniques. This dynamic transformed conventional perspectives to the type of research, as the academic team used video diaries and online interviews to monitor wellbeing.
This new type of research allowed the team to adapt and find solutions in a changing environment without affecting the progress of the project.
The impacts
The KTP has had a significant and transformative cultural impact at Lowell. Throughout the project, flaws in the existing management support system were fed back to Lowell's People Partner Team, which tested and implemented changes that were recognised and adopted. Also, the home-working patterns introduced during the pandemic had been successful, so Lowell shifted permanently to a hybrid working model, helping colleagues to feel trusted and empowered.
The Associate and the academic team distilled the KTP findings into a series of actionable recommendations including the creation of enhanced recruitment guidelines, refinements to performance management and training systems, and improved training for line managers.
By applying these recommended measures, Lowell has successfully alleviated some of the stress associated with its call centre roles. As a result, the company has experienced a reduction in absenteeism and employee grievances, and productivity has improved.
Video transcript: University of Leeds KTP with Lowell.
To discuss how working with us on a KTP could help your business, email the Knowledge Transfer Partnership team at ktp@leeds.ac.uk.