Myths & Realities of a BPO Worker

Condoms and Chewing Gum
Cigarettes and Cold Cash
Colas and Change
And nights…especially 'the' nights…

Think BPO and vivid images flash through mindscapes. Those of pick-up vehicles embellished with bright colors and identities that proclaim they belong. Almost like countries. But these small nations within themselves with their in-built security measures and restricted accesses infiltrate social borders without breaking into a sweat. They enter the living rooms and bedrooms of people all over the world. No mean task this. Shrouded in secrecy, there are images that arise…some true and some not so true and some totally false. Switch delves into the known and the unknown of this new age secret society. There are myths that shroud the reality and realities that shroud myths. Even within the industry, there is a deep divide.

SEX, DRUGS & ROCK'N'ROLL
Myth
Mix carefree youth, exposure to 'western' lifestyle and high disposable income. What you get is a breeding ground for immoral indulgences. Three words summarize BPO culture - Sex, drugs and Rock'n'Roll. These BPOs are driving youngsters to experiment with sexuality and drugs. Things unheard of in 'Our Society'. Things against 'Our Culture'. Here is an alien import - brought to you courtesy 'the BPOs'. There is suddenly a massive surge in drug abuse in India. Extra marital affairs, youngsters having sex…Oh my gosh! The accusations are implicit. BPOs did this.

Reality
Here are few sound bytes on drugs, India, sex, the recent Rahul Mahajan scandal, government, media… straight from those working in BPOs.

Sam - "The thought that because I work in a BPO, I am sleeping around and smoking pot sounds ridiculous even when I say it! How does anyone write about this with such conviction?!!!…."
Vanita - "Well, I wear salwar kurtas, do pooja before leaving my home, go to work and come back. I have no colleagues who are taking drugs or anyone I know of. I have worked in 3 BPOs in the last 2 years".
Sangeeta - "Media just wants a story. So they cook this stuff up. Everyone is having affairs nowadays. Why only BPO employees!"
Rohan - "Is Rahul Mahajan working in a BPO?"
Vigyan - "So there are some guys who roll up a joint once in a while… they woulda dunnit in college too…"

So, no one denies these allegations. Stoically, HR continues to weed out the troublemakers. Media continues to sensationalize. It is almost as if paradise is lost. Frankly my dears, let's not forget the 7os. Youngsters need their rebellion. They will experiment. If not BPOs, youngsters would find another sunset boulevard. Although, they would have tougher chaperones like college profs, they would still be young. Money is definitely easy but I don’t lack of money ever stopping youngsters from experimenting.

NO BRAINER
Myth
The industry is a ground breaking path in terms of idea and concept. But, it still does not bring valuable economic change to the country where it is required. It is an industry that will bring on a genocide of grey cells within India. And, never before have been 20-somethings made to work so hard!

Reality
In 2002, BPOs were estimated to be a half-a-billion dollar industry employing 35,000 people. The size has probably doubled and tripled by now. India has a market share of 1.5% right now. So, there's a long way to go. Today, we have competition from smaller countries in the South East Asia region and of course, China. Agreed that BPOs are not creating enough opportunities in smaller cities where change and growth is of dire necessity. But time is of essence. Blame games will not help. BPO as an industry is competing under serious pressures of global competition.

Outsourcing is as old as the hills. Anyone who has a little history as background and common sense will know that. There are serious considerations when contracts are signed. Infrastructure which smaller towns lack will pull BPOs back at this crucial time. Another threat is that the talent pool will not suffice when KPOs need to get better quality of work in the country. It will be intellectual capital and not lower costs that will be priority on a client's lists. The sector has to gear up for role changes now. There are more serious concerns other than those that media keeps harping and bitching about like a gossipy next door neighbor.

Face it. 24/7 industries have always existed before this. Traditionally there are other industries like the hotel, hospitality, hospitals, airline and manufacturing industries that have used young labor too. And, unions have not been able to get them the perks that BPOs give youngsters today.

AGAINST THE GRAIN
Myth
Shenaz has been working in BPOs for 3 years now. She is burnt out. She has disassociated herself from normal society and goes into bouts of depression. She breaks down after every call. She is there because she isn’t intelligent enough.

Reality
Shenaz just happens to be a journalist who is 30 and has chosen to work in a BPO. It is a choice that she made for many like many who stumbled into BPOs as a quick-fix solution for a cash-strapped situation. The difference is that she loves her job. She says, "India has always been a country of doctors, engineers, lawyers and in recent years, managers. Fall out of this category and your job is just not accepted enough and good enough".

Shenaz felt that her job as a journalist was as monotonous and mind-killing as is with almost every job. She loves taking calls. She is thrilled with the diverse mixed-bag she gets to interact with. "At first, I did think I was getting into a mindless job, but now faced with a job offer from a leading publication with a decent salary, I still am thinking of the growth option I would be passing up vis-à-vis a media job in which I could be stuck for years at the same pay".

Call her an antitype. India's elite intellectual will just have to admit that people will choose. It doesn’t matter whether they think it's right or wrong.

TWIST IN TALE
Myth
The vast and young work-force that work in BPOs are exploited. They are brainwashed. They do not know what the term 'future' holds for them. They are in the now. True.

Reality
Not really. The average age of a BPO agent is 24. The industry does prefer to catch them young. But they are hardly exploited. In fact, it's the industry suffers from the vagaries of youth. Most youngsters are very aware of the learning they receive, the cash they stash and very shrewdly move on. And, the few that are intent on growth and success are soon discouraged by the majority who treat it like a college frat group. 22 year old Ritu Chandran says, "I am just on my break and before college would like some cash to spend. So as I figure, 2 months in training with an accent to flaunt and loads of moolah isn’t such a bad thing. I don’t intend to take calls". There are many more like Ritu, in fact her group of friends who have joined intend doing the same.

The losses that companies incur at training level are tremendous. Who is the exploited? Who is the exploiter? Go figure!

LIFE LESSONS EXTRAORDINAIRE

Myth
Youth looks for direction. BPOs with their professional training modules, communication, lifestyle and health experts, etcetera etcetera … They nuture, train and mould. Companies spend millions of dollars on training infrastructure and modules. Training too is outsourced. It is all a highly calibrated process to change the way a person thinks and perceives life.

Reality
So, Geeta wants a BPO job. She goes through a battery of tests that take almost a day. She is put through a rigorous training program that last two months. In this interim, she watches foreign films, watches rugby and even learns the standard attire and lifestyles of normal middle class Americans, Brits, Australians…you get the drift. And then the product information and script is handed over. But, she never bargained for resolving people's mental and emotional problems. Racism and Prejudice. Is she equipped to deal with unveiled hatred? And she breaks down several times because just saying, "Sir, if you continue with this tone, I will be forced to discontinue your call" just doesn’t cut it at times.

So how does someone who is up at an hour that defies biological clocks and cannot really ad lib beyond the given script deal? Most BPOs leave that to the coping skills and ingenuity of a young kid. Business Process Automation, Business Process Management, Data Protection, Targets, Successful CRM, Customer Retention…all very nice and high funda sounding words, words constructed to mask very basic logic.

The truth is that nothing is as valuable as experience and emotional intellect while resolving customer queries and issues. The formula: Time+Money+Training = Revenue means nothing. BPOs are challenges because they force traditional HR to face the harsh truth that most formulae will not pay dividend here. The top BPOs do have state of the art level training facilities… but reckless start ups - "they give BPOs a BAD name."

DONE… TOO SOON
Myth
Two years and you can afford a car, house and other perks. As per the latest Nasscom figures, the BPO sector till March 31, ’06, employed around 4,15,000 people. 20% are work at mid-level managerial positions. Avenues open up and on shore stints are rewarding experiences. You can be a manager. Very true. But…at what cost?

Reality
There is a reason that BPOs offer mostly MBA degrees in collaboration with educational institutions as an option to pursue along with a job. Good managers are hard to come by. On completing a course, many hard working and sincere agents are offered posts as managers. These bright and shining examples are motivators for other employees within the company. But, it takes a lot to reach that stage before you fizzle out with the lifestyle stresses you face. Its only when these managers with no adequate experience face serious challenges that this approach of BPOs sees serious gaps. If an associate doesn’t get promoted in 12-18 months, s/he quits and is hired at a higher pay packet and position as is the trend in the industry. Bad managers are the bane of the industry and a reason for some percentage of attrition. They will dilute quality and add to the frustration. So, before you take a much coveted managerial position, remember it might just kill your career.

You may love BPOs. You may hate BPOs.
The fact is, you can never afford to ignore this new phenomenon that is revolutionizing the economic and social attitude of India. As with any new idea, it has its distracters and its supporters. At the end of the day, we are the biggest butt-kicking democracy in the world. So, opinions will differ. Presumptions will mislead. Reality will enlighten. Old myths will die. New myths will be born. There will be a storm before a calm. That is what makes us Indians unique. I believe, we would have a problem only when we as a society fail to react in our own contradictory way to a phenomenon that is changing our social fabric drastically. And as long as BPOs are spurring debates in this 'argumentative' country, we can rest assured that despite all the myths and secrecy, BPOs are slowly being assimilated into our social milieu.