Print

Comment

Email

Digg

Del.icio.us

Reddit

Twitter

The outsourcing industry in India has been growing at a great pace over the last five years. If industry estimates are any pointers, ITeS should employ over a million before the end of this decade. While BPOs are typically characterized by low-end jobs, it is only in the last two years that high-end jobs (read data analytics, market research, IP-related jobs) have started coming to India, and BPOs have started advancing to the next level of maturity: and those on the higher end of the value chain are being rechristened as KPOs.

Despite significant growth and a bright future the BPO industry continues to suffer from high attrition levels stemming from factors like high levels of stress and lack of growth opportunities.

"The grass is always greener on the other side" is what a sizeable population of HR execs in the BPO industry tend to say when issues such as intense stress levels in the industry come up. Attrition today has reached an all-time high of nearly 60%, although the figure would differ significantly from one firm to another.

The BPO industry is characterized by ungodly work hours (BPOs mostly cater to customers in the West and the time difference could vary from 8 to 12 hours on an average); never-ending night shifts; high work targets; repetitive nature of work; pressure to work on metrics; non-negotiable metrics; irate customers and insufficient holidays. All factors, standalone, could contribute to different levels of stress and combined, could sometimes be even traumatic

Health problems such as Insomnia, indigestion and depression are some of the common problems that call center executives face. Today, increasing number of BPO employees are seeking psychiatric help.

The lack of a well-defined career path is one of the most important reasons for depression. Boredom and monotony that arise from the repetitive nature of the work adds to it. The company management and HR teams are trying to offer career paths to executives, but that will be only be possible when they are in a position to hold back people and control attrition numbers.

BPO executives are also faced with the quality versus quantity conflict. Inbound call center executives are required to provide quality customer services while keeping call time low and call volumes high. Outbound call center people are also required to meet additional sales targets. Then there's the practice of ongoing work practice modification and target revision as management swings from one side of the quality/quantity debate to another. The practice of putting a drive on particular targets for improvements and continual reprioritization means that goals get shifted constantly.

Symptoms and signs that show stress can be divided into two categories-physical or behavioral, and emotional. Physical and behavioral symptoms include muscular tension, muscle spasms, indigestions and blood pressure among other problems, and require medical attention. Emotional symptoms include anxiety, depression, decline in self-esteem and resentment. These symptoms could vary in individuals depending on the mental health and emotional strength of an individual.

The behavioral approach to stress management includes exercise and a balanced and healthy diet. The relaxation approach involves a variety of techniques that are designed to help one manage physical and mental stress.

Stress is an integral part of the Indian BPO industry. Everyone realizes this. HR managers simply need to accept this flipside of the BPO job and handle stress in a more professional manner.

Bhaswati Chakravorty

Page(s)   1