WAKE-UP CALL FOR THE WEST : Concern is growing at the exodus of

0 Comments | Sunday Herald, The, Nov 30, 2003 | by Douglas Fraser

So although this employment boom is an unprecedented opportunity for India and for Indians, it has a downside. An industry survey for Dataquest found high job satisfaction but lots of reasons to be dissatisfied. The hours are long, the better centres have nine-hour shifts, with half an hour for lunch, and two hours commuting time is normal.

Working night shifts to service an American clientele on the other side of the globe is by far the worst aspect of the job, contributing to an extensive range of health problems. Dataquest found 40% have sleeping disorders, 34% are stressed by work-related health issues, and 30% by irate customers. Unions are nowhere to be seen: the sector is growing fastest where labour activism is weakest and labour laws are being liberalised.

Staff turnover can be around 25%, and more than 100% in the high- stress cold calling part of the business. Plus, having been attracted by prospects of rapid promotion, many find the management promotion isn't happening for them.

The attrition rate is because young people don't stay long when there are new places opening with tempting job offers. Nearly a third say they will leave to get married. An anti-poaching pact was struck last month between Bangalore's big players, and there is talk of recruiting more reliable older women with grown-up children, most of whom have never worked before.

According to Tarun Sheth, a personnel consultant in Bangalore, economic change is bringing enormous strain on India's social fabric. But he advises those who want to set up in the technology economy that Indians have a particular view of their workplace. It is based on a sense of kinship, where the company is the family and the boss is a tolerant, non-patronising parent. Multinational companies are preferred employers because of their growth potential, fairness and training. As the marriage adverts in the Sunday papers show, to be employed by a foreign company makes you more socially marketable.

Sheth advises: "Indians like to see outsiders as superiors, but please don't flaunt that superiority." And in opening your contact centre, be sure to check with a Hindu astrologer, so that you choose an auspicious date.

FACT FILE

THE globalisation of business services is characterised by two complementary processes.

The first is offshoring: relocating jobs or manufacturing processes overseas, usually to countries with cheaper labour costs. Americans also use the term "near-shoring" when they relocate to countries such as Puerto Rico, Mexico or even Ireland. Over half of India's "offshored" business comes from the US.

The second is outsourcing: transferring work, or parts of the manufacturing processes, to outside suppliers. This is a long- standing practice, but trend has picked up as major corporations shed work which used to be part of their core business. American corporations are responsible for over half of the world's outsourcing with American Express leading the pack by outsourcing 80% of its data processing work. This trend is also known as BPO - business process outsourcing.