a+study+on+the+worklife+of+bpo+employees+and+the+various (1)

8/7/2019 A+Study+on+the+Worklife+of+BPO+Employees+and+the+various (1)

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A Study on the Worklife of BPO Employees and the variousHuman Resource Practices in a BPO - A Case Study of

Convergys

By

D r. Kumuda TripathyM.A., Ph.D.

Facult y MemberI CFA I Business School

Pun e, A undh-411 007

I ntroduction

S t riki ng a balanc e is th e re al f ul fillme nt to life. I n th e r at rac e o f ou r prese nt da y exis te nc e,espe ciall y in th e long wo rki ng hou rs e tho s of ou r i ndu s t ry, we f o rg e t to m a inta in a balanc ebe t wee n wo rk and f a mi ly. T h e res ult is d ev a s tat ing: h igh leve ls o f s t ress, t rau m a , and eve n n erv ou s bre a kdo wn s.

Th e p h ra se w o rk life b alanc e w a s co in e d in 1986 in US A .Unt il 1999 it rem a in e d on th efring es o f co rp o rat e u sag e and pu b lic d issemi nat ion . Pos t 2000, w o rk life b alanc e ha s gon em a in s t re a m, wi th hund re d s o f d e d icat e d int er n e t si tes, i nclud ing tho se o f me ga co rp o rat ion s, h e lping spre ad it s u sag e. T h ere ha s bee n le g is lat ion enact e d in m an ycount ries m a king wo rk life b alanc e cruc ial to th e f unct ion ing o f a co rp o rat ion .

All th is t ran s lat es i n th e HR d ep a rt me nt s p a ying m o re and m o re att ent ion to th e a spir at ion so f every emp loyee and cre at ing pa ra me ters o f s oc ial int er act ivit y to ena b le th em to con s tantl y d isco ver th eir t ru e p ot ent ial . T h e B PO indu s t ry and oth er IT b a se d bu sin esses a recon s tantl y refr a mi ng th eir w o rk life p ol icies be cau se of h igh att rit ion rat es.

Objective of the Paper

To s tud y th e w o rk life o f th e B PO emp lo yees and th e v a riou s pr oblems f ac e d by th em w h ilewo rki ng in th e B PO se cto r.

1 . T h e p a per al so g ives an in sight on th e v a riou s hu m an res ou rce pr act ices ca rrie d out in th e B PO se cto r.2. T h is p a per w ould g ive a d e ta ile d rep o r t on th e emp lo yees and th eir be n efi t s and

d isad vantag es i n re lat ion to th eir w o rk life3. T h e p a per w ould th row light on th e hu m an res ou rce f unct ion s, pr act ices f ollo we d by th eHR d ep a r tme nt in re lat ion to a BPO un it-Con ver g ys

Some Statistics of the BPO I ndustry

y Over 25,000 pe op le a re emp loye d in th e B PO se cto ry Reve nu e o f th e se cto r touch es $ 3. 6 billion y Bu rn out St ress S ynd rome is co mm on a m ong BPO emp lo yees


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y BPO indu s t ry lac ks a re gulato ry fr a mew o rk fr om Fo rei gn Dire ct In ves t me nt

Th e G over n me nt and th e co rp o rat e se cto r s hould loo k at emp loyme nt la ws a s d iffere nt fromth e la bo r la ws f o r th e b u sin ess pr oc ess out sou rcing (BPO) indu s t ry. T h ere is a n ee d f o r a f o ru m to re d ress th e g riev anc es o f emp loyees i n th e B PO se cto r. A t a pu blic mee t ing o rgan ize d by th e U n ion o f I n f o rm at ion Te chnolog y and Ena ble d S ervi ces ,p a rt ic ipant s r u e d that th e B PO indu s t ry lac ks a re gulato ry fr a mew o rk fr om Fo rei gn Dire ct In ves tme nt (FDI ) re gulat ion s to iss u es o f se cu rity, te chnolog y t ran sfer and emp lo yee we lf a re. V a riou s call ce nt re emp loyees and non-go ver n me ntal o rgan izat ion act ivis t s expresse d conc er n a bout th enon- imp leme ntat ion o f th e un ivers al cha r ters prep a re d per ta in ing to th e se cu rit y o f w ome n wo rki ng in n ight sh if t s. T h e a bse nc e o f s uch a re gulat ion le a ves emp lo yees ope n to m ach inat ion s o f un scru pulou s emp loyers, ca ses o f fr audul ent sala ry cut s, coll e ct ion o f d ep osi ts i n th e na me o f t ra in ing , a rbi t ra ry fixi ng o f s ala ries and fe a r o f repris al .

Th e nu mber o f pe op le emp loye d in th e B PO se cto r is cu rre ntl y u pw a rds 2,50,000 i n th ecount ry and expe ct e d to re ach 1 .1 mi llion by 200 8 .( acco rd ing to a NASS COM Rep o rt )Th ebu sin ess ha s g rown by 46 per ce nt , wi th th e reve nu e touch ing $ 3. 6 billion and ha s add e d 70,000 n ew j obs i n th e ye a r 200 4 . T h e NG O wo rkers a re a ppre h en sive a bout th e

su s ta ina bility o f th e emp loyees i n th e B PO indu s t ry be cau se of th e ha pha za rd wo rk s h if t s."Though BPO indu s t ries ha ve bee n a boon in terms o f emp loying a bul k nu mber o f un emp loye d g raduat es, i t is d ifficult f o r th em to su s ta in . T h e s t ress, w o rki ng aga in s t natu reand th e s a fe ty and se cu rit y f acto r p la ys a m a j o r r ole. T hough a job i n th e call cent ers is all a bout "big m on ey," th e f utu re o f th e emp lo yees and th eir e ducat ional opp o r tun it ies fiveye a rs do wn th e lin e is a mi llion dolla r q u es t ion . T h e emp loyees ce a se to be s oc ial bei ng s and o f t e n g e t isolat e d from th eir f a mi ly and frie nd s. B OSS th e B u rn- Out S t ress S ynd rome is a co mm on sy nd rome a m ong th e B PO emp loyees and includ es ch ron ic f at igu e, i n som n ia du e to th e co mp le te alt er at ion o f 2 4-hou r bi olog ical rh yth m o f th e b od y. Crossi ng lin es o f g e nd er, re lig ion and ca s t e, an yon e can fit into th is type o f w o rk, a ss u mi ng th ey ha ve good languag e ski lls. L a me nt ing on th e s t ress f acto r, m an y call cent re emp lo yees call e d f o rlong er bre a ks du ring wo rk hou rs and an in sight on lo ss o f id ent it y o f emp loyees is al so a risi ng qu es t ion .

Worklife Balance Strategies in BPOs

BPO co mp an ies ha ve lin e d-u p me a su res r ang ing from re al ign me nt o f s h if t t imi ng s to pe op le -o rie nt e d in it iat ives s uch a s Diw al i fes t s co mp le t e wi th firew o rk d isp la ys, to en su rethat bu sin ess cont inu es du ring th e fes t ivit ies.

"We ha ve re al ign e d ou r t imi ng s to allo w emp lo yees to go bac k e a rly. A lso , ad vanc e p lann ing f o r crit ical f unct ion s s uch a s onl in e i nt er act ion s ha s bee n don e. We wi ll be fi n ish ing th esh if ts by lat e a f ter noon to allo w emp loyees to be wi th th eir f a mi lies i n th e eve n ing ," s a id MrRoh it Aro ra , Cha irm an o f eMR Te chnolog y Ve ntu res.

Exv o , a Kno wle dg e Proc ess Out sou rcing firm, ha s o ffere d a de al to its emp loyees i n ca seth ey co me i n on Tu es da y, th ey w ould g e t t wo co mpe n sato ry o ffs. UNDER fire fr om v a riou sse ct ion s on la bou r- re lat e d iss u es, th e w oes o f th e B PO indu s t ry seem f a r fr om over.

N ature of Work at BPOs

In re cent m onth s s ome r ath er per cep t ive att emp t s ha ve bee n m ad e, on e o f w h ich a ss oc iat e d with th e V. V. Giri N at ional La bou r I n s t itut e i n No ida seeks to la y b a re th enatu re and s t ructu re o f emp loyme nt in BPO call ce nt res i n pa r t icula r a s obje ct ive ly a s


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possib le. Am ong oth er th ing s, per ha ps th e m os t imp o rtant po int wh ich th is s tud y seeks to emp ha sise is that th e w o rk cond it ion s to be found in call-centres (which account for65-70 per cent of the I ndian BPO sector) are different from conventional industrialmould . I n the service sector, "customers in particular are considered integral tothe work organisation, either due to simultaneous production and use of manypersonal services or due to a strong client-led definition and even co-production of

the actual services. This customer-oriented nature of work often challenges thetraditional conceptions of control and coordination, especially those of manager-worker control relations. Further to this, `informatisation' of work also createspossibilities for novel modes of conceptualising and o rgan ising wo rk, le ad ing to d iscer n ib le chang es i n wo rk cultu res."

Th ere a re wi d e ly d iver g ent views on what th e natu re o f call-c ent re w o rk is re all y like, b ut att ent ion is d ra wn to a "wid er con se n su s that th e w o rk i n call cent res cha ract erises s omed eep - se at e d cont rad ict ion s cont rad ict ion s o f p le a su res and pa in s i n th e experie nc e o f wo rk, and con f lict s a risi ng out o f th e co mpe t ing log ics o f cu s to mer o rie ntat ion and rat ional isat ion ". T h ere is littl e dou b t that wo rk at Ind ian call cent res is " un ski lle d , repe t it iveand m onotonou s". As th e NLI p a per s a ys, " th e w o rkers a re s u bje ct e d to a wo rk re g ime,wh ich is b a se d on a h igh d e g ree o f co mp ut er -t e lep hon y i nt e g rat ion . T h e u se o f s uch t e chnolog y, along with u se o f s tanda rd scrip ts allo w th e firms to keep th e `free t ime'be t wee n call s to th e b a re mi n im u m". T h e sys t em al so allo ws m anag eme nt s " to ex a min e th eperf o rm anc e o f th e emp loyee q uant itat ive ly a ver ag e call t ime, nu mber o f call s and so on ,besi d es allo wing th e s u pervis o rs to lis t en rem ot e ly to th e ag ent s' call , wi th o r wi thout th ekno wle dg e o f th e emp loyee, to a scer ta in wh e th er th e w o rk is bei ng don e wi th in th es t ipulat e d no rms and s tanda rds".

D welling on this aspect of work in some detail, it says the "entry of the employeesis strictly restricted to their work area and the common spaces earmarked forrecreation and refreshment. For each entry to and exit from the work bay, theagents have to punch their electronic identity cards... D uring the working hours,the agents are directed to observe punctuality in taking the admissible breaks,which are also tracked continuously, through computers. The agents are supposedto be logged in and attending calls for a certain number of hours per day, whichprevents them from too many toilet and coffee breaks. For each break, agents arerequired to log off, while leaving the work-bay and log in again at the time of resuming work. Those who are away from the work bay for longer durations orunable to attend calls for more than certain stipulated minutes areinstantaneously warned through intranet messages".

Basing itself on this premise, the paper has referred to comparisons made by somecommentators with "the situations of nineteenth century prisons or Roman Slaveships", which has raised the hackles of a whole range of I ndian I T personalities . T o crit ics, s uch m anag eme nt pr act ices ha ve ev oke d scen es o f call-c ent res bei ng noth ing m o re

than "`m od er n swe at sho ps' o r `bri ght satan ic offices', w h ere th e exp lo itat ion o f la bou r ise n su re d th rough inc re a se d rat ional isat ion and Ta ylo ris at ion o f w o rk". T h e p a per al so refersto what it call s th e `em ot ion bu rd en ' on call-c e nt re emp loyees w h ich res ult s m a inl y fr omth e req u ireme nt o f emp lo yees bei ng expe ct ed "to d isp la y cu s to mer o rie nt e d att itud es and fee ling s to f ac ilitat e a sm ooth int er act ion with th e d is tantl y p lac e d con su mers". As th e p a persa ys, emp lo yees " a re req u ire d to `m anu f actu re' re lat ion sh ips... Q u it e o f t en , a spe ct s s uch a sm ood s o f th e ag ent s (emp lo yees ) , f ac ial expressi on s and wo rd s a re s u bje ct to m on ito ring .Th e ag e nt s a re eve n f ound f o rce d to ei th er express s ome fee ling s, w h ich th ey do not fee l o r


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su ppress cer ta in fee ling s, w h ich th ey g enu in e ly w ant to sha re. I n both th e ca ses, th eemp loyees fi nd th e j ob d epressi ng and le ad ing to em ot ional d iss onanc e".

The conclusion is: "Emotional exhaustion adds to the physical and mental strain of the workers, leading to higher levels of stress and burnout under the electronicallymonitored work and tightly bureaucratised work regime".

To t emper th ese ad verse effe ct s, call-c e nt re m anag eme nt s a rr ang e f o r "s t ructu re d soc ial isat ion " o f th e emp loyees s uch a s o rgan ising con sultat ive f o ru ms, a rr ang ing ge t-tog e th ers, e tc , th e m a in obje ct ive o f all th is ho wever bei ng th e "(s t riki ng of ) th e `ri ght 'balanc e be t wee n wo rk and f un , th ereby cre at ing a `pr oduct ive ly doc ile' w o rkf o rce". T h ere isal so th e we a pon of "i llu so ry emp owerme nt " th rough th e pr o je ct ion o f th e im ag e o f "s u peri o rwo rk, vibr ant a mbie nc e o f w o rkp lac e, att ract ive d esi gnat ion s, impressive s ala ry s t ructu re",e tc , w h ich is me ant to ena b le emp loyees " to co pe wi th th e press u res and pa in s o f em ot ional la bou r".

Th e a bove cha ract eris at ion o f w o rk i n BPO out fits do es not pa int a rosy pi ctu re o f th ewo rki ng cond it ion s, w h ich le ad s on e to th e se cond qu es t ion , na me ly, w h e th er emp loyee -

un ion isat ion ha s not ta ke n p lac e a s ye t be cau se o f th e a bse nc e o f effe ct ive le ad ers h ip. T h ism a y, i n f act , be th e ca se b ut it is al so t ru e that , if rep o rt s a re to be be lieve d , an att emp t to un ion ise th e 350,000 emp loyees i n th e se cto r ( 8 0,000 m o re j obs a re to be add ed th is ye a r) by th e U n ion Ne t wo rk I nt er nat ional (a glo bal all ianc e of 9 00 un ion s ) ha s t ill no w not me t with an y s ucc ess.

Th e obvi ou s q u es t ion to a sk is : Wh y ha s th is ha ppe n e d if w o rki ng cond it ion s i n th e I nd ian BPO se cto r ha ve a lot o f s co pe f o r impr oveme nt? Does th e prev a iling dem and- su pp lysi tuat ion ha ve an y r ole to pla y in th e an swer ? As on e out sou rc ing emp lo yee is rep o r te d to ha ve s a id: "A un ion would m a ke se n se if th ere w a s no job se cu rit y. Here j obs a re m o re,pe op le a re less co mp an ies a re t rying all me an s p ossib le to keep emp lo yees ha ppy s o that th ey w on 't le a ve". T h e e nt ire cont roversy over B PO wo rki ng cond it ion s, at th is p a rt icula rpo int o f t ime w h en th e count ry is ta king ra pid s t rid es to wa rd s exp an sion o f th e se cto r, could not ha ve co me at a m o re i no pp o rtun e m ome nt f o r th e B PO es ta blish me nt , a s represe nt e d by N a ss co m.

Tact icall y, i t ha s don e th e ri ght th ing by reje ct ing out right th e all e gat ion . On a s t rat e g ic p lan e, th e emp ha sis on min im u m s tanda rd s ha s bee n m o s t se n sib le a s al so th e g radual fra mi ng and ado p t ion o f a se lf - re gulato ry ag e nc y "f o r la ying gu id e lin es on a rang e o f iss u es,includ ing data pr ot e ct ion and wo rk cond it ion s o f emp loyees". I t can be no on e's ca se that th e B PO se cto r is un if o rm ly emp lo yee - frie ndl y i n th e count ry. On th e cont ra ry, i t should beth e un ivers al a ppe al that th e se cto r s hould be s t re ngth en e d f u rth er if th e nat ion is to m a keth e m o s t o f it s IT p ot ent ial .

Hr challenges in the BPO I ndustry

1 . Manag ing la rg e nu mber o f pe ople at a sho rt sp an o f t ime2. Deve lo pme nt o f s o f t ski lls and d e a rth o f d eve lopme nt in oth er a re a s3. I nt er B PO poach ing and th e s u pp ly vs dem and ga p is anoth er m a j o r chall eng e i n th e B PO se cto r.4 . A tt rit ion rat e, re cru it me nt is al so some o f th e chall e ng es see n in th is i ndu s t ry.5. HR p ol icies s hould add ress chall eng ing iss u es.

HR Practices


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Hu m an res ou rces (HR ) a s a f unct ion is f a s t chang ing sinc e i t wo rks clo se ly wi th se n io rm anag eme nt , b u sin ess se gme nt s, lin e m anag eme nt and f unct ional le ad ers i n an ITo rgan izat ion . HR m anag eme nt is undou b t e dly on e o f th e m a j o r chall eng es ah e ad f o r I nd ian IT co mp an ies.

Th e B PO indu s t ry is al re ad y und er s t ress on account o f persis t e nt pr ob lems like att rit ion ,con fid e nt ial ity, lo yalt y, e tc . Manag ing HR in th e k no wle dg e -ba se d indu s t ry is not a ca kew al kf o r HR m anag ers a s i t a m ult i-ta sk resp on sibi lit y. I n th e prese nt sce na rio , HR m anag ers a reperf o rmi ng a va rie t y o f resp on sibi lit ies. E a r lier, th eir r ole w a s con fin e d to ad min is t rat ivef unct ion s s uch a s loo king a f t er m an power req u ireme nt s and m a inta in ing roll s f o r th eo rgan izat ion . N ow i t is m o re s t rat e g ic in keepi ng with th e d em and s o f th e i ndu s t ry.

Bargaining power

Manag ing pe ople i n th e k no wle dg e -ba se d indu s t ry is crit ical a s th e hu m an res ou rce is th esoul o f th e o rgan is at ion . S inc e th ere is a h igh dem and f o r k no wledg e w o rkers, tal e nt e d pr o fessi onal s o f t en en j oy h igh ba rga in ing power du e to th e k no wle dg e and ski lls th ey ha ve.Th e att itud e is d iffere nt f o r tho se w ho a re ta king u p resp on sibi lit ies at a lesser ag e and a

lo wer leve l o f experie nc e. T h ese f acto rs ha ve res ult e d in th e cle a r s h if t to ind ividual ise d ca reer m anag eme nt from o rgan isat ion ca reer co mmi tme nt . Manag ing th e p ool of pe op letal ent is esse nt ial f o r th e g rowth o f k no wle dg e - ba se d se cto rs like IT and BPO .

M otivating the workforce

As glo bal co mpe t it ion is g rowing ra pidly, a t e chnolog ical e dg e s u pp o r t e d by tal e nt e d m an power ha s be co me cruc ial f o r s u rviv al in th e m a rke t , w h ich is w h y o rgan isat ion s g iveto p pri o rit y to t e chnolog y ad vanc eme nt pr og ra mmes. HR m anag ers a re no w perf o rmi ng th erole o f m ot ivato rs f o r th eir k no wle dg e w o rkers to acc ep t n ew chang es.

Competency development

Th e s ucc ess o f th e k no wle dg e - ba se d indu s t ry is d epe nd ent on it s m an power tal ent pool .Henc e, hu m an ca pi tal is th e re al a sse t f o r an y organ isat ion . T h is m a kes HR's r ol e crit ical in re cru it ing , m anag ing and re ta in ing th e bes t pe op le a va ila b le. T h e HR d ep a r tme nt ha s a cle a r r ole i n th is pr oc ess, and d e t ermi n es th e s ucc ess r at e o f an y o rgan isat ion . If HRm anag ers a re not co mpe te nt enough , th is wi ll ha ve a d ire ct imp act on th e o rgan isat ion .Th ere is no w a n ee d to d eve lo p co mpe t ent HR pr o fessi onal s w ho a re s ound in HRm anag eme nt pr act ices wi th s t rong bu sin ess k no wle dg e.

Recruitment and Training

Re cru it me nt ha s be co me a m a j o r f unct ion from an imp o rtant su b - sys t em i n HR, p a rt icula rlyin th e IT i ndu s t ry. HR m anag ers p la y a vital role i n cre at ing a sse t s f o r th e o rgan izat ion in th e f o rm o f q ual it y m an power.

Anoth er chall eng e f o r HR m anag ers is to put sys t ems i n plac e to m a ke pe op le a perfe ct fit f o r th eir j obs. S kill obs oles cenc e is r a pid in th e s o f t wa re i ndu s t ry. T o over co me th ispr ob lem, o rgan izat ion s g ive ut m os t pri o rit y to t ra in ing and ski ll e nhanc eme nt pr og ra mmers'on a cont inuou s b a sis. M an y IT co mp an ies a re pr ovid ing t echn ical t ra in ing to th eiremp loyees on va riou s p lat f o rms every q ua rt er. M o s t find th is re gula r t ra in ing qu it e u sef ul ,a pa r t from th e fee ling o f se cu rit y i t pr ovid es.


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The Trust Factor

Low leve ls o f t ru s t inh ibit kno wle dg e s ha ring in th e k no wle dg e - ba se d indu s t ry. Conc er n e d over re ce nt rep o rt s a bout an emp loyee o f an Ind ian call ce nt re w ho all e g e dly s old ban kaccount d e ta ils, N a ss co m is ge a ring u p to f ac e un f o resee n chall eng es re ga rd ing con fid e nt ial ity i n th e IT i ndu s t ry. I t is w o rki ng clo se ly wi th le gal autho rit ies i n Brita in to e n su re tho se resp on sib le f o r crimi nal bre ach . An y ca se o f th ef t o r bre ach o f con fid ent ial it yshould be t re at e d seri ou s ly. S uch m al pr act ices w ould pose a seri ou s th re at to S MBs i n th eBPO se cto r. M os t o f th e sm all and me d iu m co mp an ies i n th is se g me nt do not ha ve e nough ca pa bi lit ies to tac kle th e si tuat ion th emse lves.

Lt Bipin Chand ra , Vi ce - presi d ent , I nd ia oper at ion s, K noah S olut ion s, do es not be lieve that th is wi ll severe ly a ffe ct th e B PO indu s t ry i n Ind ia . He s a ys, "We ha ve e nough se cu rityme a su res a s f a r a s data se cu rit y is conc er n e d . Acc essi ng th e data ba se s hould be n ee d-ba se d onl y, and if, wi thout n ecessi t y, an yon e t ries to acc ess i t , ou r sys t em wi ll al er t u s. Weha ve bee n s t re ngth en ing ou r se cu rity p ol icies; i n an y ca se, ou r exis t ing sys t em do es not allo w emp loyees to br owse th rough th e data . G o ing by re cent rep o rt s, I don 't th in k th erewill be an y si gn ificant imp act on BPO co mp an ies. Ou r client s a sk f o r h igh er leve ls o f se cu rit y

on in f o rm at ion sys t ems. Every o rgan isat ion n ee d s to ha ve a f ool- pr oo f se cu rit y sys t em,a pa r t from b u ild ing lo yalt y and co mmi tme nt a m ong emp loyees a s p a rt o f good HR p ol icieswh ich a re co mm on f o r all t ypes o f o rgan isat ion s."

Critical Factors

At Wipr o th ey be lieve that th e k no wle dg e -ba se d indu s t ry f ac es five crit ical chall eng es. On eo f th e m os t imp o r tant is tal ent m anag eme nt and d eve lo pme nt . Pro fessi onal s bri ng with th em a lot o f a spir at ion s, and to be on th e co mpe t it ive e dg e th ey loo k out f o r th reeimp o rtant d ime n sion s le a rn ing , t e chnolog y and e a r ly opp o r tun it ies. A re ce nt s tud yconduct e d by Wipr o sho we d that pe op le j o in th e co mp an y be cau se o f th e a bove, and th eseact a s a d iffere nt iat ing m od e l f o r th e o rgan isat ion . I n th e IT i ndu s t ry, th e bes t pr act ices o f toda y m a y not be th e bes t pr act ices a f t er s ome t ime, s o it is imper at ive that th e co mp an ycon s tantl y impr ove i t s own bu sin ess -al ign e d HR pr oc esses to be at th e le ad ing e dg e.Anoth er d ime n sion to th e chall eng es f ac e d by th e i ndu s t ry is th e g rowing pac e o f tal ent ac qu isi t ion , w h ich cre at es wi th it th e chall eng e of sm ooth er a ssimi lat ion of n ew emp lo yeesinto th e o rgan isat ion f old . T h e press u re o f d e liveri ng th e bes t qual ity servi ce i n re duc e d t ime - fra mes call s f o r e n su ring that emp loyees m a inta in a wo rk -l ife b alanc e. A noth erimp o rtant iss u e, w h ich will cont inu e, is re te nt ion o f exis t ing emp lo yees.

Addressing the issues

Man j ula Ra j ol i, Manag er, T al e nt Engag eme nt & Deve lopme nt , Wipr o Te ch-nolog ies,e la bo rat es on ho w Wipr o m anag es th e chall eng es. "Wipr o 's tal e nt m anag eme nt and e ngag eme nt ha s a t wo- f old a ppr oach . We conta in th e chall eng es by f ollo wing bes t pr act icesin t wo a re a s co mpe n sat ion and non-co mpe n sat ion . Chall eng es a risi ng du e to co mpe n sat ion re a son s a re conta in e d at Wipr o by cont inuou s ly be nch m a rking ou r s ala ries wi th ou rco mpe t ito rs and pr ovid ing meri t- ba se d sala ry i nc re a ses. I n add it ion , f o r mi ddl e and se n io rm anag eme nt , we ha ve eq u ity- ba se d co mpe n sat ion th rough Res t rict ed Stoc k Un it s. We al so ha ve v a riou s emp loyee be n efi t pr og ra mmes. T h ese e n su re that we s ta y co mpe t it ive on th eco mpe n sat ion front ." ( Fo r non-co mpe n sat ion iss u es, see b ox along sid e. )

Emp loyee ca re is a to p pri o rit y. E liza be th Math ew, He ad , HR, T CS (De ccan Pa rk -Hyd er a bad ) , s tat es : "At TCS , we v alu e every a ss oc iat e and in ves t in th eir pers onal and


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pr o fessi onal d eve lo pme nt . We ha ve a nu mber o f a ss oc iat e e ngag eme nt in it iat ives that bri ng a ss oc iat es and th eir f a mi lies tog e th er i n le a rn ing , f un and soc ial act ivit ies. T h is e nhanc esth e b ond ing and co mmi t me nt to th e o rgan isat ion . We al so cont inuou s ly revise ou r HRpol icies, lis te n to ou r a ss oc iat es' opin ion s, m a ke ou r p ol icies m o re pe op le - frie ndl y, and cat erto va rie d n ee ds o f a d iverse w o rkf o rce." T h e f ollo wing , acco rd ing to Math ew, a re s ome o f th e key iss u es f ac e d by th e i ndu s t ry i n g e n er al: att ract ing and re ta in ing tal ent , mee t ing

volu me and qual it y n ee ds, pr ovid ing m ult iple ca reer opp o r tun it ies, al ign ing and int e g rat ing pol icies wi th m a rke t n ee d s, and co ping with th e con s tant press u re on co mpe n sat ion .

Math ew p o int s out that a su rvey by Hewi tt-C NBC TV 18 rat e d TCS a s th e bes t emp loyer i n th e count ry. T h e co mp an y ha s a ss oc iat e - frie ndl y p ol ic ies, a dyna mi c f ocu s on pe op le a s an a sse t , and a wo rk e n vir on me nt wh ich is chall e ng ing and rew a rd ing . " Ca reer g rowth and cle a r ca reer t rac ks e nd e a r th e o rgan isat ion to its pe op le. T h e f ocu s on Econo mi c Valu eAdd e d (EVA ) to calculat e v a ria b le perf o rm anc e p a y m a kes T CS ers a m ong th e m os t co mpe t it ive ly p a id in th e m a rke t . T CS ha s a s t rong Acad emi c Int erf ac e Prog ra mme f o rcre at ing sy n er g y and f o rg ing s t rong re lat ion s wi th e ducat ional in s t itut es, w h ich bri ng s T CS clo ser to th e b udd ing so f t wa re e ng in eeri ng co mm un it y," add s M ath ew.

Hann eke Frese, an HR con sultant ba se d in Zu rich , be lieves that in o rder to inc re a se th equal ity and ca pa bilit ies o f emp loyees i t is be tt er to al ign pr o fessi onal s wi th th e b u sin esss t rat e g ies o f th e o rgan is at ion and cre at e an o rgan izat ional cultu re that att ract s h ighl yco mpe t ent emp loyees. S h e w a s re centl y i n Hyder a bad to pa rt icipat e i n an int er act ivesessi on o rgan ise d by N a ss co m. Frese ad vises IT co mp an ies to ach ieve th e bes t possib le fi t be t wee n th e a spir at ion s o f it s pe op le, th e o rgan isat ion 's n ee d s and it s client s' expe ctat ion s."Product ivity i n th e k no wle dg e - ba se d indu s t ry wi ll be anoth er chall eng e a s s ome key iss u esa re s t ill unc er ta in . T h ese iss u es a rew ho will own int e lle ctual ca pital , ho w wi ll kno wle dg ebe p at ent e d , and what n ew b u sin ess m od e ls wi ll emer ge to m a ke o rgan isat ion s m o reco mpe t it ive."

Emp loyee Be n efi ts Provid e d By Ma j o rity Of th e B PO Co mp an ies

A p a rt from th e le gal and m andato ry be n efi t s s uch a s pr ovid ent- f und and g ratu it y, be lo w isa lis t o f oth er be n efi tsB PO pr o fessi onal s a re e nt itl ed to th e f ollo wing:

1 . Group M edi-claim I nsurance Scheme: Th is i n su ranc e s ch eme is to pr ovid e ad eq uat ein su ranc e co ver ag e o f emp loyees f o r expe n ses re lat ed to ho spi tal izat ion du e to illn ess,d ise a se o r i n ju ry o r pre gnanc y in ca se o f fem al e emp loyees o r sp ou se o f m al e emp lo yees.All emp loyees and th eir d epe nd ent f a mi ly members a re e lig ib le. Depe nd ent f a mi ly membersinclud e sp ou se, non- e a rn ing pa re nt s and ch ild re n a bove th ree m onth s2. Personal Accident I nsurance Scheme: Th is s ch eme is to pr ovid e ad eq uat e i n su ranc eco ver ag e f o r H ospi tal izat ion expe n ses a risi ng out o f in j u ries s u s ta in e d in an acc id ent . T h isco vers total / p a r t ial d isa b leme nt / de ath du e to acc id e nt and du e to acc ide nt s.3. Subsidized Food and Transportation: Th e o rgan izat ion s pr ovid e t ran sp o rtat ion f ac ility

to all th e emp lo yees fr om ho me t ill o ffice at su bsi d ize d rat es. T h e lunch pr ovid e d is al so su bsi d ize d .4. Company Leased Accommodation: S ome o f th e co mp an ies pr ovid es s ha re d acco mm odat ion f o r all th e out s tat ion emp lo yees, i n f act some o f th e B PO co mp an ies al so und er ta kes to pa y e le ct ric it y/w at er bi lls a s we ll a s th e S oc ie ty cha rg es f o r th e s ha re d acco mm odat ion . T h e p u rp ose is to pr ovide to th e emp loyees to le ad a m o re co mf o rta blewo rk life b alanc e.5. Recreation, Cafeteria, AT M and Concierge facilities: Th e re cre at ion f ac ilit ies i nclud epool ta bles, ch ess ta b les and co ffee b a rs. Co mp an ies al so ha ve we ll eq u ippe d g yms,


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pers onal t ra in ers and sho wers at f ac ilit ies.6. Corporate Credit Card: Th e m a in pu rp o se of th e co rp o rat e cre d it ca rd is e na b le th et ime ly and effi c ient pa yme nt o f o fficial expe n ses w h ich th e emp loyees und er ta ke f o rpu rp oses s uch a s t ra ve l re lat e d expe n ses like H ot e l bills, Air t icke t s e tc 7. Cellular Phone / Laptop: Ce llula r p hon e and / o r La pto p a re pr ovide d to th e emp lo yeeson th e b a sis o f b u sin ess n ee d . T h e emp lo yee is resp on sib le f o r th e m a int enanc e and

sa fe gua rd ing o f th e a sse t .8. Personal Health Care (Regular medical check-ups): S ome o f th e B PO 'S pr ovid es th ef ac ilit y f o r ex te n sive h e alth ch e ck-u p. Fo r emp loyees wi th a bove 4 0 ye a rs o f ag e, th eme d ical ch e ck-u p can be don e onc e a ye a r.9. Loans: Man y B PO co mp an ies pr ovid e loan f ac ilit y on th ree d iffere nt occa sion s : Emp loyees a re pr ovide d with financ ial a ssis tanc e i n ca se o f a me d ical emer g e nc y.Emp loyees a re al so pr ovide d with financ ial a ssis tanc e at th e t ime o f th eir we dd ing . And , T h en ew re cru it s a re pr ovid e d with int eres t free loan s to a ssis t th em i n th eir i n it ial se ttl eme nt at th e w o rk locat ion .1 0. Educational Benefits: Man y B PO co mp an ies ha ve th is p ol icy to deve lop th epers onal it y and kno wle dg e leve l o f th eir emp lo yees and h e nc e reimb u rses th e expe n sesincu rre d to wa rd s tu it ion fees, ex a mi nat ion fees, and pu rcha se o f b oo ks s u bje ct , f o r p u rs u ing MBA, and / o r oth er m anag eme nt qual ificat ion at Ind ia 's to p m os t Bu sin ess S chool s.11 . Performance based incentives: In m an y B PO co mp an ies th ey ha ve p lan s f o r,perf o rm anc e b a se d inc ent ive s ch eme. T h e p a ra me t ers f o r calculat ion a re pr oc essperf o rm anc e i.e. spee d , accu rac y and pr oduct ivit y o f e ach pr oc ess. T h e Pa y f o r Perf o rm anc ecan be a s m uch a s 22% o f th e s ala ry.1 2. Flexi-time: Th e m a in obje ct ive of th e f lex t ime p ol icy is to pr ovid e opp o rtun it y to emp loyees to wo rk wi th f lexib le w o rk s ch e dul es and se t out cond it ion s f o r a va iling th ispr ovisi on . Flexib le w o rk s ch e dul es a re i n it iat e d by emp loyees and a ppr ove d by m anag eme nt to mee t bu sin ess co mmi t me nt s w h ile s u pp o r t ing emp loyee pers onal life n ee d s .T h e f acto rson wh ich Flexi t ime is allo we d to an emp lo yee i nclud e : Ch ild o r Pa re nt ca re, He alth si tuat ion , Mat er n ity, Fo rm al e ducat ion pr og ra m1 3. Flexible Salary Benefits: It s m a in obje ct ive is to pr ovide f lexibi lity to th e emp loyeesto p lan a ta x-effe ct ive co mpe n sat ion s t ructu re by b alanc ing th e m onthl y n e t inco me, ye a rly

be n efi t s and inco me ta x p a ya ble. I t is a pp lica ble o f all th e emp lo yees o f th e o rgan izat ion .Th e S ala ry con sis t s o f Ba sic , DA and Con vey anc e A llo wanc e. T h e Flexib le Be n efi t Plan con sis t s o f : Hou se Re nt Allowanc e, Le a ve Tr a ve l Assis tanc e, Me d ical Reimb u rseme nt ,S pe cial Allo wanc e1 4. Regular Get together and other cultural programs: Th e co mp an ies o rgan izescultu ral pr og ra m a s and wh en possib le b ut m os t o f th e t imes, onc e i n a qua r ter, i n wh ich all th e emp loyees a re g ive n an opp o r tun it y to d isp la y th eir tal e nt s i n d ra m at ics, si ng ing , act ing ,danc ing e tc . Ap a r t from that th e o rgan izat ion s al so conduct va riou s sp o r ts pr og ra ms s uch a sCricke t , f oot ball , e tc and re gula rly p la y m atch es wi th th e te a ms o f oth er o rgan izat ion s and coll e ges.1 5. Wedding D ay Gift: Emp lo yee is g ive n a g if t vouch er o f Rs. 2000/ - to Rs. 7000/ - ba se d on th eir leve l in th e o rgan izat ion .1 6. Employee Referral Scheme: In sever al co mp an ies emp lo yee referr al sch eme isimp leme nt e d to encou rag e emp loyees to refer frie nd s and re lat ives f o r emp lo yme nt in th eo rgan izat ion .1 7. Employee Stock Option PlanNow, th e actual qu es t ion , w h y pe op le a re le a ving? What t ypes o f re t ent ion s t rat e g ies a rereq u ire d? What is expe ct e d from HR Pro fessi onal and ho w th ey can add ress th is iss u e ?

Retention - A Big Challenge

Funda me ntal chang es a re ta king p lac e i n th e w o rk f o rce and th e w o rkp lac e that pr omise to


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rad icall y alt er th e w a y co mp an ies re lat e to th eir emp loyees. Hiri ng and re ta in ing good emp loyees ha ve be co me th e ch ief conc er n s o f n e a r ly every co mp an y i n every i ndu s t ry.Co mp an ies that und ers tand what th eir emp lo yees w ant and n ee d in th e w o rkp lac e and m a ke a s t rat e g ic d e cision to pr oact ive ly f ul fill tho se n ee d s wi ll be co me th e do mi nant pla yersin th eir respe ct ive m a rke t s.

Th e fier ce co mpe t it ion f o r q ual ifie d wo rkers res ult s fr om a nu mber o f w o rkp lac e t re nd s,includ ing:

1 . effi cienc y that sa ves th e co mp an y m on ey.2. S e t Cle a r Expe ctat ion s

o How o f te n do you a ppr a ise y ou r emp loyees/ tea m - members ? o What a re y ou r expe ctat ion s fr om y ou r emp loyees/ te a m -members ? What a re th epa ra me ters to me a su re th eir perf o rm anc e? Ha ve y ou co mm un icat e d to th em ? o What will be th e con seq u e nc es, if th ey f a il? o What will be th e rew a rds, if th ey ex cee d th e expe ct e d leve l?

If y ou a re not ha ving an y expe ctat ion s, ho w y ou a re go ing to a ppr a ise, y ou r emp lo yees ? Yes, y ou a re go ing to be bi a se d , be cau se y ou don ' t ha ve se t s tanda rd s.

Th e r ole o f a CEO , HR M anag er is like a d ire cto r o f a m ovie; cho re og ra ph er o f a s tag e s ho w,wh ere th ere is a d efin e d role f o r e ach cha ract er, e ach pa rt icipant .

S e tt ing expe ctat ion s i n it iat es th e pr oc ess. M anag ers n ee d to sit do wn with e ach emp loyeeand cle a rly d efin e w hat 's expe ct e d o f th em. M anag eme nt con sultant , Ke nn e th Ph ilips, s tat esthat wh en expe ctat ion s a re not cle a r, emp loyees m a y not be i n sy nc with th eir j ob's cu rre nt d em and s and pri o rit ies. S e tt ing expe ctat ion s is not a onc e and don e act ivit y. J obs chang e.Prio rit ies chang e. Res ou rces chang e. M anag ers n ee d to revise and se t n ew expe ctat ion sth roughout th e ye a r. S e tt ing expe ctat ion s rev olves a round th e f ollo wing th ree a re a s :

1 . Key j ob resp on sibi lit ies2. Perf o rm anc e f acto rs and s tanda rd s3. G oal s

Wh y is a se tt ing expe ctat ion imp o r tant? Qu it e simp ly, th is pr oc ess can be th e co rn ers ton e o f impr oving th e m ot ivat ional clim at e wi th in you r sp h ere o f resp on sibi lity. If y ou r emp lo yeeskno w w hat is expe ct e d o f th em, i t allo ws th em to f ocu s on res ult s and to m on ito rth emse lves aga in s t th e se t s tanda rd s. E n vir on me nt s i n wh ich expe ctat ion s a re not cle a r, o rchang e fr om week to week, se ldo m cre at e h igh- perf o rmi ng wo rk g rou ps.

Th e th ree pri nc iples that should d rive expe ctat ion s a re cla rity, re lev anc e, and simp licit y.

Clarity : Expe ctat ion s s hould f ocu s on outco mes, not act ivit ies. I n oth er w o rd s, y ou ach ievecla rity w h e n you id ent ify th e expe ct e d res ult s r ath er than th e me thod f o r ach ievi ng th em.Manag ers o f t en m a ke th e mis ta ke o f att emp t ing to d ire ct th e pr oc ess that an emp loyee wi ll u se r ath er than bei ng cle a r a bout res ult s. T h e ad vantag e o f id ent ifying th e outco me is that you , th e m anag er, f ocu s onl y on th e goal ; a f t er all , th e emp lo yee wi ll d eve lop th e me thod f o r ach ievi ng th e d esire d res ult s.

Defi n ing th e obje ct ive o f t e n req u ires s ome thought on th e p a rt o f th e m anag er be cau se i t ise a sy to f all into th e " act ivit ies t ra p." W h ile d eve loping a s t rat e g ic p lan f o r a dep a r tme nt o r


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d ivisi on is a wo r th y act ivity, i t do es not represe nt an outco me. I n th e act ivit ies t ra p,d eve loping a plan is th e goal , r ath er than inc re a sing you r m a rke t sha re.

Relevance : Th e pri nc ip le o f re lev anc e h e lps defin e th e "w h y" o f th e a ssi gn me nt . If y ou remp loyees ha ve a f ull und ers tand ing o f th e pr o je ct 's imp o r tanc e, th ey can m a kead j u s tme nt s a s unant ic ipat e d f acto rs crop u p wi th in th e pr oc ess. T h ey pr oba b ly al so will be

m o re co mmi tt e d to th e res ult be cau se th ey can see m o re e a sily ho w i t fit s i nto th e bi g pictu re and ho w th eir eff o r t s imp act th e co mp an y.

Th is und ers tand ing t ypi call y is acco mp lish e d th rough d ialogu e be t wee n th e m anag er and su bo rd inat e, w h ich allo ws f o r a m o re tho rough review o f th e si tuat ion and f o r fee d bac k and d iscu ssi on . T h is pr oc ess b u ild s good will with th e emp lo yee and se t s th e s tag e f o r add it ional resp on sibi lit ies.

Simplicity : S imp licit y cre at es a se n se o f g round ing f o r emp lo yees a s th ey e nd e a vo r to ca rry out a ssi gn me nt s. If m anag ers i d ent ify th e w o rk i n simp le, s t ra ight f o rw a rd t erms,emp loyees wi ll find it m uch e a sier to f ollo w th rough on m anag ers' wis h es. T o acco mp lish th is, a m anag er m u s t ide nt ify th e key mess ag e i n a f a sh ion that th e emp loyee can embr ac e.

Proper Rewarding

A rese a rch rep o r ts s a ys that in toda y's s ce na rio ,70% o f y ou r emp lo yees a re less m ot ivat ed toda y than th ey u se d to be.8 0% o f y ou r emp lo yees could perf o rm si gn ificantl y be tt er if th ey w ant e d to .50% o f y ou r emp lo yees onl y p ut enough eff o r t into th eir w o rk to keep th eir j ob.

As y ou mi ght be a wa re o f Emp loyee Rew a rd co vers ho w pe op le a re rew a rd e d in acco rdanc ewith th eir v alu e to an o rgan izat ion . I t is a bout both financ ial and non- financ ial rew a rd s and embr ac es th e s t rat e g ies, p ol icies, s t ructu res and pr oc esses u se d to deve lop and m a inta in rew a rd sys tems. T h e w a ys i n wh ich pe op le a re v alu e d can m a ke a con sid er a b le imp act on th e effe ct ive n ess o f th e o rgan izat ion , and is at th e h e a rt o f th e emp lo yme nt re lat ion sh ip.

Th e a im o f emp loyee rew a rd pol icies and pr act ices, if an y i n you r o rgan izat ion is to h e lpatt ract , re ta in and m ot ivat e h igh- qual it y pe op le. Ge tt ing it wr ong can ha ve a si gn ificant n e gat ive effe ct on th e m ot ivat ion , co mmi tme nt and m o ral e o f emp lo yees. Pers onn e l and d eve lopme nt pr o fessi onal s wi ll be i n vol ve d freq u e ntl y i n rew a rd iss u es, w h e th er th ey a reg e n er al is ts o r spe cial ize i n pe op le res ou rc ing , lea rn ing and deve lopme nt o r emp lo yeere lat ion s. Keep f ollo wing pa ra me t ers i n mi nd , w h ile desi gn ing a rew a rd pol icy:

Build a high degree of recognition value into every reward you offer.

Re cogn it ion is th e m os t co s t- effe ct ive m ot ivato r th ere is. W h ile th e h igh co s t o f oth errew a rd s f o rces u s to g ive th em sp a ringl y, re cogn it ion can be g ive n an y t ime, at very littl eco s t .

S ome very o rd ina ry i t ems and eve nt s can be imb u e d with ex t rao rd ina ry m ot ivat ional sign ificanc e, f a r i n ex cess o f th eir m on e ta ry v alu e. I a m con s tantl y a m a ze d at ho wm ot ivat ing a pizz a o r m ovie t icke t s can be if is g ive n with su ffic ient a ppre c iat ion . A si nc erethan k y ou can be de livere d at an y p lac e and at an y t ime, co s ts a bs olut e ly noth ing and can be m o re m ot ivat ionall y p owerf ul than a su bs tant ial m on e ta ry b onu s. Organ izat ion s can pr ovid e i nno vat ive re cogn it ion in an in fin ite nu mber o f w a ys.

Fo r ex a mp le, (A Hyp oth e t ical Inc id ent ) a sm all m anu f actu ring co mp an y m ad e i ts emp lo yees


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fee l like h er oes w h en th ey atta in e d a m a j o r s a fe t y mi les ton e - 1 00 da ys wi thout a singl eacc id ent . On th e m o rn ing o f da y 1 00, i t wa s announc ed that a cat ere d lunch would beserve d th e n ex t da y, if th ey m ad e i t to th e 5 : 30 s h if t without an acc id ent . A t 5 :1 5ant icipat ing wa s b u ild ing . Manag ers too k con fe tt i and s t re a mers to th e b alcon y over loo king th e s ho p f loo r. W h en th e 5 : 30 w h is tl e b lew, th ere were cong ratulat ion s all a round , con fe tt if lew th rough th e a ir and bann ers were un f u r le d . I t wa s a g re at m ome nt f o r every on e - and

on e that wa s not soon f o rgott en . T h e re cogn it ion valu e o f th is ce lebr at ion wa s ex t reme lyh igh , w h ile th e m on e ta ry co s t wa s re lat ive ly low.

Highl y m ot ivat ing o rgan izat ion s eve n ce lebr at e sm all succ esses. A h e alth-con sc iou sco mp an y d is t rib ut es fr u it bowls to emp lo yees' w o rk a re a s w h en key pers onal mi les ton es a reatta in e d . Anoth er co mp an y u ses a m o re f att en ing a ppr oach: fres h- ba ke d chocolat e -ch ipcoo kies to sa y than k y ou .

Reduce entitlements and link as many rewards as possible to performance.

Cle a r ly th e t rad it ional "pa y f o r loyalt y" sys t ems i n m os t o rgan izat ion s n ee d to be chang e d .Don 't le t att endanc e be y ou r m a j o r crit eri on f o r rew a rd s. M os t emp loyees rese nt tho se w ho onl y p ut in th eir t ime and ye t re ceive th e s a me rew a rd a s tho se w ho go th e ex t ra mi le.Toda y's emp loyees ha ve h igh er expe ctat ion s f o r w hat wo rk can and should be, and th eywant to re ceive rew a rd s that ref lect th eir pers onal eff o r ts and cont rib ut ion s.

Th is is w h y s o m an y co mp an ies a re m oving to wa rd perf o rm anc e -ba se d rew a rds, i nclud ing perf o rm anc e b onu ses, ga in- sha ring and non- m on e ta ry re cogn it ion . A lthough not a panac e a ,co mp an ies a re fi nd ing that th ese n ew rew a rd sys t ems do allo w th em to g ive s u bs tant ial rew a rd s to tho se w ho re all y d eserve th em. S m a rt o rgan izat ion s a re loo king f o r opp o r tun it iesto re duc e ac ross -th e - boa rd ent itl eme nt s, and th ereby fi nd m o re res ou rces f o r d iscre t iona ryperf o rm anc e -ba se d rew a rd s, wi thout inc re a sing th e total co s t o f rew a rd s.

Troubleshoot your reward system to make sure that what it is rewarding is whatyou really want to happen.

Th e La w o f Rew a rd s - "What you rew a rd is w hat you ge t " - Is ex t reme ly p owerf ul . N o m att er w hat you r o rie ntat ion m at eri al s o r j ob d es crip t ion mi ght sa y, i t is th e rew a rd s y ou ro rgan izat ion g ives that co mm un icat e th e re al expe ctat ion s. T h e m os t imp o rtant qu es t ion to a sk i n ev aluat ing th e rew a rd sys t em i n you r o rgan izat ion is, do th e rew a rd s we a re g iving e lic it th e perf o rm anc e we w ant? S ta rt with th e res ult s y ou want to ach ieve and th en pin point th e types o f be ha vio rs n ee d e d to ach ieve th em. Fo r ex a mp le :

If y ou be lieve t e a mw o rk is go ing to g e t you th e res ult s y ou want , m a ke s u re y ou rew a rd t e a mw o rk, and not int er nal co mpe t it ion be t wee n d ep a rtme nt s.If y ou want qual it y, m a ke s u re that pr oduct ivity is n 't over emp ha size d . And ,If y ou want long-t erm s olut ion s, don 't rew a rd qu ick fixes

Reward promptly. Rew a rd s s hould be g ive n a s s oon a s p o ssib le a f t er th e perf o rm anc e ha sta ke n p lac e. T h is is w h y th e m os t succ essf ul ga in- sha ring pr og ra ms p a y emp lo yeesm onthl y, r ath er than qua rt er ly o r annuall y a s i n th e p a s t .

Th ere is a we ll-acc ep t e d la w o f be ha vio ral psy cholog y, that if y ou want some on e to repe at a be ha vio r, y ou should posi t ive ly re cogn ize i t imme d iat e ly. From th is la w, sm a r t su pervis o rsand m anag ers can le a rn a vital less on: Loo k f o r an y emp lo yee do ing some th ing right , ri ght no w, and re cogn izes i t .


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"Wh e n a se n io r m anag er i n on e o rgan izat ion wa s t rying to figu re out a wa y to re cogn ize an emp loyee w ho had ju s t don e a g re at job, h e sp ontan e ou s ly pi cke d u p a banana (w h ich h iswife had pac ke d in h is lunch ) , and hand e d it to th e a s ton ish e d emp loyee wi th h e a r tycong ratulat ion s. N ow, on e o f th e h igh es t hono rs i n that co mp an y ha s bee n du bbe d th e"Gold en Banana Awa rd "."

Give employees a choice of rewards. Rew a rd s a re a s d iffere nt a s th e pe op le w ho re ceiveth em and it do es n 't m a ke se n se to g ive rew a rds that re cipie nt s don ' t find rew a rd ing . Fo rex a mp le, s ome pe ople prefer m o re p a y, w h ile oth ers prefer m o re t ime o ff. A pr om ot ion mi ght be m o re rew a rd ing to on e pers on , w h ile a job - sha ring a rr ang eme nt mi ght be m o rerew a rd ing f o r anoth er. S ome pe op le a re ex c it e d a bout sp o r t s eve nt s, oth ers a bout m ovies.S ome emp loyees w ould love a d inn er i n a rom ant ic res tau rant , oth ers a boo k by th eirf a vo rit e autho r. Food , f un , e ducat ion , impr ove d wo rk e n vir on me nt , g if t s, t ra ve l, f a mi ly-o rie nt e d act ivit ies - th e op t ion s a re e ndl ess.

How do you kno w w hat will be rew a rd ing to emp lo yees ? Ask th em. S m a r t o rgan izat ion s a real so le tt ing emp lo yees choo se th eir own rew a rd s fr om rew a rd me nu s and catalog s.Pers onal izing rew a rds s ho ws that a co mp an y ca res e nough to d isco ver w hat "int eres ts" e ach emp loyee, r ath er than ju s t d is t rib ut ing g en eri c it ems. I t al so re duc es th e f ollo wing dang er : In on e o rgan izat ion I w a s visi t ing , an emp loyee ope n e d a big d ra wer i n h is d esk and d isda in f ull y s ho we d me all th e "w o rthl ess t rin ke ts" h e had coll e ct e d over th e ye a rs.

I ncrease the longevity of rewards. Th is can be don e i n a nu mber o f w a ys : On e o f th ekeys to rew a rd long evi t y is symb ol ism. T h e m o re symb ol ic an item is o f th eacco mp lish me nt , th e m o re like ly i t is to cont inu e remi nd ing th e emp loyee o f w h y i t wa sg ive n . Fo r i n s tanc e, a T-sh irt o f co ffee m ug with a me an ing f ul in scrip t ion will cont inu erew a rd ing tho se w ho we a r i t , o r u se i t , long a f t er i t s i n it ial re ceip t rath er than rew a rd in th ef o rm o f ca sh . N on m on e ta ry rew a rd s s uch a s pr om ot ion s, an encou rag ing pat on th e b ac k i n front o f oth er emp loyees is m uch m o re m ot ivat ing than ju s t a ca sh rew a rd .

Worklife of BPO Employees with Special Reference to Convergys

About Convergys

Con ver g ys is th e glo bal le ad er i n pr ovid ing cu s to mer ca re, hu m an res ou rces, and bi lling servi ces. Wi th Con ver g ys' h e lp, an y co mp an y can ga in a d eeper und ers tand ing o f e ach o f it 's cu s to mers, ho w to serve th em be tt er and m o re k no wle dg e a bly, ho w to pr oc esspa yme nt s f a s t er, and ho w to m a ke e ach t ran sact ion m o re pr o fita ble. I t 's h e ad qua rt ers i n Cinc innat i, OH

Convergys by the numbers:

y Fie ld ing m o re than 1 .2 mi llion te lep hon e and Int er n e t- ba se d contact s every da y on

be hal f o f ou r client s th rough 4 0,000 toll- free nu mbers and 24 ,000 Web -e na ble d wo rks tat ion s ac ro ss s uch d iverse m a rke t s a s wire less, ca b le and br oad band ,Int er n e t , fi nanc ial servi ces, t e chnolog y, and emp lo yee ca re

y Proc essi ng m o re than 50 bi llion wire less call de ta il re co rd s per ye a r i n Con ver gysdata cent ers

y Provid ing billing f o r vi de o client s represe nt ing cont ract s f o r 3 4 mi llion su bs criberswo r ld wid e

y Proc essi ng ca b le te lep hon y bi lls f o r m o re than 2 mi llion acc ess lin es a round th e w o rld


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y Cre at ing m a ssive ly s cala ble s of t wa re p lat f o rms that coll e ct , r at e, and con sol idat ed iverse and co mp lex data s t re a ms

y Tran sf o rmi ng cu s to mer data into s t rat e g ic in sight that h e lps clie nt s b u ild and m a inta in s t rong , long-t erm cu s to mer re lat ion sh ips

y Deve loping emp loyee ski lls and kno wle dg e to cont inuall y pr ovid e client s wi th f o rw a rd-th in king resp on ses and ant icipat ive s olut ion s.

M ission statement

Con ver g ys pr ovid es bi lling , cu s to mer ca re, emp loyee ca re, and t ran sact ion m anag eme nt so f t wa re and servi ces that add valu e to ou r cl ient s' cu s to mer and emp loyee re lat ion sh ips.

V ision statement

Con ver g ys wi ll be th e re cogn ize d glo bal le ad er i n pr ovid ing inno vat ive bi lling , cu s to merca re, emp lo yee ca re, and t ran sact ion m anag eme nt so f t wa re and servi ces to th e m a rke ts weserve.

y We' ll pr ovid e ou r client s le ad ing- edg e pr oduct s and servi ces that o ffer a co mpe lling valu e and cre at e co mpe t it ive e dg e.

y We' ll ach ieve f o r ou r s ha re hold ers re tu rn s i n th e to p q ua rt ile o f Fo r tun e 1 000co mp an ies.

y We' ll cre at e f o r ou r emp loyees an en vir on me nt that att ract s, deve lops, and rew a rdsh ighl y effe ct ive pe op le and is re cogn ize d a s on e o f th e bes t co mp an ies to wo rk f o r.

Locations

Con ver g ys ha s locat ion s th roughout th e w o r ld . : Un it ed S tat esCanada

Lat in Ameri ca Eu ropeMiddl e E a s t Asia Au s t ral ia

Facts about Convergys

Convergys Has:

y Nea rly 6 00 client s i n m o re than 6 0 count riesy Over 50 servi ce ce nt ers w o r ld wid ey

Oper at ion s th roughout No r th Ameri ca , E u rope, th e Middl e E a s t and Asia y 2 1 ye a rs o f experie nc e pr ovid ing HR out sou rcing solut ion s; and 1 0 ye a rs o f out sou rce d le a rn ing solut ion s

Every Year We:

y S erve over 2.5mi llion emp loyees and 7,000,000 re t irees w o rld wid ey Manag e over 20 mi llion emp lo yee i nt er act ion s annuall yy Im ag e over 3 1 mi llion pers onn e l docu me nt s


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y Proc ess over 1 .2 mi llion job a pp licant in qu iriesy En roll over 5 mi llion le a rn ers and d e liver 8 .5+ mi llion cou rse hou rsy Proc ess m o re than 1 00,000 p ot ent ial a pp licat ion in qu iries e ach m onth

Convergys' Offerings

BillingCon ver g ys o ffers pr ove n , re al-t ime bi lling solut ion s cu s to mize d f o r th e con ver g ent co mm un icat ion s m a rke t plac e, i nclud ing re al-t ime, t ran sact ion- ba se d rat ing and billing f o r wire less/m obile, Ca b le/Br oad band /DB S , wire lin e and n ex t-g e n er at ion servi ce pr ovid ers.

S pe cific bi lling ca pa bilit ies i nclud e :

y Fa s t , accu rat e, re al-t ime bi lling solut ion sy Bill s t re a m con sol idat ion y S witch m anag eme nt y S ervi ce o rd er and t ra ffic pr oc essi ng y Re ceiv a b les m anag eme nt y Cre d it a ssessme nt and coll e ct ion sy Cu s to mer ta rg e t ing and ac qu isit ion y Int er act ive bi lling te chnolog yy S ervi ce se t-u p, pr ovisi on and pri cing y Usag e pr oc essi ng y Elect ron ic bill prese nt me nt and pa yme nt .

Customer Care Con ver g ys o ffers co mpre h en sive cu s to mer ca re and contact cent er servi ces, i nclud ing:

y Cu s to mer ac qu isi t ion and re t e nt ion y Web -ena ble d cu s to mer servi cey

Te chn ical su pp o r t y Ma rke t rese a rch and cu s to mer v alu e m anag eme nt y Data ba se m a rke t ing servi cesy Int er act ive cu s to mer servi ces (IVR, ad vanc e d spee ch re cogn it ion and Int er n e t ) y Ca mp a ign m anag eme nt y Lead g e n er at ion and d e al er referr al pr og ra msy Bu sin ess -to- bu sin ess t e les al es and Int er n e t account m anag eme nt y Account s re ceiv a b le m anag eme nt y Bu sin ess i nt e llige nc e

HR S erv ic es Con ver g ys Emp lo yee Ca re servi ces e na b le impr ove d ca re o f emp loyees i n such a re a s a s :

y Be n efi t s ad mi n is t rat ion y Pe n sion y Pa yr oll y Mer g ers and ac qu isi t ion sy Lea rn ing y Oth er HR servi ces.

Working at Convergys


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1 . Cu l ture : Co n ver gy s f osters a n e n v i ro n me n t that attra c ts, d eve l ops a nd rewar d s h ig h ly e ff e c t i ve peop l e. Co n ver gy s i s c o n t in ua lly re c o gniz e d as o n e o f the b est c ompa ni es to work f or.

Con ver g ys co mmi t s th rough it s f ocu s on:

Technology: Con ver gys w o rk wi th , o r a re s u pp o r t e d by, th e lat es t co mp ut er and t e le co mm un icat ion s te chnolog ies.

Atmosphere: Con ver g ys w o rk i n an ex cit ing and e n j oya b le t e a m -ba se d en vir on me nt . Mo s t o f u s we a r b u sin ess -ca sual d ress.

Personal Growth: We ha ve d e d icat e d res ou rces to h e lp y ou d eve lo p a wide v a rie t y o f ski llsand kno wle dg e. From an o rgan izat ional leve l to an ind ividual leve l, si gn ificant le a rn ing and d eve lopme nt opp o rtun it ies a bound . Emp loyees ha ve unu sual f lexibi lit y and op t ion s f o rad vanc eme nt , wi th nu mer ou s and va rie d ca reer p ath s.

Benefits of working in CO NV ERGYS:

Overview

Con ver g ys ca res a bout th e h e alth and we ll- bei ng o f ou r emp lo yees. Ou r be n efi t s p lan sref le ct th is and o ffer ou r emp loyees co mpe t it ive op t ion s. As p lan s and e lig ibilit y m a y v a ryd epe nd ing on posit ion , th is s u mm a ry is i nt end ed to pr ovid e a g en er al overview o f m an y o f ou r p lan s. A co mp le te s u mm a ry o f a pp lica b le spe c ific be n efi t p lan s wi ll be pr ovid e d du ring th e emp loyme nt pr oc ess.

1 . Prot ect ing You r He alth 2.I n su ring You r Life and Inco me3 b alanc ing wo rk life

4 . S a ving f o r You r Futu re

1 . Protecting Your Health

Con ver g ys is co mmi tt e d to pr ovid ing qual it y healthcare benefits that a re a ff o rda b le f o remp loyees and th e co mp an y. M edical op t ion s m a y i nclud e an Exclu sive ProviderOrgan izat ion (EPO) p lan o r He alth Ma int e nanc e Organ izat ion (HMO) plan and / o r a Preferre d Provid er Organ izat ion (PPO) p lan . Fo r dental co ver ag e, op t ion s i nclud e a ba se and co mpre h e n sive p lan , d epe nd ing on th e leve l o f co ver ag e y ou n ee d . A vision care plan isa va ila b le f o r expe n ses a ss oc iat e d with rout in e eye ex a mi nat ion s, contact len ses and gla sses.

2 . Insuring Your Life and Income

Life and Accidental D eath and D ismemberment (A D&D ) I nsurance

Con ver gys pr ovides b a sic life i n su ranc e and ba sic acc ide ntal d e ath and d ismemberme nt (AD&D) in su ranc e at no co s t to e lig ib le emp lo yees. Emp loyees m a y se le ct and pa y f o radd it ional life co ver ag e o f u p to five add it ional t imes p a y. I n add it ion , emp loyees ha ve th eopp o r tun it y to se lect and pa y f o r life i n su ranc e i n va riou s co ver ag e a m ount s f o r a sp ou se


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and / o r d epe nd ent s. Emp loyees m a y se lect and pa y f o r add it ional AD&D in su ranc e i n va riou sco ver ag e a m ount s f o r th emse lves and / o r sp ou se/ d epe nd e nt s. Assist America , a be n efi t includ e d with ba sic AD&D in su ranc e, co vers emp lo yees and th eir d epe nd e nt s. T h is servi ceo ffers w o rld wide emer g enc y a ssis tanc e f o r pers onal and bu sin ess t ra ve l.

Time Off for I llness or D isability.

Elig ib le emp lo yees w ho se i lln ess o r d isa bilit y ex te nd s bey ond seve n cal e nda r da ys a repr ovid e d with be n efi t s und er ou r d isa bi lit y p lan . Co ver ag e is f o r u p to 25 weeks wi th 6 0per cent o r 1 00 per ce nt o f inco me p a id , b a se d on le ngth o f servi ce. S hould th e cond it ion cont inu e, an emp lo yee m a y be e lig ible to re ceive 6 0 per ce nt o f m onthl y e a rn ing s und er ou rlong-t erm d isa bilit y p lan f o r th e du rat ion o f th e cond it ion o r unt il ag e 6 5. V a riou s types o f le a ves o f a bse nc e a re al so a va ila ble to emp loyees, i nclud ing f a mi ly/me d ical , mi lita ry, o rpers onal .

3 . Ba l a ncing Lif e a nd W ork

Reimbursement Accounts. Th ese account s allo w emp lo yees to cont rib ut e m on ey on a

bef o re -ta x b a sis to co ver e lig ib le expe n ses, per I nt er nal Reve nu e S ervi ce gu id e lin es. T h erea re t wo account s : th e He alth Ca re A ccount f o r h e althca re expe n ses f o r emp loyees and d epe nd ent s, and / o r a Depe nd e nt Ca re A ccount f o r ch ild ca re expe n ses emp lo yees i ncu rwh ile at wo rk.

Life Balance (Employee Assistance) Program. Con ver gys pr ovid es, at no co s t to emp loyees, Life B alanc e - a pr og ra m to h e lp m anag e th e d em and s o f every da y life. T h isa ssis tanc e i nclud es con sultat ion s, referr al s and e ducat ional servi ces to h e lp keep w o rk and life b alanc e d .

Paid Time Off (PTO) and Holidays. Pa id t ime o ff includ es v acat ion da ys a s we ll a spers onal da ys. PTO e lig ibilit y per ye a r d epe nd s on emp lo yees' le ngth o f servi ce. I n add it ion ,

Con ver g ys re cogn izes seve n co mp an y hol ida ys f o r e lig ible emp loyees : New Ye a r's D a y,Mem o rial Da y, I nd epe nd e nc e D a y, L a bo r D a y, T han ks g iving Da y, D a y a f ter T han ks g iving Da y, and Ch ris t m a s D a y.

Tuition Reimbursement Plan. Con ver g ys is co mmi tt e d to emp lo yees' pers onal d eve lopme nt . I n add it ion to an ex t en sive i n-hou se cu rri culu m, emp lo yees a re e ncou rag e d to f u rth er th eir e ducat ion at an y acc re d it e d in s t itut ion and a re e lig ib le f o r tu it ion reimb u rseme nt f o r re lat e d expe n ses.

4 . Saving for the FutureRetirement and Savings Plan. Emp lo yees m a y p a rt icipat e i n th is p lan by e lect ing to cont rib ut e u p to 16 per ce nt o f th eir p a y to a pre -ta x 4 01 (k ) p lan . Af t er on e ye a r o f servi ce,Con ver g ys wi ll m atch 1 00 per cent o f e ach bef o re -ta x dolla r cont rib ut e d u p to th ree per ce nt o f p a y per p a y peri od p lu s 50 per cent o f th e n ex t t wo per cent o f p a y cont rib ut e d per p a yperi od .

Pension Plan. Con ver g ys o ffers a ca sh balanc e pe n sion p lan and pa ys th e f ull co s t o f pr ovid ing be n efi t s. Emp loyees a re ves t e d in th is p lan a f t er five ves t ing ye a rs ( a ves t ing ye a ris eq ual to 1 ,000 hou rs w o rke d in a cal enda r ye a r) .


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Employee Stock Purchase Plan. Emp loyees m a y p u rcha se Con ver g ys co mm on sha res bye le ct ing to cont rib ut e u p to 20 per cent of th eir p a y th rough a f ter -ta x p a yr oll d e duct ion .Con ver g ys wi ll m atch 1 5 per ce nt o f emp loyees' cont rib ut ion s to wa rd sha re p u rcha ses.

D i vers i t y

Con ver g ys be lieves i nd ividual d iffere nc es wi ll pr oduc e genuine competitive advantages in a glo bal m a rke t . Lever ag ing th e d iversi t y o f ou r w o rkf o rce, we wi ll m a ximize ou rpr oduct ivit y and e nhanc e th e q ual ity o f servi ce we a re a ble to o ffer all o f ou r client s.th rough Con ver g ys' Diversi ty i n it iat ives, i t will es ta b lish and m a inta in an en vir on me nt that:

y Valu es individual differences y Fo s t ers con sis t ent , mutual respect and open communication of ideas y Att ract s, d eve lo ps, s u pp o r ts, and re ta in s a diverse workforce with the ability to

compete in th e glo bal m a rke t y Inc re a ses ou r co mpe t it ive ad vantag e by leveraging the knowledge, skills, and

unique talents of our employees y Enhanc es ca reer opp o r tun it ies f o r all emp loyees by w o rki ng to develop each

employee to his or her full potential y Provid es a rich er, m o re fer t ile cl im at e f o r creative thinking and innovation y Is re cogn ize d by emp loyees, cl ient s, and th e co mm un ity a s a fair and rewarding

place to work .

Community relations

S inc e i t 's i nc ep t ion in 1998 , Con ver g ys ha s rem a in e d co mmi tt e d to impr oving th e q ual it y o f life i n ou r co mm un it ies a round th e glo be. T h is p a rad ig m is pr oudl y s u pp o r te d by ou remp loyees and is embr ac e d a s on e o f Con ver gys' seve n co re v alu es. Con ver gys v alu es,un pa rall e le d cl ient sat isf act ion , t e a mw o rk, respe ct f o r th e i nd ividual , d iversi t y, s ha re own ers't ru s t , i nt eg rit y, and co rp o rat e cit ize n sh ip, gu id e th e co rp o rat ion and it s emp lo yees i n all d e c ision s and be ha vio rs.

Some insights about work life of convergys employees

N ame: Anudeep BeniwalJob Title: M anager, Transport

"C onvergys has helped me grow in many ways. We have been educated in terms of establishing comprehensive, thorough systems and procedures, which go a long way in thesuccessful operations of any organization. "

I've bee n at Con ver g ys f o r j u s t over a ye a r, and I e n su re that emp loyees a re g ive n t ran sp o r tat ion to and from th e w o rkp lac e. T h is is m o re d ifficult than it m a y s ound . T h et ra ffic in th is p a rt o f I nd ia is very th ick and an y d e la y in a pa rt icula r ve h icle re ach ing th eo ffice le ad s to pr oduct ion do wnt ime, w h ich we ha ve to e n su re do es not ha ppe n .

Th e bes t th ing is that th e a m ount o f t ru s t and f a ith bes to we d u pon on ese lf is t reme ndou s,wh ich g ives a fee ling o f ha ving m atu re d and bei ng resp on sib le, an swer a b le. T h ese f acto rsha ve h e lpe d in cre at ing an en vir on me nt of m utual su pp o r t and ca m a rad erie.


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N ame: Peter FoxJob Title: Section M anager

"T here are always interesting and significant projects to contribute toward. It is particularly rewarding to see projects come to completion and to be able to think I contributed to that success. "

I ha ve a so f t wa re d eve lopme nt t e a m o f five pe op le rep o r t ing to me. T h ey pr oduc e a rang eo f co mp on ent s that a re u se d by oth er i nt er nal so f t wa re deve lo pme nt t e a ms. I t 's chall eng ing wo rk. M uch o f my da y can con sis t o f m anag ing imme d iat e and crit ical iss u es r a ise d byva riou s s o f t wa re d eve lo pme nt t e a ms.

My t ime wi th Con ver g ys ha s i nclud e d int er nat ional t ra ve l and I ha ve al so bee n a ble to wo rkin a va rie t y of r oles. T h ese opp o r tun it ies ha ve e na b le d my ca reer g rowth and pr ovid e d mewith an a bility to m anag e pr o je ct s i n th e w hol e.

N ame: Kumar ShaileshJob Title: M anager, Coordination

"T he beauty of our organization is that it extracts the strengths of the diverse and multinational workforce and combines them into a formidable force. "

I ha ve m an y resp on sibi lit ies i n Coo rd inat ion , i nclud ing wo rking with go ver n me nt ag e nc ies,handl ing log is t ics and m o re. A ll o f th ese resp on sibi lit ies can be co me q u it e chall eng ing . B ut th is chall e ng e act s a s m ot ivat ion . I s t rive ha rd to live u p to th e expe ctat ion s and con sis te ntl y d e liver good wo rk. T h e t ru e conc ep t o f m ult inat ional e th ics is bei ng f ollo we d h ere.

All o f u s a re w o rking to wa rd acco mp lish ing a co mm on goal and every on e's cont rib ut ion isbei ng f ull y a ppre ciat e d . I fee l pr oud to be a pa rt o f Con ver g ys.

N ame: Jennifer PriceJob Title: Associate, N etwork Services

K nowing that management values my opinions, respects my decision-making and trusts my skill allows me to work effectively. "

My co re resp on sibi lit ies i nclud e pr ovid ing PC and phon e eq u ipme nt su pp o r t f o r e nd-u sers;pr ovid ing su pp o rt f o r servers, n e t wo rking eq u ipme nt and a phon e swi tch ; and wo rki ng with my on- si t e p a r tn er a s th e prim a ry contact f o r t echn ical su pp o rt f o r all u sers at th e Coa s tal Ca rol ina si te.

Con ver g ys s t resses th e imp o r tanc e o f goal- se tt ing and pers onal d eve lopme nt . I can loo kbac k at goal s and plan s and quant ify w hat I ha ve acco mp lish e d . We a re all e ncou rag e d to be i nno vat ive and to th in k a bout ho w we can do th ing s be tt er. T h e d yna mi cs o f ou r b u sin essa re chang ing ra pidl y and req u ire i n f o rme d and emp owere d emp lo yees. I k no w that at Con ver g ys I ha ve m o re than a job, I ha ve a ca reer.

N ame: V ylma FredrickJob Title: Senior Telephone Sales Executive


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"C onvergys provided me the opportunity to grow a client's business from day one. "

I ha ve m an y resp on sibi lit ies i n my cu rre nt po si t ion . I prim a rily handl e se ll- in pr om ot ion s.Each call is un iqu e and m a y res ult in a va rie t y of act ion s. As th is w o rk is v a rie d and m ult ita ske d , th e da y go es by very q u ickly and cre at es a g re at d e al o f j ob s at isf act ion .Manag eme nt pr ovid es good t wo- wa y co mm un icat ion and o ffers p o sit ive fee d bac k on res ult sach ieve d .

N ame: RAJESH SHAR M AJob Title: Administrative Assistant

" My co-workers help me remain motivated and challenged. It's great to get feedback fromemployees that a motivational card made their day or the call center decorations are just what they needed to keep them going! "

On e o f my key chall eng es is keepi ng emp loyees m ot ivat e d , keepi ng re cogn it ion on th e fr ont bu rn er. Wi th such a d iverse g rou p o f emp lo yees i t 's ha rd to co me u p wi th m ot ivat ional act ivit ies/i nc e nt ives that will int eres t th e m a j o rity o f emp loyees.

My m anag eme nt t e a m h e lps me do my j ob m o re effe ct ive ly by not ju s t su pp lying th e tool s In ee d , b ut by bei ng th ere f o r me and bac king me u p. A nd m anag eme nt le t s me expressmyse lf th rough my tal ent s and cre at ivit y to h e lp m a ke th ing s be tt er.

Th ere's a lot to like a bout wo rki ng at Con ver gys : be n efi t s, g rowth pot ent ial , onl in e cou rses,and a bove all e lse, g re at frie nd sh ips

Apa rt from th e a bove views ta ke n from th e emp loyees o f Con ver g ys, Con ver g ys pr ovid es a nu mber o f f ac ilit ies f o r i t s emp lo yees. T h ey a re pr ovid e d with good ca fe t eri a f ac ilit y w h ere i n emp loyees a re g ive n cou pon s every m onth wo r th a fixe d a m ount . T h ey ha ve an e nt er ta in me nt zon e w h ere an y emp loyee can go re la x h imse lf by re ad ing a boo k o r a

m aga zin e i n th e libr a ry o r eve n p la y vi d e o ga mes, ca roms o r ta b le te nn is, s noo ker o r can eve n exer c ise i n th e g ym.

Th e d ress cod e is i n f o rm al so that th e emp loyees a re at e a se w h ile w o rki ng .Th e f loo r a re a sa re we ll de co rat e d and a very i n f o rm al at m osp h ere is observe d . A t Con ver gys e ach and every fes t ival is ce lebr at e d with lot s o f eff o r t from th e h r d ep a rt me nt f o r th e emp lo yeesbe n efi t . CONVERGYS te a ms a re s ta ffe d with some o f th e h igh es t qual it y and se a son e d tal e nt in th e i ndu s t ry, d em on s t rat e d by an att rit ion rat e be low 20 per ce nt .

Conclusion

Wo rk -Life B alanc e is m o re than a bu zzw o rd i t 's f o r re al . Emp lo yers w ho ha ve resp ond e d to

th e chang ing soc ial and bu sin ess e n vir on me nt and bu ilt Wo rk - Life B alanc e p ol ic ies i nto th eircultu re ha ve be n efi t e d t reme ndou s ly. Re cent rese a rch ha s f u rth er v al idat e d th e v alu e o f f lexib le w o rk op t ion s wi th 46 % o f over 4 000 j ob seekers i n th e UK ad mi tt ing that th eywould choo se f lexib le w o rk hou rs a s th e be n efi t th ey w ould m os t loo k f o r i n th eir n ex t job,and 6 0% s a ying that th ey w ould view W o rk -Life B alanc e a s an imp o rtant f acto r i n a ssessi ng a pot e nt ial n en ew j ob. Organ isat ion s that do not int roduc e W o rk - Life B alanc e p ol icies a re at a d is t inct d is ad vantag e.


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In th e UK, f a irly r a pid s t rides ha ve bee n m ad e i n int roduc ing Wo rk - Life B alanc e p ol icies.Indu s t ry i n it iat ives ha ve bee n su pp o r t e d by G over n me nt le g is lat ion , t rad e un ion d eb at e and indu s t ry a ss oc iat ion ad vocac y to e n su re that Work -Life B alanc e p ol icies a re m o re perv a siveand effe ct ive. H owever, th ere a re s t ill some f unda me ntal iss u es that n ee d to be add resse d o r my th s that n ee d to be s hatt ere d by b oth emp loyee and emp loyer. S ome o f th e m o reimp o rtant on es a re :

y Th e my th that Wo rk -Life B alanc e p ol icies a re re lev ant onl y f o r w ome n o r w o rki ng pa re nt s

y Th e my th that Wo rk -Life B alanc e p ol icies cannot wo rk f o r se n io r m anag ersy Th e my th that emp loyees a re emp owere d and wo rk i n en vir on me nt s w h ere

th ere is a cultu re o f t ru s t and ope nn ess.

Organ izat ion s m u s t add ress th ese iss u es w h ile deve lo ping th eir W o rk - Life B alanc epol icies. Fu rth er, th ese p ol ic ies m u s t be e n sh rin e d in an o rgan isat ion 's visi on o rvalu es and su pp o rt e d by a cultu re that encou rag es f lexibi lity. T h is is f u rth er outl in e d in th e f ollo wing fra mew o rk f o r m a king Wo rk - Life B alanc e w o rk i n o rgan izat ion s :

y Id e nt ify th e key n ee d o r re a son f o r i nt roduc ing Wo rk -Life B alanc e p ol iciesy Bu ild th e co mmi tme nt to Wo rk - Life B alanc e Pol ic ies i nto th e o rgan isat ion 's visi on o r

valu e s tat eme nt .y S e t u p a Wo rk -Life B alanc e T a sk Fo rcey Exa min e cu rre nt pr act ices i n th e o rgan isat ion y Hold jo int d iscu ssi on s wi th emp lo yees to ev olve p ol icies, w h ile al so id ent ifying

po ssib le b a rriersy Co mm un icat e p ol icies th rough hand boo ks, news le tt ers, I nt ran e t and oth er f o rms o f

co mm un icat ion y Hold wo rks ho ps to h e lp Manag ers imp leme nt and m anag e p ol iciesy Be g in with a few "q u ick wi n " p ol iciesy Mon ito r imp leme ntat ion and put fee d bac k sys t ems i nto plac e.

In Ind ia th ere is a s ta rt ing po int in that o rgan izat ion s ha ve re cogn ize d th e n ee d f o r and valu e o f Wo rk -Life B alanc e p ol ic ies. B ut th e d eb at e ha s to no w m ove i nto imp leme ntat ion and th e G over n me nt could pla y a crit ical rol e i n bei ng a catal ys t o f chang e. A n ad vantag ethat Ind ian indu s t ry wi ll ho wever ha ve is le a rn ing from th e experie nc es o f oth er count ries i n what ha s w o rke d and what ha s not . B ut a s d iscu sse d e a r lier, th ere's no 'on e size that fit s all 'and Ind ian co mp an ies wi ll ha ve to ada pt pol ic ies to fit in with not ju s t th e natu re o f indu s t ry, pr o file o f w o rkf o rce and oth er s uch f acto rs b ut al so with th e local cultu re and e n vir on me nt .

Th is s tud y ha s bee n limi t e d in that it ha s bee n don e wi th a f a irly res t rict e d sa mp le size. T h eautho r ha s t rie d to add ress th is s ho r t f all th rough sou rcing se conda ry data to su pp o rt th efind ing s. T h ere a re s ome a re a s ho wever that a re not su pp o r te d by too m uch rese a rch like

th e imp act o f Wo rk - Life B alanc e p ol ic ies on se n io r m anag ers w h ich would be an int eres t ing a re a f o r f u r th er exp lo rat ion . I t would be i nt eres t ing to t rac e ho w p ol ic ies ev olve over th en ex t few ye a rs to includ e a la rger cross se ct ion o f emp loyees. T o conclud e wi th Pe terEllwood , cha irm an o f Emp loyers f o r W o rk - Life B alanc e, 'I t is cle a r that m an y UKo rgan izat ion s ha ve ta ke n on boa rd th e mess ag es that wo rk -l ife b alanc e can be good f o rbu sin ess. H owever, th ere s tu bb o rnl y rem a in s a per cep t ion that wo rk -l ife b alanc e is limi t ed to pa re nt s. T h is i gno res th e ex t er nal d rivers be h ind it . Dem og ra ph ic and soc ie tal chang es,glo bal izat ion and ad vanc es i n t e chnolog y a re a valua ble tool in th is t ran sf o rm at ion . T h ey


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o ffer a win- win situat ion , e ngag ing emp lo yees on th e b a sis that th ere is 's ome th ing in it f o rth em' too , and hu m an izing th e pr oc ess o f chang e.'

Findings

Af ter q u es t ion ing some B PO emp loyees th ere were iss u es s uch a s lo ss o f id e nt ity, d rug a bu se and h e alth re lat e d pr ob lems s uch a s eye pr ob lems du e to long hou rs o f w o rk,perm an e nt n ight sh if t s, h igh wo rk ta rg e ts.

Health concerns

Long hou rs o f w o rk, perm an ent n ight sh if t s, i nc re d ib ly h igh wo rk ta rg e ts, lo ss o f id ent it y a reth ese th e da rk cloud s that th re at en to m a r th e 's un sh in e' call cent er i ndu s t ry i n Ind ia . T h eodd t iming s and natu re o f w o rk r oot s pe ople to a cha ir 9 hou rs a da y, re ad ing pre - scrip t e d con vers at ion s on th e p hon e e ndl ess ly - o f te n to irat e cu s to mers fr om ac ross th e glo be.Wh ere every si ngl e se cond o f an emp lo yee's t ime is re co rde d , me a su re d and auto m at icall ylogg e d onto a co mp ut er f o r pr a ise o r ce n su re on a week ly b a sis. W h ere w al king do wn to th ewat er cool er f o r a d rin k and a chat with a frie nd messes u p perf o rm anc e me t rics, s ala ries,

and h ikes. W h ere th e th ree act s o f lis te n ing , w atch ing and tal king - all at th e s a me t ime - n ever g e t a bre a k. T h is perf o rm anc e m on ito ring al so put s e no rm ou s s t ress on th eemp loyees.

Ind ia is si tuat e d 5 h ah e ad o f UK, 1 0 h ah e ad o f New Y o rk and 1 3 h ah e ad o f Lo s A ng e les.US and UK co mp an ies can cla im over n ight resp on se ca pa bi lit y be cau se du ring th eir n ight t ime, i t is da y t ime i n Ind ia and ag ent s i n Ind ia can resp ond to em a ils du ring Ind ian bu sin ess hou rs. T h is is k no wn a s f ollo w th e s un m od e l. I t is th is w o rking at n ight s that req u ires ad j u s t ing th e bi olog ical cloc k and soc ial pr act ices to a d iffere nt t ime, w h ich istu rn ing out to be a m a j o r cau se f o r h e alth- re lat ed and soc ial pr oblems.

About 30 -4 0% o f th e emp loyees w o rki ng in th e call cent er had co mp la in e d o f eye pr ob lems.S o re n ess, d ry n ess, b lu rre d visi on , light se n si t ivity, h e adach e, all th ese p ut tog e th er isla be le d a s th e Co mp ut er visi on sy nd rome. T h is pr ob lem is m o re acut e wi th th e t e a m le ad erswho n ee d to co me i n e a r ly and go bac k lat e. Di ges t ive d is o rders a re co mm on a m ong emp loyees i n th e call cent er. T h irt y- f ou r per ce nt o f emp loyees had co mp la int s on th is count a s reve al e d by th e HR m anag ers.

I t wa s al so po int e d out that th e emp lo yees a re f ac ing th e p ossibi lit y o f lo sing th eir v o ice.Th e pr ob lem k no wn e a rlier a s ' th e t e ach er sy nd rome' is no w bei ng f ound in th e y oung wo rkers o f call cent ers. S ome o f th em m a y f ac e th e acut e m an ifes tat ion o f th is i n th e f o rmo f perm an ent lo ss o f v o ice. I n th e ch ron ic f o rm i t is cha ract erize d by i na bilit y to spe a k p a in ,croa kin ess o f v o ice, irri tat ing cough , p oo r v ocal power, i na bilit y to m odulat e and bre ath ing d ifficult ies.

Staffing troubles

On e pre d ict ion is that by 200 8 , I nd ia will emp loy t wo mi llion pe op le a s call ce nt er oper ato rs.Th e onl y obs tacl e to runa wa y g rowth m a y be fi nd ing e nough h igh- s tanda rd re cru it s wi th good e nough Engl ish to mee t dem and . T oda y, m os t to p exe cut ives ac kno wle dg e that a s t e ad y tu rno ver o f s ta ff is an in evi ta b le a spe ct of th e i ndu s t ry. T h e re a son s f o r th is could bebo re do m wi th th e j ob, seeki ng be tt er pr o spe ct s o r a chang e, be tt er m on e ta ry be n efi t s lac ko f ca reer opp o r tun it ies espe ciall y w h en it co mes to ver t ical g rowth wh ich is mi n imu m, o reve n th e f a ilu re o f th e call ce nt er to effe ct ive ly t ra in emp lo yees to s ta y at th e j ob. Be cau se


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th e w o rk is s o repe t it ive, m o s t emp lo yees le a ve wi th in 2 ye a rs. Ambi t iou s y oung s ters, out to m a ke a f a s t buc k, ho p skip and ju mp ac ross B PO co mp an ies, m a king s ta ff tu rno ver th esingl e la rges t iss u e f o r b u sin ess le ad ers and boa rd roo ms.

Tu rno ver r at es a s h igh a s 30% ha ve cre at e d a m a j o r pr ob lem f o r th e call ce nt er a s th eyha ve to co mpe te wi th e ach oth er f o r a s lice o f th e b u sin ess ca ke. A nd some ha ve f ound a

un iqu e w a y to mee t th eir g rowth nu mbers by tu rn ing to th e "bee n-th ere -don e -that 4 0 p lu s" g e n er at ion . T h e g reyi ng o f th e B PO se cto r be gan a few m onth s ago and is a n ew ly emer g ing t re nd in Ind ia .

Th ere a re fe a rs a bout th e s oc ial imp act wh en with in a cou p le o f ye a rs th e firs t crop of y oung 19- 20 -ye a r-old emp loyees s log s i t out and in evi ta b ly s u ffers b u rnout . T h ey a re lessresp on sib le pe ople, th eir m atu rit y leve l is lo w, and th in king power to wa rds p lann ing th eirca reer is al so lo w. Re cogn it ion is not so h igh f o r tho se w ho wo rk f o r call ce nt er i n ou rsoc ie t y f o r v a riou s re a son s. S ome t ime th ey th emse lves h ind er to int roduc e to th e s oc ie tythat th ey a re emp lo ye d in a call cent er. As a res ult o f w o rk press u re to mee t th e ta rg e t da yand da y out and co mpe t it ion a m ong th e g rou p th ey g e t fru s t rat e d and qu it th ese j obs.Be cau se o f mi n im u m q ual ificat ion , th ey cannot co mpe t e wi th out sid e w o rld and th ey a reb lan k w h e n a re out o f th is j ob. T h ey ha ve g ive n u p on h igh er s tud ies f o r th e seemi ngl yluc rat ive call cent er j ob.

Legal support

Th e pi ctu re that emer g es is th e a bse nc e o f an y not ion o f w o rk pr ot e ct ion s and gu id e lin es. I n an indu s t ry bei ng tout e d a s th e m ag ic wand that will wa rd o ff un emp lo yme nt , no on e w ant sto d iscu ss es ta b lish ing an eq u ita ble and ge nd er -sa fe w o rk cultu re.

In count ries like th e UK and Au s t ral ia , w h ere th e call ce nt er i ndu s t ry a lot old er, th ere is a g re at de al of und ers tand ing on what th is un iqu e w o rkp lac e e nta ils and what n ee d s to bedon e a bout it .. I n Au s t ral ia , s ome call ce nt er co mp an ies ha ve si gn e d onto a call ce nt ercha rt er that includ es, a m ong oth er th ing s, a mi n im u m s tanda rds cod e o f th e w o rkp lac e.

As o f no w, no und ers tand ing o f th e pr ob lem exis t s i n Ind ia , le a ve alon e a mi n im u ms tanda rd s cod e. S ome call cent er and BPO co mp an ies i n th e count ry ha ve got tog e th erund er th e a e g is o f Na ss co m to add ress co mm on a re a s o f conc er n - but so f a r th ese ha vela rg e ly ce nt ere d on d e cid ing ho w not to poach on e ach oth er's emp loyees and what to do with th e S ho ps and Es ta blish me nt s A ct . Emp loyee s t ress - and it s imp act on th e b otto m lin eth rough h igh att rit ion rat es - is not eve n on th e ho riz on o f conc er n s. A lthough th ef unda me ntal e leme nt s o f a call handl er's j ob a re th e s a me a s a t ypi cal co mp ut er -ba se d o ffice j ob, th e clo se co mbi nat ion o f th ese e leme nt s res ult s i n a un iqu e j ob o f te n o f an int en sive natu re, h e nc e th e n ee d f o r a ppr a isal o f dang ers that a re lu rking in th e co rn ers o f we ll f u rn ish e d BPO o ffices.

2. Recommendations

* T h ere is a n ee d f o r m o re exp licit , d e ta ile d and re lev ant re gulat ion s, gu idanc e spe c ific to th is i ndu s t ry.* He alth risk a ssessme nt s b oth pre -emp lo yme nt and peri od ic f o r emp lo yees s hould beconduct e d espe c iall y eye and aud iome t ry t es t s.* Call handl ers s hould be pr ovid e d with in f o rm at ion on th e risks i de nt ifie d in th e riska ssessme nt and ho w th ese risks can be cont rolle d .* Le ngth and freq u e nc y o f bre a ks s hould be ad eq uat e.* Nee d f o r f ull t ime coun se lo rs to s t rike a balanc e be t wee n ph ysi cal and me ntal rh yth m to


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sy nch ron ize b od y cloc k.* Es ta blish me nt o f we lf a re co mmi tt ee w h ere i n emp loyees a re an imp o rtant pa rt wh ere th eycan vo ice th eir conc er n s.* Er gono mi c a ssessme nt s o f w o rk s tat ion f o r 2 4 hou rs occu panc y s hould be don e.* Nee d f o r m o re d e ta ile d s tud y to coll e ct data from la rger nu mber o f emp loyees w o rking in a br oad er r ang e o f se cto rs spre ad over a wid er g e og ra ph ic a re a , s o that th e rese a rch

find ing s wi ll be u sef ul to pr ovid e i n it ial ad vice to th is i ndu s t ry.

References

y ILO (200 1 ) World Employment Report, 200 1 ; IL O , Ge n ev a .y Matt ingl y, D. J. "I nd ian Call Ce nt ers : Th e Out sou rcing o f 'G ood Jobs' f o r W ome n ",

Ce nt re f o r G lo bal Ju s t ice, 2005 Con fere nc e Matt ingl y, D. J. "I nd ian Call Cent ers : Th eOut sou rc ing o f 'G ood Jobs' f o r W ome n ", Cent re f o r G lo bal Ju s t ice, 2005 Con fere nc ePa pers.

y NASS COM Dire cto ry o f I nd ian IT E na b led Servi ces 2002, NA SS COM, New De lh i.y NASS COM Ind ian ITES -BPO Indu s t ry Fact S h ee t , ASS COM, New De lh i, 200 4 .y Ra mes h , B. P. "La bou r i n Bu sin ess Proc ess Out sou rc ing: A Ca se S tud y o f Call Ce nt re

Ag e nt s", NLI Rese a rch S tud ies S eries N o .5 1 , V.V.Giri N at ional La bou r I n s t itut e,No ida , 200 4 .y S ingh , P. and A Pand ey (2005 ) 'Wome n in Call Ce nt ers', Economic and Political

Weekly , V ol .4 0, N o .7, pp. 684-688 .

a+study+on+the+worklife+of+bpo+employees+and+the+various (1)

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