subject: Modifying the BPO Workforce [print this page] Modifying the BPO Workforce Modifying the BPO Workforce
The BPO workforce has always been a dynamic unit. Changes have come into it from external and internal sources. By external sources I mean the attrition that has happened because of better opportunities and the lure of better money by rival call centers. By internal means, I'm talking about the pressures of telemarketing services that has prompted many to quit the business process outsourcing sector once and for all. If we examine the causes of the workforce trends changing over time, you will have to look at several aspects. For example, women constitute about 30% of the employees in call centers and yet there are only about 4% of them in the upper levels of the organization. Why is it so? Let's find out!
Women, especially in the developing countries like India, where there is a social pressure to raise a family have to rethink their career when they reach a certain age. Then they have to think about shifting gears on their career paths and work out time to start a family. This demands that they either quit their crazy job hours at call centers or take a sabbatical. In other words, they have to put a speed breaker on their way. This sets them back badly. The management of BPO companies is not sure anymore as to how many days she will keep working. They are hesitant about entrusting them with the job that requires time, effort and lots of commitment. It becomes a difficult choice for the woman to continue working when they are saddled with additional responsibilities. Soon they find themselves handing in their papers.
NASSCOM has suggested that BPO firms should make working hours flexible for them. When women find that they don't have to compromise on family time to work as customer service, they will find it smoother to keep working. Flexible working hours will enable them to devote time to work and home. Now the question may arise as to why the call centers would be willing to do that. The reason is simple. Women are well-suited to work as telemarketing agents. They have the patience and the conviction that customers like. Studies have proved that targeted callers are less likely to bang down the lead generation calls when they are made by women. The female call center agent has better chances of pitching in with the sales offers.
There is another reason for the BPO units to create this comfort zone for women employees. When a woman working in the mid-level stage leaves, the entire training and grooming that the call center invested in, goes out with her. A trained telemarketing agent is worth more than several fresh recruits. She could have been used in many productive ways in call center services. Moreover, it shoots up the attrition percentage rapidly. The best way out of this tangle is to make work hours flexible. You can still get the same amount of work done and yet don't have to hire fresh candidates for the job.
