Recently I was watching a program on TV about the response in England to the recent shift of a large number of call center (BPO) jobs to India. During the program they asked an ex-employee of Norwich Union (who shifted 2500 call center jobs to India) how he felt after loosing his job to an Indian call center.
He replied (rather calmly) 'Indians are In and I am Out, that's the way the world works'.
This, I found to be, a stunning acceptance of the new world order. The BPO business is firmly shifting east-wards. But again and again we are forced to question the hand that feeds us. Debates still rage on about the BPO industry (and its respectable sister the KPO / LPO industry) and how good/bad is it for people working in it.
Companies like 'e-serve' with their 'ad-campaigns' do try and throw a positive light on working the graveyard shift. But I wonder again what would happen if the call center business was to start leaving India. What will happen to those people who have spent their formative years working into the wee hours of the night serving people half-way across the world.
Is the BPO industry also creating a generation of people who to make money have sacrificed their future?
What is the use of such growth if it is not self-sustaining?
What use is this growth if to achieve it one has to sacrifice the well being of our youth?
Speaking with a friend of mine who used to work for Norwich Union in India further opened my eyes. People do hate the fact that Indians are taking away their jobs. At the same time they enjoy the savings that they get because their insurance provider has outsourced operations.
We come back to the age old question of whether being a source of cheap labour is a good thing or bad. Should we put a positive spin on things like the e-serve people are trying?
Back home this new found business opportunity (i.e. BPO/KPO/LPO) are not seen in a positive light. I think BPOs etc. are respectable lines of work. Any form of work in which you can earn money without doing anything illegal is perfectly ok and respectable for me.
But looking at the intensity of the ad-campaing made me think that the Indian BPOs are not only having a tough time finding acceptance among people outside India, but within India as well.
Case in point being that if you are a call center employee you would find it difficult to get a good marriage proposal. Most people just wouldnt want to live with someone who works at night. Other factors like money and type of work also influence people a lot.
Many people still react negatively if they know you are working at a call center.
So for the call center people it seems they are trapped between a society that doesnt give them the true respect that they deserve (as the bringers of new-found wealth) and often difficult clients who blame them for taking away their jobs.
