5 Reasons why I won't go for a BPO Job in India

A job in the BPO has been projected as a lucrative career option for young people in India who want to make a fast buck and save time for their studies. The Indian BPO industry has been on a high during the past five years. However, now truth has come out. Yes, the Indian BPO employees are getting good package, but at the cost of their mental peace, social life and safety and security.

There are many obvious reasons that would discourage a person from taking a BPO job in present circumstances. I have listed 5 solid reasons why I would not go for a BPO job.

1) Mental Stress

Working with a BPO means losing your sleep, handling irate and abusive customers and thus, inviting mental stress and agony. And, you get all that despite giving your best in the work place. This is not only discouraging, but also serves as a demotivating factor. The BPO companies have not been able to come up with a system that would put a complete halt on such abusive calls. It is often noticed, the young people who join BPOs in quest of money and lavish lifestyle, finally land up in drugs net due to mental stress.

2) Odd Working Hours

Do you enjoy working in night shift? If the answer is 'YES', then you must be cheating yourself. A normal human being wouldn't prefer working in night shifts, unless he/she has some compulsions. If you are working in an American process in a BPO, you will have little option but to work in night shifts. If you are doing it out of compulsion, then I wonder how you would be able to give your best to the company. Odd working hours would make your life more difficult.

3) Security Concerns

This the biggest concern in Indian BPO industry, especially for female employees. There have been reports of exploitation of girls and cases of molestation against female BPO employees. In the past couple of years, we have witnessed a number of rape, murder and shootout cases involving BPO employees. However, the worst came a few days back, when Jyoti Choudhary, a Wipro BPO employee was raped and murdered by the office cab driver and his accomplice.

It's really outrageous that BPO firms are not verifying the antecedents of drivers and other employees while hiring them for such a responsible job. They don't even provide security guards to the cabs, which is a must if the first or last pick up/drop is a girl. Also, the speeding cab drivers always cause problems to the employees, public and traffic police. If the BPOs continue to provide such lacklustre security to its employees, then definitely this is not the right industry to choose.

4) Health Hazards

Another issue that has raised concern among the BPO employees is health hazard. And, it holds the maximum importance. Although the young graduates and under-graduates swarm like bees to get a BPO job, their dream becomes a disaster when they develop many common diseases due to loss of sleep, regular conversation on phone and irregular eating habits.

Recently, the Health Ministry expressed concern over the health hazards faced by BPO workers. Many road traffic and industrial accidents are due to individual drowsiness and fatigue. Also, many BPO employees suffer from spondylitis, eye and throat infection, mental stress, hearing problem and heart attack among others. Chest pain, high blood sugar and high cholesterol have become common with young BPO employees. In such a scenario, how can one opt for a BPO job?

5) Bad Reputation

The most unfortunate thing is the reputations BPO employees have in the society. People consider BPO employees different from the crowd and look them with suspect. Many people believe that BPO workers are involved in drug abuse, sex and other activities that go against their tradition and culture. Girls are worst affected, as people don't hesitate to cast doubt on their characters.

This is really unfortunate, but true. It seems we are still living in a society that do not respect young people working in night hours. Moreover, the lavish lifestyle seen in the BPOs, have contributed a lot to add fuel to the rumor fire.

Recently, Sunidhi Bhatia (name changed), a Delhi-based BPO employee was rejected by her prospective in-laws because of her association with a BPO. They did not relent even if she assured to leave the job after marriage. According to Sunidhi, this was not the lone case and some of her friends too had to face similar situations. If your job does not give you a respectable space in the society, then it becomes difficult for you to continue fighting a lone battle.

Final Word:

This article is not against the growing BPO industry or its employees. Our main aim is to make people aware of the ground reality. Despite the boom and high growth, a job in a BPO leaves many questions unanswered. These questions and concerns need to be addressed properly. It's true that BPO industry serves as a boon for Indian unemployed youth. However, we can't compromise on our dignity, health and life for the sake of money.

It is the responsibility of the Indian government, BPO industry and Foreign companies (that outsource BPO jobs to India) to come up with effective plans and strategies to make things easier for people who still look for a career in BPO and convince those who are completely against it.