BPO job

TIMES NEWS NETWORK[ SATURDAY, MAY 08, 2004 11:21:05 PM ]
NEW DELHI: And now, BPO companies have found the perfect way to cope with the high attrition rate that had become a major headache: Hiring older employees on a part-time basis.


It has been touted as one of India's biggest success stories of recent times. And in keeping with its image, the BPO industry is growing, and growing fast.


A recent ICRA study suggests the size of the domestic market will touch $12 billion by 2006 and employ 400,000 people. But if the sector is reputed for its great job opportunities and good pay packets, it's also known for high attrition rate.


Companies like GE, Wipro-Spectramind, V-Customer and many others have been doing it for some time. Part-timers account for 15-20 per cent of the workforce, say experts.


Nasscom forecasts the ratio of part-timers and middle-aged employees to fresh-graduate full-timers in the BPO sector is likely to increase in the future.


"Companies are beginning to look beyond recruiting fresh graduates on a full-time basis at retired professionals and housewives on a part-time basis. The advantage is that they tend to prefer stable jobs and are less prone to 'job-hops' for a marginal increase in compensation. It also helps to considerably increase the base for recruitment," says Nasscom president Kiran Karnik.


According to Ganesh Kejriwal of Megamind, "With part-timers becoming popular, a broad range of people are now in circulation, which was not possible earlier."


So, you have students, aspiring artists and young professionals rubbing shoulders with housewives and retired defence officers.


What attracts the bunch is the shorter schedule - five hours most often - with ample free time to pursue other interests.


As Raja Varadarajan of Wipro Spectramind says, "It's a mutually beneficial arrangement for both the company and the employee." An arrangement, which is fast becoming popular