"Providing a better career path is critical"

BANGALORE: The BPO sector in India is plagued by high attrition rates. "Career pathing is critical to control the high attrition rates in the outsourcing sector", said Tarun Sheth, Sr consultant, Shilputsi. Career growth rates in the BPO sector are currently lower, than in the IT industry. "BPO companies need to provide a growth ladder for at least 20-30% of their employees", he continued.

Sheth was speaking on ‘The Human and Social Aspects of Outsourcing’ on the second day of the 2003 India Outsourcing Summit held here on Thursday. He detailed the social and cultural issues that need to be handled by BPO companies in India. As BPO companies look to expand to more domains, it is important to make training programs more experiential. Training should focus on multi-skiilling, multi-tasking and customer orientation, he said.

Another factor that would improve retention would be to provide greater job security, and a clear understanding of India’s legal framework and labor laws.

"Companies also need to understand that, in India, there is an undercurrent of kinship even in contractual relationships. An open, fair and honest HR policy helps a great deal," he said. Speaking on the cultural and social stumbling blocks that could crop up, he said that responsibility - on an emotional basis ­ is likely to be shoved upward or sideward by Indian employees. It is important to firmly push for greater individual accountability. Another major problem is with delegation. "Delegation of tasks is a weak area for Indian managers." Also, communication, even in the workplace could be implicit. "Reading between the lines may become necessary", Sheth said.

On India’s cultural and social strong points for the BPO sector, as is only too well known, our proficiency with English, albeit accented, remains one of the biggest advantages. "Our culture is a blend of various influences. We have borrowed the best from the West. Our work ethics, a large part of our legal framework and stress on human dignity are examples," he continued.

BPO needs to be nurtured in India. "As the rest of the world ages, India is poised to become a country with the largest number of people in the 15-35 age group. And the BPO industry, which hires a young workforce is like godsend," he said.