Life begins at 30, with a ring from call centers
The BPO and call centre industry is providing an ideal opportunity to mid career professionals who are looking for an alternate career. Over a period of time, the monopoly of youths and swashbuckling teenagers has been partially broken with more middle-aged individuals being employed by the call centres, Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) and Knowledge Process Outsourcing (KPO) units in India. On an average, with few exceptions, roughly around 5-10 per cent or in some cases even 15 per cent of the total workforce in these units now consists of those who are between 30-50 years.
In one instance, a mother and daughter were working together for a period of time in Mumbai based Transworks. The CEO of Transworks, Atul Kunwar, says that the mother followed the daughter and both worked together. Out of the current 4200 employees, 200 are above 30 in Transwork.
In another Mumbai-based BPO Intelenet Global Services, of 11,000 employees, 20 per cent of the total workforce is above 30 years of age. In Bangalore- based Wipro of the 17,000 employees, 16 per cent are above 30 years and 1 per cent above 40. Mumbai-based Epicentre has nearly 10% of its workforce who are above 30 years of age. In Efunds, which is a KPO, of the 3,800 employees, those who are between 30-40 years of age constitute 23 per cent of the workforce while those who are above 40 years constitute 2-3 per cent of the workforce.
In keeping with their growing numbers, the senior employees are now being offered jobs cutting across the entire spectrum of the outsourcing business. From floor duties to voice calls to managerial positions, they are doing it all. Night shifts and the pressures are accepted as a part of the job profile and age is no longer a limiting criterion for not hiring older citizens. Various human resources managers and the CEOs have realised that they could be useful, if their talents are channelised properly.
Manuel D'Souza, vice-president, Intelenet Global Services, says the industry perception and the staffing pattern have changed in the last three years. His company, for example, has been hiring persons above 30 from the insurance and banking sectors, retired persons or persons who have taken VRS and even housewives. "We are open to hiring anyone who has a set of skills that our company can utilise. We match the skills with our requirements and thereafter offer them training. Some join the floor duties, some are given voice-call duty and so on," says D'Souza.
It is the same industry that rejected such older people (above 30s) not so long ago. So what changed? As business expanded and demand for employees increased, the industry felt an acute shortage of youngsters or persons in their 20s who did not think twice before job-hopping. The rate of attrition in some of the BPOs reached an alarming level. It was then that the industry woke up to the fact that there was a huge workforce, not necessarily younger and in their 20s, but 30-plus and still mentally and physically able to meet their requirements.
Wipro CEO T K Kurien admits as much. He does say, though, that it was not just the attrition factor that lead to the change of heart. "Initially,in the formative years the BPOs or call centres were perceived as fun places for youngsters. But, over a period of time, everyone realised that it is a serious business. And if we get serious people why not hire them?" he asks.
Atul Kunwar, who was previously with Efunds, said the decision to hire persons above 30s was made when they were working on a variable model where people could work part time for a couple of days on the day of peak loads. "We recruited older persons, housewives or even youngsters who worked only for a few days in Efunds and we were pleasantly surprised at the output," says Kunwar.
According to Kurien, persons who are above 30 have taken their knocks in life. "They know what they want and are more stable professionally. They are not using their job as a stop-gap arrangement. And they adapt themselves to the requirements despite their past or despite some of the baggage they carry," he says.
But there are companies like Firstsource Solutions Ltd that have very few persons above 30. Vrinda Walavalkar, vice-president, corporate communication of Firstsource, says they have less than one per cent of workforce in their work operations though they have many in their management and office. "It is not that those who are above 30s are not capable but they are limited by various factors. Many of them don't clear the tests," says Walavalkar.
Those who have worked before and are above 30 have expectations. Therefore, in a company like Transworks, once selected, they undergo a year of on-the-job training followed by six months of training that prepares them for the subsequent senior position. Wipro has a special seven-day programme where senior people are trained on various aspects of communication. Psychologically, such persons have to cope with factors, ranging from having a boss who could be their son's age to physically coping with night shifts and vagaries of a very demanding job. So most companies are upfront about what the job entails during the interview and during the training process.
Friday, December 29, 2006
Thursday, December 28, 2006
Azim Premji on Success
Azim Premji’s 7 Lessons to Success
It is usually a pertinent question in everybody's mind - how do achievers approach their task at hand - do they do different things or do they do things differently? I came across a beautiful text - that was the essence of the talk delivered by Azim Premji - the architect of Wipro Technologies. This surely gives us an insight into the essence of the shloka from Bhagvad Gita - which says - Karmanyeva Adhikarah Te, Maa Phaleshu Kadaachana... One has the right over one's actions and not the fruits thereof. It was always interpreted the wrong way and people feel that it is the fruit that attracts the performer. However, many events in our life bring us face to face with people - who draw inspiration from the kind of work they do and the way they do it. Interestingly, such people are motivated by the values and the vision that they carry in their heart. Only such people rather rise above others and can give a broader and better meaning to their life. This is how he briefly shared his thought with others: Lesson: 1 I am very happy to be here with you. It is always wonderful to be with young people. The funny thing about life is that you realise the value of something only when it begins to leave you. As my hair turned from black, to salt-and-pepper and finally salt without the pepper, I have begun to realize the importance of youth. At the same time, I have begun to truly appreciate some of the lessons I have learnt along the way. I hope you will find them useful when you plan your own career and life. The first thing I have learnt is that we must always begin with our strengths. From the earliest years of our schooling, everyone focuses on what is wrong with us. There is an imaginary story of a rabbit. The rabbit was enrolled in a rabbit school. Like all rabbits, it could hop very well but could not swim. At the end of the year, the rabbit got high marks in hopping but failed in swimming. The parents were concerned. They said, "Forget about hopping. You are anyway good at it. Concentrate on swimming." They sent the rabbit for tuitions in swimming. And guess what happened? The rabbit forgot how to hop! As for swimming, have you ever seen a rabbit swim? While it is important for us to know what we are not good at, we must also cherish what is good in us. That is because it is only our strengths that can give us the energy to correct our weaknesses.
Lesson: 2 The second lesson I have learnt is that a rupee earned is of far more value than five found. My friend was sharing me the story of his eight year-old niece. She would always complain about the breakfast. The cook tried everything possible, but the child remained unhappy. Finally, my friend took the child to a supermarket and brought one of those ready-to-cook packets. The child had to cut the packet and pour water in the dish. After that, it took two minutes in the microwave to be ready. The child found the food to be absolutely delicious? The difference was that she has cooked it! In my own life, I have found that nothing gives as much satisfaction as earning our rewards. In fact, what is gifted or inherited follows the old rule of come easy, go easy. I guess we only know the value of what we have if we have struggled to earn it. Lesson: 3 The third lesson I have learnt is no one bats a hundred every time. Life has many challenges. You win some and lose some. You must enjoy winning. But do not let it go to the head. The moment it does, you are already on your way to failure. And if you do encounter failure along the way, treat it as an equally natural phenomenon. Don't beat yourself for it or any one else for that matter! Accept it, look at your own share in the problem, learn from it and move on. The important thing is, when you lose, do not lose the lesson. Lesson: 4 The fourth lesson I have learnt is the importance of humility. Sometimes, when you get so much in life, you really start wondering whether you deserve all of it. This brings me to the value of gratitude. We have so much to be grateful for. Our parents, our teachers and our seniors have done so much for us that we can never repay them. Many people focus on the shortcomings, because obviously no one can be perfect. But it is important to first acknowledge what we have received. Nothing in life is permanent but when a relationship ends, rather than becoming bitter, we must learn to savour the memory of the good things while they lasted.
Lesson: 5 The fifth lesson I learnt is that we must always strive for excellence. One way of achieving excellence is by looking at those better than ourselves. Keep learning what they do differently. Emulate it. But excellence cannot be imposed from the outside. We must also feel the need from within. It must become an obsession. It must involve not only our mind but also our heart and soul. Excellence is not an act but a habit. I remember the inspiring lines of a poem, which says that your reach must always exceed your grasp. That is heaven on earth. Ultimately, your only competition is yourself. Lesson: 6 The sixth lesson I have learnt is never give up in the face of adversity. It comes on you suddenly without warning. One can either succumb to self-pity, wring your hands in despair or decide to deal with the situation with courage and dignity. Always keep in mind that it is only the test of fire that makes fine steel. A friend of mine shared this incident with me. His eight-year old daughter was struggling away at a jigsaw puzzle. She kept at it for hours but could not succeed. Finally, it went beyond her bedtime. My friend told her, "Look, why don't you just give up? I don't think you will complete it tonight. Look at it another day." The daughter looked with a strange look in her eyes, "But, dad, why should I give up? All the pieces are there! I have just got to put them together!" If we persevere long enough, we can put any problem into its perspective. Lesson: 7 The seventh lesson I have learnt is that while you must be open to change, do not compromise on your values. Mahatma Gandhiji often said that you must open the windows of your mind, but you must not be swept off your feet by the breeze. You must define what your core values are and what you stand for. And these values are not so difficult to define. Values like honesty, integrity, consideration and humility have survived for generations. Values are not in the words used to describe them as much as in the simple acts.
At the end of the day, it is values that define a person more than the achievements. Because it is the means of achievement that decide how long the achievements will sustain. Do not be tempted by short cuts. The short cut can make you lose your way and end up becoming the longest way to the destination. And the final lesson I learnt is that we must have faith in our own ideas even if everyone tells us that we are wrong. There was once a newspaper vendor who had a rude customer. Every morning, the Customer would walk by, refuse to return the greeting, grab the paper off the shelf and throw the money at the vendor. The vendor would pick up the money, smile politely and say, "Thank you, Sir." One day, the vendor's assistant asked him, "Why are you always so polite with him when he is so rude to you? Why don't you throw the newspaper at him when he comes back tomorrow?" The vendor smiled and replied, "He can't help being rude and I can't help being polite. Why should I let his rude behaviour dictate my politeness? In my youth, I thought of myself as a rebel and was many times, a rebel without a cause. Today, I realise that my rebellion was another kind of conformity. We defined our elders to fall in line with our peers! Ultimately, we must learn to respond instead of reacting. When we respond, we evaluate with a calm mind and do whatever is most appropriate. We are in control of our actions. When we react, we are still doing what the other person wants us to do. I wish you all the best in your life and career. I hope you achieve success in whatever way you define it and what gives you the maximum happiness in life. "Remember, those who win are those who believe they can." (The author conducts self transformational programmes and can be contacted at vijnanswami@gmail.com )
It is usually a pertinent question in everybody's mind - how do achievers approach their task at hand - do they do different things or do they do things differently? I came across a beautiful text - that was the essence of the talk delivered by Azim Premji - the architect of Wipro Technologies. This surely gives us an insight into the essence of the shloka from Bhagvad Gita - which says - Karmanyeva Adhikarah Te, Maa Phaleshu Kadaachana... One has the right over one's actions and not the fruits thereof. It was always interpreted the wrong way and people feel that it is the fruit that attracts the performer. However, many events in our life bring us face to face with people - who draw inspiration from the kind of work they do and the way they do it. Interestingly, such people are motivated by the values and the vision that they carry in their heart. Only such people rather rise above others and can give a broader and better meaning to their life. This is how he briefly shared his thought with others: Lesson: 1 I am very happy to be here with you. It is always wonderful to be with young people. The funny thing about life is that you realise the value of something only when it begins to leave you. As my hair turned from black, to salt-and-pepper and finally salt without the pepper, I have begun to realize the importance of youth. At the same time, I have begun to truly appreciate some of the lessons I have learnt along the way. I hope you will find them useful when you plan your own career and life. The first thing I have learnt is that we must always begin with our strengths. From the earliest years of our schooling, everyone focuses on what is wrong with us. There is an imaginary story of a rabbit. The rabbit was enrolled in a rabbit school. Like all rabbits, it could hop very well but could not swim. At the end of the year, the rabbit got high marks in hopping but failed in swimming. The parents were concerned. They said, "Forget about hopping. You are anyway good at it. Concentrate on swimming." They sent the rabbit for tuitions in swimming. And guess what happened? The rabbit forgot how to hop! As for swimming, have you ever seen a rabbit swim? While it is important for us to know what we are not good at, we must also cherish what is good in us. That is because it is only our strengths that can give us the energy to correct our weaknesses.
Lesson: 2 The second lesson I have learnt is that a rupee earned is of far more value than five found. My friend was sharing me the story of his eight year-old niece. She would always complain about the breakfast. The cook tried everything possible, but the child remained unhappy. Finally, my friend took the child to a supermarket and brought one of those ready-to-cook packets. The child had to cut the packet and pour water in the dish. After that, it took two minutes in the microwave to be ready. The child found the food to be absolutely delicious? The difference was that she has cooked it! In my own life, I have found that nothing gives as much satisfaction as earning our rewards. In fact, what is gifted or inherited follows the old rule of come easy, go easy. I guess we only know the value of what we have if we have struggled to earn it. Lesson: 3 The third lesson I have learnt is no one bats a hundred every time. Life has many challenges. You win some and lose some. You must enjoy winning. But do not let it go to the head. The moment it does, you are already on your way to failure. And if you do encounter failure along the way, treat it as an equally natural phenomenon. Don't beat yourself for it or any one else for that matter! Accept it, look at your own share in the problem, learn from it and move on. The important thing is, when you lose, do not lose the lesson. Lesson: 4 The fourth lesson I have learnt is the importance of humility. Sometimes, when you get so much in life, you really start wondering whether you deserve all of it. This brings me to the value of gratitude. We have so much to be grateful for. Our parents, our teachers and our seniors have done so much for us that we can never repay them. Many people focus on the shortcomings, because obviously no one can be perfect. But it is important to first acknowledge what we have received. Nothing in life is permanent but when a relationship ends, rather than becoming bitter, we must learn to savour the memory of the good things while they lasted.
Lesson: 5 The fifth lesson I learnt is that we must always strive for excellence. One way of achieving excellence is by looking at those better than ourselves. Keep learning what they do differently. Emulate it. But excellence cannot be imposed from the outside. We must also feel the need from within. It must become an obsession. It must involve not only our mind but also our heart and soul. Excellence is not an act but a habit. I remember the inspiring lines of a poem, which says that your reach must always exceed your grasp. That is heaven on earth. Ultimately, your only competition is yourself. Lesson: 6 The sixth lesson I have learnt is never give up in the face of adversity. It comes on you suddenly without warning. One can either succumb to self-pity, wring your hands in despair or decide to deal with the situation with courage and dignity. Always keep in mind that it is only the test of fire that makes fine steel. A friend of mine shared this incident with me. His eight-year old daughter was struggling away at a jigsaw puzzle. She kept at it for hours but could not succeed. Finally, it went beyond her bedtime. My friend told her, "Look, why don't you just give up? I don't think you will complete it tonight. Look at it another day." The daughter looked with a strange look in her eyes, "But, dad, why should I give up? All the pieces are there! I have just got to put them together!" If we persevere long enough, we can put any problem into its perspective. Lesson: 7 The seventh lesson I have learnt is that while you must be open to change, do not compromise on your values. Mahatma Gandhiji often said that you must open the windows of your mind, but you must not be swept off your feet by the breeze. You must define what your core values are and what you stand for. And these values are not so difficult to define. Values like honesty, integrity, consideration and humility have survived for generations. Values are not in the words used to describe them as much as in the simple acts.
At the end of the day, it is values that define a person more than the achievements. Because it is the means of achievement that decide how long the achievements will sustain. Do not be tempted by short cuts. The short cut can make you lose your way and end up becoming the longest way to the destination. And the final lesson I learnt is that we must have faith in our own ideas even if everyone tells us that we are wrong. There was once a newspaper vendor who had a rude customer. Every morning, the Customer would walk by, refuse to return the greeting, grab the paper off the shelf and throw the money at the vendor. The vendor would pick up the money, smile politely and say, "Thank you, Sir." One day, the vendor's assistant asked him, "Why are you always so polite with him when he is so rude to you? Why don't you throw the newspaper at him when he comes back tomorrow?" The vendor smiled and replied, "He can't help being rude and I can't help being polite. Why should I let his rude behaviour dictate my politeness? In my youth, I thought of myself as a rebel and was many times, a rebel without a cause. Today, I realise that my rebellion was another kind of conformity. We defined our elders to fall in line with our peers! Ultimately, we must learn to respond instead of reacting. When we respond, we evaluate with a calm mind and do whatever is most appropriate. We are in control of our actions. When we react, we are still doing what the other person wants us to do. I wish you all the best in your life and career. I hope you achieve success in whatever way you define it and what gives you the maximum happiness in life. "Remember, those who win are those who believe they can." (The author conducts self transformational programmes and can be contacted at vijnanswami@gmail.com )
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