|
When
you are in the business of managing a 3,700-strong, young, ambitious
and essentially nocturnal workforce, there's always something somewhere
that can go wrong. So, a smile plastered on to your face 24/7 helps.
Aniruddha Limaye, the 48-year-old, short and balding Vice President,
Corporate hr and Training at the Gurgaon-based BPO biggie Daksh,
perhaps knows the value of that smile better than most.
Early Bouncers
For Limaye, a filmmaker-turned-exec, marathon
meetings and endless cups of Georgia coffee are a way of life when
he is not travelling (something that he now does very often since
Daksh has set up a new centre at Mumbai). This Monday is particularly
hectic as the hr council, comprising the hr directors of all business
units at Daksh, is meeting to chalk out a new financial incentive
programme for the call centre executives and team leaders. Like
most present day execs, Limaye has a penchant for heading towards
the whiteboard. And since it's the end of the month, he's also signing
a fat book of salary cheques in between. The discussion in the rather
small conference room is heated and despite his elaborate explanations
scribbled on the board, the council is still undecided on the new
incentive structure. There will have to be another session.
The meeting carries on but Limaye shuttles
across to a bigger room with a bigger audience at Daksh's labyrinthine
1 lakh square feet corporate office. Here he is addressing a bunch
of 50-odd new recruits. Most of these new recruits are freshly-minted
graduates who seem pleasantly surprised to have the top hr man speak
to them. The big-picture man that he is, Limaye gives the attentive
group a broad overview of the financial services project that it
will soon start work on.
In an industry where the attrition rate is
as high as 40 per cent, retaining employees is a tough task. And
with Delhi and NCR being the call centre capital of India, job openings
are aplenty. Sometimes the prospect of earning a few hundred rupees
more could trigger the young employees to switch over to a rival
call centre. "The MNC captive call centres offer a better brand
image for them. But we have to keep reminding them that aspiring
for something prematurely can be disastrous," says Limaye.
He has managed to keep the attrition rate a lowly 25 per cent.
Open communication channels with the impressionable
and just-out-of-college agents is also something that's high priority
for Limaye and his hr team. When the news about the controversial
New Jersey law that seeks to limit the extent of outsourcing from
the US broke out last month, Limaye and CEO Sanjeev Aggarwal immediately
held meetings with all the employees to allay fears and explained
how the proposed law deals only with work outsourced from US government
agencies, which forms only a small portion of the worldwide BPO
revenues. Each quarter there is an open meeting with all the employees
where the company appraises them about the company's performance
and the outlook for the next quarter. Grievances of any sort can
be aired in the presence of the top bosses.
The Slog's Always On
The hr department's schedule is exacting. Limaye
himself works 14 hours a day. Once every fortnight he stays back
till four in the morning, when the operators of the late-night economy
are at their busiest, to keep in touch with the action on the calling
floor. At Daksh night shifts that begin at 9 pm and go on till 5
am have at least 1,000 agents working and require humongous logistical
support in the form of transportation and food-close to 450 Qualis
MUVs to ferry people and a 1,000 meals. "Even though it's a
well-oiled system, there can be an odd vehicle breakdown and delay
that can make parents anxious," says Limaye.
BPO companies today are a great new source
of opportunity for nearly two lakh graduates mostly from non-professional
educational streams and the number is projected to touch a million
by 2007. But a combination of factors like working late hours and
the mechanical act of attending a couple of hundred calls a night
and speaking with an accent can make the job too boring too soon.
And a few rude calls could be a confidence crushing experience.
Keeping the hordes of restless youngsters happy at work is perhaps
the biggest challenge for hr execs like Limaye in the BPO business.
"An informal, enabling and fun work culture is a must at call
centres," he says. Ergo, the calling floor at Daksh is jazzed
up using soccer star jerseys and other footballing paraphernalia.
There are monitors placed at each bay that flash current happenings,
sports and weather updates from various parts of the US. That's
to make sure the agents attending customer calls aren't found wanting
if a caller decides to get a little chatty and starts talking about
the inclement weather in Miami or the latest NBA scores.
While walking through the calling floor, on
his way to the cafeteria for a quick bite at around 2 pm, Limaye
stops to watch the agents in action. Satisfied, he moves on after
a quick pep-talk.
BPO companies are often plagued by indiscipline
and absenteeism especially during the weekends, thanks to the relatively
immature workforce. "The best way to deal with this is to show
them hard data. I try to create a sense of accountability by showing
them how their conduct has let down an entire team," Limaye
explains. Instances of office romance and members of the same team
getting married is a common occurance at Daksh. "We have a
code of conduct in place and the persons in question are asked not
to make their feelings too obvious," he says.
By the time is six in the evening, Limaye is
through with another meeting decides the agenda for a conference
call with an overseas client later in the night. There's just enough
time for Limaye take a deep breath, but the smile isn't too far
away from his lips. Remember? BPO means 24/7.
|
