The rebalancing act: All work and no play is the new slogan at Indian BOPs such as this one at ICICI OneSource

Something's up at India's BPO units. ICICI OneSource no longer wants to recruit 'customer jockeys', preferring 'corporate journeyers' instead. At 24/7 BPO in Bangalore, the workfloor guitarist has suffered the fate of Cacophonix-not quite gagged and bound, but banished to the café. At Progeon, notorious for motherhood posters on cubicle walls, employees have been put into tight-collar formals, necktie et al (on Mondays and Tuesdays).

Hey-hang on, somebody changed the buzzwords... what's going on?

An image remake. 'Fun' is out. Sobriety is in. And it's for the better. Relief is forecast for BPO employees who have been forcing polite smiles for people who, on hearing where they work, half-expect them to break into some circus act. They're at fun jobs, after all-given to rock-around-the-clock lifestyles that mix telethons with revelthons. With management consent too. Aren't they?

No, not for much longer anyhow. BPO units are keen to reposition their work culture in the popular mind as something decidedly more serious than often imagined.

How Come?

Available evidence suggests that people at large have over-bought the industry's 'fun' portrayal, done as part of the effort to project an image less dreary. "In a rush to compete and get more talent," concedes S. Nagarajan, coo, 24/7, "the industry went overboard and promoted the job as an extension of college." Well, speak of the risks of over-projection...

The collegiate environment, it turned out, was not doing the business much good. According to Ananda Mukerji, CEO, ICICI OneSource, "BPOs were initially positioned as fun" in a "bid to generate excitement and attract people". But this 'fun' turned counterproductive once it started attracting the frivolous sort-brats in for a few laughs, working on whim, ever ready to walk out. "High attrition cannot deliver customer quality," says Pramod Bhasin, President and CEO, GECIS Global, "so more players are moving away from that, testing what works and what doesn't."

In a business where each premature employee departure sets the BPO back by some $9,000 or Rs 3,96,000 (the training bill and so on), getting earnest recruits commands a premium. Pleasure-seekers are in for disappointment, and it's best that they stay away. "There is more awareness now," says Mukerji, "and people understand our work, which makes it possible to take a serious stance." The new seriousness, he adds, has already changed the profile of the people applying for BPO jobs. More and more want BPO careers rather than stints.

But what about the Chief Fun Officers appointed earlier with so much gusto? Aren't they out of place now? Not quite, says Nandita Gurjar, Head (hr), Progeon, redefining their role in terms of commitment to "team collaboration to make a healthy place to work". No more painted faces and theme-dress contests, that's for sure. Even family photos and cartoon figures have been ripped off the cubicle walls. Dating, or any over-amorous campus activity for that matter, is simply not on. "Companies that are unable to offer a career for employees," scoffs Gurjar with more than a hint of disapproval, are the ones that "distract them by providing space for social life."

Business Imperatives

The rules are tightening at countless other places too. The reason: there's work to be done. Work. If it's a four-letter word that draws groans of anguish, so be it. Clients, after all, are not handing out contracts for BPO crowds to have a ball. "We are here to create professional leaders, dealing with serious positions of the business of Fortune 500 clients; there is no room for any carelessness," says Nagarajan. "Repositioning is also driven by the fact that clients demand greater efficiency as we move up the value chain," adds Vikram Talwar, CEO, EXL Service. "No fun should eat up the efficiency of the employee or our ability to deliver for them."

So ICICI OneSource makes it a point to indicate that 'fun' is just one of the six values it endorses, and the hr focus is on rewarding performance. Celebration, says Mukerji, "is not about a weekly party sponsored by the company, but achievement of targets".

To ensure proper goal-orientation, BPO units have also begun undertaking a series of training modules designed to align employees' personal job motivations with the business objectives. According to Bhasin, the industry's repositioning exercise will help deliver people who can ascend the management hierarchy and contribute to top leadership. Of course, customer satisfaction levels are expected to rise too. According to Jeffrey Sampler, Fellow in Management of Strategy and Technology at Templeton College, University of Oxford, clients now treat their offshore partners as value providers and not mere call centres. "The BPO industry is evolving from general purpose into more specialised verticals," he says, "for which it needs to give its employees deep expertise-and thus the repositioning."

So, does that leave call centres a dreary place for dullards? Not at all, goes the chorus. It's a re-balance. "The point," elaborates Bhasin, "is to stay focussed on goals even while having fun."

SPOTLIGHT
Forensic Scientists

It's not elementary. It takes plenty of rigorous scientific training. Bachelors, Masters degrees and even doctorates are available in forensic science, with forensic medicine a popular specialisation. Employment? India has four Central Forensic Science Laboratories for top sleuths located in Delhi, Chandigarh, Hyderabad and Kolkata, apart from 26 state-level labs. "In terms of job prospects, all medical colleges across the country, regardless of whether those universities offer forensic medicine as a course or not, employ forensic scientists for teaching their undergraduate courses," says Dr. Anil Aggarwal, Forensic Pathologist, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Medical College, New Delhi. Helping police investigations-detecting doctored images and other set-ups, among other things-is often part of the job. Also, note: Your scientific integrity is always under test.

-Alia Ramaswamy

COUNSELLING
Help, Tarun!

I am a 25-year-old hotel management graduate working as a supervisory chef with a five-star hotel in Mumbai for the past three years. My working hours are reasonable and the pay is decent, but the problem is that when I joined the course, I had no idea what a career in the hospitality industry would entail. And now I feel that I do not have an aptitude for this kind of work. I am considering quitting the industry, but given that I don't have a regular degree, am apprehensive about my future prospects. Everyone has discouraged me from taking a hasty decision, but I know that I won't be able to stick to kitchen-work for long. What should I do?

Your predicament is understandable. After investing time, energy and money on a particular field of education, it is difficult for you to wrench away from it. But let's first examine the reason why you want to call it quits. Is it because working in the kitchen is not your forte? Would you be more comfortable in the sales department or some other function? It would be easier for you to change to another function within the industry. In case you have already considered these options and are not satisfied, you can opt for other similar services like event management, airlines or facilities management. Or else, you can pursue another course altogether.

I am a graduate with two years work experience with an international call centre. Though the money is good, the late night shifts are pulling me down, even though I knew what I was getting into. I am contemplating a career change. I would like to know the job options available given the fact that I have very average educational qualifications. Should I pursue a post-graduate diploma or degree and then look for a better job? Please tell me how I should go about it.

With your current qualifications you will be able to get a staff job or a front-office job. Sales jobs in the services sector is another possibility, given your call centre experience. But they will all be entry-level jobs and your prior experience will not be of much help. A further qualification will certainly enhance your career and growth prospects in the industry. Depending on where your interests lie, it could be an MBA, CA, a diploma in software, advertising, etc.

I am a computer science graduate and have been working as a web designer with a small company for the last four years. Though I am happy with my job profile, a few problems have cropped up recently. About a year back, our company shifted its base from a central location in Delhi to a very down-market remote location. Since we do not have any regular work hours and often work late into the evening, I feel a little nervous taking the public transport at that hour. I have spoken to my boss about the problem, but he doesn't seem bothered. I am at a loss to decide what to do. Please help.

Go to your boss' boss or approach someone in the hr department immediately. This is a security issue and ensuring your safety is a priority. And if other women working in a similar capacity as you also face the same problem, then lodge a complaint as a group to have a deeper impact. However, in case your boss does concede and lets you leave earlier, you must realise that you will be seen as not putting in the same hours as your male colleagues. This may ultimately tell on your chances of promotion, etc. And in case your boss does not accept your request, try getting transferred to another department where this situation does not arise. And lastly, you could always look for another job in a better location.

I'm a marketing manager with 15 years experience in an MNC selling consumer durables. I want to shift to a new economy company and am considering attending a full-time MBA programme. Is pursuing an MBA counterproductive to my career aspirations when weighed against the experience and knowledge I'll gain over the next two years? And, does the school where I earn my MBA matter, especially since I have so many years of experience in my kitty? Please advise.

A majority of the MBA students in our country have little or no prior work experience. In most other countries, you would be prime candidate for an MBA. An MBA will certainly enhance your career growth prospects. However, make sure you do it from a leading B-school for it to have any significant impact on your career. You also must be aware that you are giving up two years' earnings, so make sure you are financially solvent and can afford to take a sabbatical.

Answers to your career concerns are contributed by Tarun Sheth (Senior Consultant) and Shilpa Sheth (Managing Partner, US practice) of HR firm, Shilputsi Consultants. Write to Help,Tarun! c/o Business Today, Videocon Tower, Fifth Floor, E-1, Jhandewalan Extn., New Delhi-110055..

High Tech, Low Touch
The medical fraternity gets the BPO buzz.

Doc at work: Now BPOs are hiring Indian medicos

Graphic designers, engineers, CAs, and now doctors. Or at least pathologists, pharmacologists and other medical service practitioners-they're joining business process outsourcing (BPO) units to apply their skills to clinical records sent across from the richer side of the planet. "The job entails evaluation and analysis of clinical trials, besides writing patents and describing the effects of a drug," says Ashish Gupta, coo, Evalueserve, which hires Indian medicos. The drug introduction timescales of American pharma firms, for example, can be drastically shortened by getting work done in post-licence-raj India.

But given the domestic demand, what makes Indian doctors opt for such jobs? "Expansion in career choice, technical skills, participation in development of new drugs, global exposure and opportunity to work in a structured organisational environment are some of the many reasons that attract medicos to this industry," says Pankaj Vaish, Head, Accenture BPO. Medical jobs are jobs like any other, subject to worldwide market forces. As the world globalises, skills get rechanneled accordingly. Top dollar attracts top talent.

-Supriya Shrinate

High Skies, Low Cost
Star-gazing for all; want to sign up?

Starry-eyed: Learning is fun for these budding astronomers

Youngsters who want to earn a buck doing something useful are advised to turn skywards. Not in supplication, nor for a career in aviation-but to help millions of kids discover amateur astronomy. Sitting atop this dream cloud is Dehradun-based Constellation Mobile Education & Learning Technologies (c melt), which intends fanning out across the country with its portable planetariums. These neat little inflatable domes have already wowed kids at Doon, Welham and dozens of other schools (the student count has crossed 65,000), and the mission now is to push the frontiers. Deep Bali, Co-promoter, c melt, speaks of a widespread latent interest even in the rural hinterland that has gone ignored for much too long. This means going boldly where no starry show has gone before (and certainly not a planetarium that everyone can relate to, including the least city-exposed). Bali, with his infectious enthusiasm, is looking to generate "a scientific temper among young minds". To join the effort as an instructor, c melt offers its own training module. The company's current lot of part-timers earn some Rs 1,000 per show-but that, enthuses Bali, is but a fraction of the real reward.

-Payal Sethi