BPO companies invites parents to check out the workplace
BANGALORE: Mortarboards, black robes, tassels and caps thrown into the air… seems like a scene out of a college graduation ceremony, doesn’t it? And what if we were to say that the course duration ranged from three to eight weeks and equipped you with fancy accents to converse with people through the night? Now, does it sound more like a call centre?
While companies have been reported to have tried everything from quarterly appraisals to free Snicker vending machines (which has worked, of course!), 24 x 7, a business process outsourcing (BPO), has gone one step ahead. The company recently organised a graduation ceremony for its trainees, where parents and family members participated and get a preview into the lives of these call centre employees.
With the average attrition rate in most companies being quoted at 15 per cent by industry survey reports, companies have realised that fat pay cheques may lure the young and the restless; however, that alone is not enough to retain them. Human resource (HR) analysts in companies are working round-the-clock to find that perfect formula which will keep the fast and furious employee fastened to his seat.
Improvised
Tapping in on the psyche of the average young Indian, whose decisions are much-rooted in the counselling provided by family members, this BPO has started with an improvised version of the good old parent-teacher meeting, popularly known as PTA. “The whole experience reminded me of going to school to attend one of those parent-teacher interactions. It was like a trip down memory lane for me,” says Mary Sagaya, whose son graduated to the work floor this month.
Family’s role So what is it that prompted such an out-of-the-ordinary HR strategy? “We realised that the family is integral to any decision made by a person. So it is important for us to address these issues,” says Nina Nair, vice-president, HR, 24 x 7. In fact, that’s not all…if parents do not approve of the job, HR prefers to not extend the job offer at all. “We have a counselling session for them. But we believe that if parents are convinced of the job and career aspects, there are more chances that the employees will stay on with us,” she explains. Though, this may seem unusual, even to the extent of being far-fetched to the cynical few, 24 x 7 wants to make this a quarterly feature for its employees.
Security issue With reports in the media shedding light on the lack of safety regulations, parents are often worried about the safety of their wards. “After reading in the papers about the rape and murder of a young girl, my mother was apprehensive. When she came here not only was she excited, she told me that she thought it was the right place for me to work,” says Rinta Vinayan, an employee.
Her mother was introduced to the security guards that accompany the cabs and was also shown around the campus.
Source & Courtesy: The Hindu