A 25-year-old call centre employee was found dead under mysterious circumstances in his flat at Khirki Extension area of south Delhi on  Saturday. The victim, Aniruddh Kumar (25), was staying in the rented flat for past one year. According to the police, Aniruddh was working for a call centre in Gurgaon. On Saturday, his landlord knocked at his door several times but there was no response from inside. Police were informed later and they found the door locked from inside.

“The door lock was broken open after which Aniruddh was found lying on the floor. He was taken to a nearby hospital where doctors declared him brought dead. His body was shifted to AIIMS,” said a police officer.

The family of Aniruddh stays in Dehradun. “We informed them yesterday after which they came to Delhi. A postmortem was conducted. The body was later handed over to family. The cause of his death is still not clear and we are awaiting the postmortem report,” the officer added.

Doctors suggested that he could have died due to poisoning or he might have a cardiac arrest but family told police that Aniruddh was not suffering from any major ailment. The police said that they had started an inquest proceedings into the matter and are also contacting his colleagues in Gurgaon. Source

Business process outsourcing (BPO) service providers are retaining their workforce in the global financial crisis. This year, 82 percent of BPOs even expect a positive employment growth rate, companies need to strengthen corporate strategies to attract new workers and retain their people.

According to the recently released survey by the Business Processing Association of the Philippines, at least 66 percent of respondents from the industry expect up to 50 percent growth in labor requirements. In 2008, attrition rates in the call center industry were pegged at an average of 18 percent, according to the Call Center Association of the Philippines (CCAP).

Preventing an unhealthy rise in attrition rates is more than just a matter of monetary compensation. Fostering an excellent professional culture is one of the main reasons that motivate people to stay in BPO companies, according to ExcelAsia President Rita Trillo-Ugarte. Full News

Dr Meena (name changed) is a BDS graduate. But unlike her classmates she decided to not pursue a career in dentistry. Instead she joined  a BPO. Reason: Being a dentist would have fetched her a miserable Rs 2,000 monthly salary against Rs 8,000 plus she is earning at her BPO job. BDS graduates are being squeezed out of the ‘dental’ market as the preference is for those with post-graduate degrees. But PG seats are too few and too expensive to fund. Mushrooming colleges have also led to a flood of new BDS graduates with poor job prospects.

BDS degree holders whom TOI spoke with said they preferred to take non-dental jobs that came their way instead of remaining unemployed. They admitted that they were unhappy with such jobs but salary was a deciding factor. (more…)