Business process outsourcing, the most flourishing Kenyan industry sector has emerged as Kenya’s most promising sector, and has been growing at a rate of 40-50 per cent since its inception. BPO is a very fast paced and a high momentum industry. BPO industry is expected to generate one million jobs by the year 2008. Taking advantage form the abundant skills and low cost benefits, large number of BPO companies have mushroomed in Kenya in recent years, many of the well established IT companies have also started their BPO divisions. But, there is another side of the BPO picture too. The side that has already brought the BPO industry in limelight many times. This picture is concerned with the non viability of the BPO and the fact that the young generation of Kenya is actually loosing out in the BPO.
In the past couple of years, Kenya has witnessed many small time businessmen entering the bandwagon of the flourishing the business process outsourcing sector without adequate investment capital or vision that is required to run an employment organization. (This article is not critical about individual business or small entrepreneurial efforts) Even many biggies and MNCs were found exploiting the psyche of people who favour and safeguard employment generating and economic development efforts against critics. Many are taking an advantage of the favourable climate created by the recent outsourcing culture of the west.
Business process outsourcing organisations, commonly known as call centres – work when rest of the Kenya sleeps! Most of the BPO organisations work according to the international (US and UK) timings, therefore most of the BPO employees work in might shifts starting anywhere from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. and ending at 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. There is also a graveyard shift starting at 4 a.m. working in such shifts having odd timings have started showing hazardous results on the health of the Kenyan youth.
Prolonged working in shifts of odd hour’s can have major implications on the physical and mental health of the employees. The physical strains like sleep disorders, depression, odd working shifts, learning foreign accents, constantly handling abusive calls and high stress levels are making the BPO employees more prone to hypertension and heart attacks.
Various surveys and research conducted amongst the call centre employees have shown that depression is the most common problem faced by BPO employees. Frequent headaches, feeling of fatigue, sleeping disorders and frustration have become regular problems for them.
The basic profile of the BPO employees is trouble-shooting, sales or revenue collection. All of these are done through tele-calling. Talking to foreigners in a fake foreign accent, solving other people’s problems, facing and handling the anger and abuse of the clients become a routine for these juvenile population.
The youth is facing the brunt of the thoughtless campaign of many employers who are just trying to encash the flourishing BPO scenario. With no particular qualification required for call centre jobs (except fluency in English and good communication and convincing skills) BPO jobs provide a quick gateway to good pay packages. Many youngsters are quitting their education right after the 12th standard for these jobs. This step can block and kill their long term (future) career prospects. Also, at the very young age they get lot of money in hand and they are unaware of the rational utilization of that money. Also, working in overnight shifts does not get accepted easily in the traditional Kenyan culture and the youth are resistance from the seniors in the society.
Due to the increasing gap between the supply and demand of the talent for Bpo’s, and the already saturated talent market, the companies are luring and attracting youngsters with attractive pay packages and other benefits as soon as they get out of college. But the youngsters have to face the realities of the industry as they fail to cope up with the stress and responsibilities of their work life. It is clearly a case of hyper-growth with an immediate fall-down as soon as the reality strikes.
With no time for personal life, the erratic schedules and monotonous work of business process outsourcing also disturbs the family life of the employees adding to their frustrations. This will definitely lead to loose family ties and other unhealthy behaviour.
All these problems have triggered the problems of attrition and retention for the BPO industry itself. If not taken care of, these problems can lead to hazardous health and other implications for the youth of Kenya.
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