Creating a Culture of Understanding
By Mary Rose Solina

When Wipro—one of the largest BPO players in India and the first BPO company to be included in the New York Stock Exchange’s TMT (technology media telecom) index—came to Manila for a visit, John Clements had the privilege of Vak Anand Kumar, Wipro’s Vice President for People Supply Chain & Employee Branding, as guest speaker for the sales and production conference for the month of May.

Starting with a brief overview of the BPO industry in India and Wipro’s profile, Mr. Anand Kumar’s presentation then focused on one, if not the most, important issue facing the BPO industry: People Challenges. With more and more players coming in, the war for talent truly is inevitable. Nonetheless, sufficient training can solve the problem of skills. With this addressed, the next roadblock comes in the form of retention. How does one curb an employee’s tendency to bail out of work once he or she finds out that BPO work is not what it was expected to be?

There exists a constellation of factors that affect the worker, according to Mr. Anand Kumar. In addition to the young demographic of the labor force, the modern life philosophies they subscribe to and their unique social circumstances, their situation is compounded by the increasing customer demands and the company’s push for greater revenue. At the end of the day, it seems that the attractiveness of the BPO job wanes because it just pressurizes the individual to the hilt.

What should an employer do then? Understand. Explain.

In our changing world, which Mr. Anand Kumar describes as a place “where profit seems to be gaining momentum over values and people,” there is a call for companies to shift from a profit-centered approach to a more people-centric approach. Upper management must acknowledge the various issues surrounding the workers and craft ingenious ways to help coach them. As an example, Mr. Anand Kumar mentioned how walking trainees through an actual floor operation and explaining what goes on helps them prepare themselves for what they are about to do.

Mr. Anand Kumar further underscored the importance of HR. It pays to have an empowered HR who can assist people as they go through role transitions. Moreover, the creation of a corporate culture that develops a sense of belonging has a tremendous effect in grounding people—by helping them see how integral they are to the company’s success—efficiency is ensured, as does a healthy work environment.

In the final analysis, it still holds true that the best asset a company has is still its people.

Click here to download presentation.