Human Resources Issues in India
by Maris Aguila

It was my first time to visit India, much less to visit five cities in one trip. The country as a whole is unimaginably impressive, from the food—spicier than the Indian dishes served in Manila—to the infrastructure, which provides the Indian BPO industry with a wide array of supporting facilities. It did not seem that I left my homeland, as I felt the warmth of the Indian nationals; they are very accommodating and willing to share their best practices, challenges and what they have learned over the years of being a country that is leading the offshored outsourcing boom. India is very much ahead in IT-ITES and BPO industry on a global scale.

The main objective of our trip was the Premier Global Sourcing Destination, where we were able to meet our clients. During the NASSOM Summit, I learned about the issues and concerns local to India: the depreciation of rupees as against the dollar, and how it is contributing to the rising costs of the industry; the pending end of the tax holiday for outsourcing companies; the rampant and high attrition; the lack of support from the government and the negative media mileage the industry has.

We are privileged in that the Philippine government is very supportive of the BPO industry. For example, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo allocated government funds to help train near-hires for the industry. Our press is also helpful in relaying positive information and feedback on the industry, while taking into account certain realities, like the graveyard shifts, safety concerns, and retention issues.

During our visits to our clients, I noticed that some candidates have the habit of floating their résumés to several call centers and BPOs, and selecting the company that gives them the best offer. We were also told that although most of the candidates will sign the job offer, oftentimes they will not report for work and just join another firm.

I also observed that some companies require new hires 18 months of experience as agents before they can be promoted to the team leader position. Only few are promoted within six months unless their performance is exemplary. With regard to retention, most companies offer to subsidize further studies. Other companies are even fully shoulder education expenses, while some pay partially. They even have tie-ups up with some universities to implement these programs.

By comparison, Filipino agents are encouraged to stay by advancement in their careers. It’s almost standard practice in the Philippines to offer promotions six months after coming on board, especially if the ones being promoted display good performances. The downside to this may be a lack of necessary leadership skills and experience needed to be a successful manager.

India and the Philippines have several common denominators, two of which are culture and education. Indians are more competitive and would not settle for a mediocre performance; in my observation, being competitive does not signify being rude in Indian culture. Filipinos, on the other hand, are diplomatic; we tend to sugar-coat what we say so as not to hurt the feelings of others; we also capitalize on the Filipinos’ work ethic, and we can match the Indians, who are just as hardworking.

In the end, I believe that we can work well with Indian companies; as a matter of fact, we already have good working relationships with the companies that have opened up in the Philippines. Since outsourcing is still an expanding industry, there is still a lot both our countries can do together.