BPO Bangalore in the news
On Dec 19th, 2010 it was reported on expressbuzz that a Dell Bangalore BPO employee named Payal Sureka was murdered. The murderer has still not been found.
Infosys BPO now has a 24 hour reaction team that addresses their Bangalore BPO employees grievances in real time. Routes are planned so that female employees are not picked up first or dropped off last for safety reasons. Security will also accompany female BPO employees when necessary. Self-defence classes are also available for employees for a comprehensive safety regime!
Wipro has a transportation plan that is meticulously followed. Drivers are not allow to report to a female’s house without a security escort and may not deviate from their set route. Drivers who break the rules are fired.
My experience with India is that there is either complete chaos or fascist style overly stringent and overly enforced rules. Moderation can never be found. However it is relieving news to know that women are finally being protected in India, at least if they work for a BPO! Bangalore is wealthier per capita than most other parts of India, but unnecessary tragedies keep happening in the news regarding women traveling alone.
The problem is that enforcing rules in India is hard. Managers at companies will easily overlook safety rules to save time unless they are forced to comply, so force is a necessary component of safety. There was even talk from the women and child development ministry of jail time for executies who don’t comply with safety guidelines.
For safety its good to have the same driver every single day. The problem is when they need to be replaced due to having a sick day, or leaving the company. Replacement drivers account for a lot of the harrassment cases. Another issue is that many companies don’t check criminal records or background check employees. The sensible thing to do is to create an online database of drivers so that input could be added by passengers as to the quality of their service. The government or private enterprise could easily sponser such a program and hire a moderator for the database. Databases are not expensive and are highly effective ways to share information on the internet.
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