A KILLER CALLED B O S S!!

A KILLER CALLED BOSS

THE HUMAN body is biologically tuned to work in a 24-hour rhythmic cycle. Our biological clock says - work during day and sleep during night. This rhythmic cycle is however turned on its head by call centre schedules where most of the work happens during nights. Such working cycles wreak havoc in the lives of employees working in BPOs. With the outsourcing boom showing no signs of slowing down, young men and woman are making the best of it in the form of lucrative pay packages for minimum qualifications and skills. They all start off with lots of enthusiasm, but the initial fervour dies as soon as reality sinks in. Behind the ultra-glamorous image, there is plenty of disenchantment. Working repetitively in the graveyard shift takes its toll on the body and mind and the employees can easily become victims of an ailment called BOSS - Burn-Out Stress Syndrome. Though this is more prominent among employees in call centre jobs, people in other jobs are also not immune from it.

The knock-on effect

Physical symptoms like chronic fatigue, indigestion, weight gain and insomnia are part of the disease. As physician Pankaj Taneja says, `The awry work hours affect the biological clock of the employees, affecting almost all their physical systems. People lose their sleep and appetite due to abnormal working hours. They contract acidity and other gastro-intestinal disorders like constipation.'
Lack of physical exercise coupled with consuming oily snacks and excessive caffeine intake increases the problem.
There is a lack of social and family interaction due to reverse time schedules where one has to leave for work when the others come home. Personal life suffers and often leaves the employee alienated from family and friends. Work schedules in sync with holidays of the overseas head office brings further isolation from the family. The alienation from the family can lead to nervous disorders like memory loss and lack of focus, which affect the quality of work. Work hard, party harder becomes the mantra to release stress and break the monotony. Added to this, the inherent pressures of working in a BPO like competition, peer-pressure and high work targets make employees turn to substance abuse and intermittent job-hops. With the call centres requiring employees to assume an on-the-job personality, there can be a feeling of loss of identity as workers relate more and more to their assumed personality.

Solution is within reach

As the BOSS syndrome threatens to spread and assume greater proportions, employers and employees of the BPOs have to join hands to fight the threat and salvage the situation. As writer Saikat Chakraborty elucidates, `The Indian BPO industry must realise that to keep growing, it must keep not only its customers but also its employees happy'. Some measures include:

• Provide de-stressing zones like in-house gymnasiums, fun areas, weekend parties, etc, to combat work-related stress.
• Make arrangements to provide healthy food to employees
• Offer support to the staff by organising frequent breaks, mandatory vacations and medical assistance through on-call doctors.
• Stress-management and personal counselling sessions to help employees.
• Dr Jitendra Nagpal, Consultant Psychiatrist, Vidyasagar Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (VIMHANS) advices, `Guidance about physical and mental coordination to synchronise the body clock and maximise brain-body potential to meet the demands of a call centre job is necessary'.
• Establish welfare committees as forums for employees to voice their concerns and to redress grievances.

Self-help

The employees themselves should heed the writing on the wall before it is too late and should:

• Exercise regularly to keep themselves fit
• Practice yoga or meditation to relax the mind
• Eat healthy and take short but frequent breaks to recharge their batteries
• Do not bite off more than they can chew when it comes to work.
• Do not take on more work when already overloaded
• Take proper rest and also seek co-operation and support from family and friends
• Maintain work-life balance by making time for socialising and hobbies
• Never sacrifice educational goals for a job that looks apparently exciting
• Remember that a call-centre job may provide only a short-term experience.

PAYAL CHANANIA