Pros and Cons of Working in a BPO?
A major chunk of the nation's youth population works in the BPO sector these days. Fluency in English coupled with good communication skills are primary skills to survive here.
One of the most important factors for the growing popularity of these type of job roles is the fact that the academic qualifications that are required here are pretty minimal (in most cases class 12th pass) and a major fraction of the youth population of the country is eligible for jobs here.
Now, the work culture in a BPO is pretty different from that in a typical government office or corporate workplace. This raises a lot of doubts in the minds of people about these workplaces.
Naturally, there is a lot of impending curiosity about the same (particularly amongst those people who have never worked in the BPO sector themselves).
Advantages of BPO Careers
Good Remuneration
The pay structure in BPOs is higher than that of most other sectors that employ people with a mere undergraduate degree. Industry standards dictate that a fresher candidate starts off with a salary that is somewhere between INR 10,000 to INR 15,000. Other than the basic salary, these employees get a lot of other perks and benefits like house rent allowance, night shift allowance, etc. Thus, if you want to make a lot of money with minimum educational qualifications, then this is exactly where you should be.
Other Incentives
Call centre employees are often sent offshore to US, UK or Australia to complete their training process. This seems to be a welcome measure for many people. In most other professions, it takes years to get an opportunity to go on-site. In the BPO sector, it is relatively easy to get those opportunities. Other than that, since most of the work here requires candidates to work in shifts, they get complementary commute between their homes and their place of work. Women employees even get escort services. Moreover, skills like customer handling, Microsoft Office skills and others are things that are nurtured and developed in this profession.
Relatively Higher Growth Rate
As high as the initial pay package is, the rate of growth here is even higher. Irrespective of whether they are serving domestic clients or international ones, most of the BPOs have internal promotions. In such cases, with due experience and quality work, you will be promoted to supervisory positions with higher job duties and subsequently higher pay.
In such cases, you may also choose to work from home on an occasional basis. In due course of time, you may also be given the opportunity to switch amongst the various domains of BPOs (this is applicable only for candidates working in larger BPOs).
Flexibility
The main skill set that is required in this job is that of spoken English. Hence, candidates who are actually studying some other course and need some additional income to sustain themselves can take to this profession. It is also a suitable career option for people who are unable to obtain jobs in their field of study. This profession does not really care about your academic background or your grades. It is your efficiency at work and your dedication to work hard that will take you places here. ·
Disadvantages
Work-Life Balance
Most of the BPOs function in a client environment which would require agents in India to work as per the timings of the US, UK or Australia. This means frequent night shifts or early morning shifts as the normal working hours. In either case, this type of work schedule is bound to hamper an individual's work-life balance.
Difficulty In Shifting Professions
These days, it is a common practise, after having obtained a certain degree of experience in a particular field or profession, people switch to some other career path. In this era of multitasking, such an initiative is considered to be a welcome step. In such a situation, candidates who work in a BPO are at a disadvantage as compared to their peers in other professions. This is because, with mere BPO experience (and no additional job-centric certifications in place), it will be very difficult for an individual to switch to some other career path.
Health Issues
Not only is the work life in a BPO highly monotonous in nature, but it also takes a toll on your health. Most of the work here involves sitting in front of the computer and speaking over headphones. This type of a thing is not good either for your ears or your eyes. Working in such an environment for years on end leads to long-term health complications in an individual. This includes gastric problems, hormonal imbalance and sleep disorders amongst other things.
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