IT Sweatshops Breaking Indians

[MORTARDUDE]

IT Sweatshops Breaking Indians


By Manu Joseph

02:00 AM Jul. 11, 2003 PT

MUMBAI, India -- Outsourcing tech jobs to India has caused turmoil for workers in the United States and Europe. But it seems it's causing turmoil for Indians, as well.

An estimated 50,000 young English-speaking Indians who work in call centers here are exposed to a host of health problems. They are usually in their early 20s, just out of college and up all night answering tech calls.


Because of the time difference between India and the United States, the work day for these workers starts late in the evening and extends until dawn. Such odd work hours have brought on a host of health problems including digestive diseases, hair loss, back pain and stress.

"Two call center workers have suffered miscarriages," said Gurvinder Singh Bindra, a senior-level manager at Indus Teleservices, which employs about 250 workers earning $160 to $300 per month. "Some girls develop menstrual problems. Orthopedic problems and sharp increase in smoking are common features. I would also attribute extramarital affairs in call centers to the odd working hours, though it's my personal observation. When the husband comes home the wife is asleep. When the wife comes home the husband is asleep."

Some even claim assuming a foreign accent for long periods causes sore throats.

"We do try to make life better for the workers by buying specially designed chairs and improving the overall work environment," said Nirupama Hukku, who used to work at Indus Teleservices as a training consultant. "But there is no alternative to a good night's sleep.

"I don't feel fresh even after eight to 10 hours of sleep in the day. It makes you some kind of recluse at times, creating issues in relationships. You are never awake when others are, so no one can talk to you."

Laxmikant Purohit, a 34-year-old services manager at SoftTel Information Services who works from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m., says he suffers from constipation and acid stomach. In the past eight months he has put on 29 pounds, he said.

"It's difficult to have a positive outlook toward life because everything seems dark and gloomy when you work at ungodly hours," he said. "It's the first month that is the most terrible. One or two weeks after joining, new recruits throw up in the middle of work."

At Infowavz, absenteeism on some days is as high as 8 percent. "On an average it is 5 percent," said the call center facility's President Vineet Mittal. Infowavz has introduced concepts like a "fun officer," whose job is to spot employees who look a bit down and try to entertain them with jokes.

"I believe call centers should do all they can to improve the lives of those who work there," Mittal said. That's why even though 10 out of 12 Infowavz clients are American, the firm never demanded that its workers perfect their American accents.

"Some call centers ask their agents, as the floor workers are called, to practice speaking English with a marble placed below the tongue to imitate the American accent better," Mittal said.

Apart from the health hazards, there is a minor social embarrassment attached to a distinct American accent slipping out of an Indian mouth. Some call center workers are so consumed by the accent they employ at work that they accidentally take it home, only to be ridiculed by their near and dear. Manish Raut, 26, who works at Transworks, said he takes great care to return to his normal Indian English accent with friends.

"But I cannot do anything about the fact that I fall ill for one or two days on a regular basis. Since I work from 10:30 p.m. to 7:30 a.m., my whole biological system has gone for a toss. I have a proper meal just once a day. If I eat well at night I feel sleepy. And in the day I am fast asleep."

Not surprisingly, the attrition rate is high in the call center business. Thirty to 40 percent of the workers quit in a year. But they are quickly replaced because there are enough English-speaking youngsters in India available for jobs that pay $160 to $300 per month.

They will learn not to call it easy money.