Dehumanization in the BPO Industry.

[RhosAn_Morbid]

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Dehumanization would take place if the employees are already abused with their human rights and against the labor code.
Certain companies would need to have different shifts to support their different customers.
Even government approved a bill on contractual employees to give chance to others kuno.
Call center companies or let us say BPO firms answers the need of the Filipino nowadays, our main asset as Filipino's are hardworking people day and night, take for example in MEPZ firms,that's why business people engage in those areas because we comply to our outside customers. In some companies in the US they don't have nightshift but here in the Philippines we have, kita ang ni agad sa atong counterparts para naa tay trabaho.Same as call center agents scenario.
They don't even wear uniforms there,just business attire lang, kita diri must gyud ang uniforms.

Safety would need to be address to the authorities para for the people who works during night and even early morning shifts.
What is just unfair with our government why some prestigous companies do not open business here in the philippines its because of the politicians, everybody wants to have a slice of the pie, we could have better investors here if it wasnt for the dirty politics.
BPO firms are already aware of this, like the BIgfoot-Radaza issue before regarding taxes,etc..

Some of these politicains are the main dehumanizers...

[BeoR]

All of the points that you have pointed out are happening everywhere and not just in BPO companies. Insane work hours? Go to colon/manalili... most of the people employed there work at least 10-12 hours a day / 6 days a week (in some cases 7 days a week) and are being paid below minimum wage. Layoffs / forced leaves? Tour around, they are happening everywhere. Among all of the industries around these days who gives the best benefits and best average pay? BPO's.

Everything revolves around the principle of supply and demand. Take the furniture industry for example... 2-3 years ago, the number of employees in the industry were at least twice the number today. I guess you can easily tell that the rest of those have been layed off. The BPO industry is not exempted. If you don't like where you are right now, find a better employer. If you think that the BPO industry sucks so much, work for a company outside the industry. Just don't generalize based on your personal experience. Everywhere you go, there is always a risk. Remember that they operate a business and not a charity.

[Velvett]

Tell that to the agents who were regular subjects of mass lay-offs and inhumane overtime. Its better to speak the ills than live on quixotic remark that is rather more sweeping "dreams can be realized in call centers".

i acknowledge the fact taht there are unfair practices in the industry. but then again, we cannot make a sweeping generalization.

ako dili ko mo generalize nga ang BPO industry dehumanizing. mag negosyo man kaha ta ug bpo, so ma apil ra gihapon ta sa industriya eventually. you dont want to become a victim of your own words. you will be hiring call center agents, you dont want to give the message that their work is dehumanizing do you?

think long-term mga bro. the industry is not your enemy. unfair practices are everywhere...it can even be YOUR practice when you get to have your own bpo firm someday, but i believe it wont be so.

[RhosAn_Morbid]

I agree with you...its all purely business....mao kita tanan magtrabaho o bisan pa magtukod ug atoang company

Kung buot hunahunaon, the BPO industry nowadays are one of the top ten companies nga gabuhi aning atong government.
Remember that the working class is automatically deducted with withholding taxes, dili gyud katugpa sa atong mga palad diretso sa government.Dehumanization happens if we allow ourselves to that situation, but this could not be tolerated sometimes we just don't feel or notice that we are already being dehumanize.

[victor3]

The theme is Dehumanization in the BPO industry and not BPO is dehumanizing. Gi-sangyaw lang diri ang mga panghitabo nga hapit na matabonan sa call center euphoria. Peligro man gud nga ang puro nalang “maayo” ang isangyaw kay wala nalang siguro’y motiwas og college kun mao na.

And besides, as you guys acknowledged, naa sad gyud di maayo nga practices ning BPO firms sama sa kinalit nga lay-offs ug pinugos nga overtime. You cant force people to speak, hear, and see no evil ilabi na nga saksi sila sa panghitabo ug valid pod ilang point. Di nato masolbad ang problema ana. Wala man ta nag-ingon nga ang solution is to outlaw BPO firms. Ang solution diri as the article concluded is to enact laws og agencies nga mo-police sa ani nga trend sa industriya.

Yes BeORs, its purely business pero ang pangutana, lisensya nalang ba diay na ang pag-negosyo para mopadayon sa social injustices? I already belonged to a different industry sa agri sector. And like BPO industry, naa pod siya'y faultlines. Bisag may bag-o nako nga employer di gihapon ko uyon sa sugyot nga balhin og lain employer if your current employer "sucks". I cant simply turn my backs against to where i came from kay murag wala na'y pulos ato pagka citizen ana. Lets face the problem and suggest solutions instead of runningaway from it.

Lastly, just because nahitabo ang dehumanization sa colon rustbelt and furniture sweatshops, dili buot pasabot nga accepted nalang sad na nga mahitabo sa call centers kay lagi “maayo” man ang sweldo. Tabla ra na og muingon ta nga “bahalag Amerikano ang modala sa ato nasod, total dato man.”

Colonial mentality in the current historical context.

[victor3]

unfair practices are everywhere...it can even be YOUR practice when you get to have your own bpo firm someday, but i believe it wont be so.

i hope this will not end up as a real sweeping generalization

[BeoR]

You're not getting my point. Whether you like it or not, the business must be able to sustain itself to survive. If they were being operated as charities, they won't last long. You still didn't address Velvett's question, why single out the BPO industry? You could have simply generalized your article and not single out the BPO industry... and even if you didn't, a business still has to do what needs to be done to be sustainable. There's really nothing we can do about that fact. It's a never-ending cycle. There are contracts to be signed. If you don't like the terms, don't sign it. It's as simple as that.

Colonial mentality? Not really... think both ways. I just presented facts and they weren't in any way presented as a way to justify the acceptance of the "dehumanizing factors" that you mentioned. You came up with your own conclusions without even dissecting the whole context of my argument. Again, it's just supply and demand.

[taga_ipil]

Call Center? Band-Aid nga project sa Gobiyerno!

[victor3]

You're not getting my point. Whether you like it or not, the business must be able to sustain itself to survive. If they were being operated as charities, they won't last long.

Clear and simple to get. Your point is that business is a going-concern regardless of its spill-over effects to individuals. My point is that we continue doing business, but we must at least do something to the ongoing mistreatment of employees. Of course BPOs must not be reduced to charitable institutions, that’s a stupid idea. The cost for improving the plight of BPO workers I think is not really that much to eat up the profit margin or make BPOs continue operating at break-even point.

You still didn't address Velvett's question, why single out the BPO industry? You could have simply generalized your article and not single out the BPO industry... and even if you didn't, a business still has to do what needs to be done to be sustainable. There's really nothing we can do about that fact. It's a never-ending cycle. There are contracts to be signed. If you don't like the terms, don't sign it. It's as simple as that.

Its because this is a BPO thread. LytSlpr suggested starting a new thread for other working class sectors. If we lump different categories together into one discussion the result would only be a buzzin confusion and diluted points. Sorry for pigeonholing but I think it’s necessary so that we can analyze clearly the specific situation and come up with specific solution for this specific industry. We can do something about it BeOrs, just minor enactment of laws which I think doesn’t hurt or interfere much in the supply-demand chain.

[chingoy112233]

This is really an interesting thread!

I was once part of the system and i refused to be part of it so I resigned. You would need a lot of courage to do it. I knew I would be having hard time getting another job, but I get by.

I have batchmates in the industry who still struggles, trying to meet the end. Even if they are as what they call "regular employees", they are still not being protected by the regularization. Getting an unsatisfactory rating from a customer after that customer is a given survey of the representative's performance could give that representative a probationary status and it doesn't matter if that representative works there for years. JUST A DSAT --- poof! You will be under closed scrutiny and another unsatisfactory rating, bye-bye JOB! Better send your resumes to other call centers in preparation for the upcoming lay off.