Republic of the Philippines

BOHOL ISLAND STATE UNIVERSITY

Main Campus
Tagbilaran City

Vision: A premier Science and Technology university for the formation of world class
and virtuous human resource for sustainable development in Bohol and the Country.
Mission: BISU is committed to provide quality higher education in the arts and
sciences, as well as in the professional and technological fields; undertake research
and development and extension services for the sustainable development of Bohol and
the country.

Name: Gilbeys D. Tangcawan, LPT, MATVE

Program: Doctor of Philosophy in Technology Management
Human Resources Issues and Concern in BPO Companies in the
Philippines and How to Address Them

It is my experience of more than 3 years, which I can say that a call

center job is mental torture for certain types. I have worked in different BPO
companies here in Bohol and Cebu while trying to finish my master’s and
doctoral degree. If you are a sensitive or creative person, steer clear.

Basically, being a call center worker is one step away from being an
automaton. Your ideas are not wanted. You are there only to perform a job that
requires a tiny bit of humanity. You will be tethered to a computer by a headset
and every second of your day will be monitored, recorded, measured and
analyzed. They will record and listen to your calls and provide "feedback." You
will be evaluated on consistency, grammar, tone of voice, accuracy of
information, speed of call, speed of handling the constantly changing software
applications and “adding value” (selling services to those who may not want or
need them). Your training will be minimal.

Reviews are subjective, regardless of what you are told. The level of burn-
out due to psychological stress is very high. Anxiety attacks, crying jags,
depression, rage and sleep problems are common. Illness due to physical stress
is also very high. Your ability to move around is limited. Bathroom breaks and
emergencies are deducted from your break times. Weight gain, heart problems,
high blood pressure, back, neck, ear and carpal tunnel issues are rampant.
The constant monitoring, the requirements to do everything ever faster, the
inability to move from place to place due to headset, and non-stop back to back
calls trigger a constant fight or flight response in most people. This usually
proves to be unbearable after a while for unmedicated individuals. The usage
among call center workers of mood enhancing drugs is status quo for survival.
You may be very happy on the phones. It depends on your psychological make-
up and or the quality of your drugs.

Ever since the first call center started its operations in the Philippines in
1992, the industry significantly contributed to the country’s Gross Domestic
Product (GDP). At present, 1.4 million Filipinos are currently employed in the
industry, according to the Contact Center Association of the
Philippines (CCAP). No wonder the Call Center Industry remains to be the
‘sunshine industry’ through the years. And yet, the rapid growth of the call
center activities in the Philippines comes with challenges that are experienced
by employees of the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) industry. It’s
important that we have an idea about the call center industry challenges that
are happening right now. This way, we can properly strategize how to address
these issues and create a more sustainable source of living for Filipinos.

Here are the most pressing call center industry challenges in the Philippines:

1. Low Employee Morale

In June 2015, call center employees from an international BPO company

began establishing employee unions. Employees claim that ‘there’s no other
way to fight back’ against unfair quotas and systematic termination done by
the company they belong in. The issue even caught the attention of
international media, like The Guardian, which published an investigative
story about it.

Despite that there are still BPO companies who disregard the importance of
employee morale.

In a survey done by Jobstreet in 2016, the Philippines’ largest job portal,

employees in the BPO Industry scored the lowest in the Happiness Index. And
for a country that’s said to have the happiest workforce in the world, that says
something.

How To Address This:

Empower them to genuinely help customers. Your agents will only rush
through calls and see their job as nothing but a number if you’ll only measure
their success based on call volume.

Build a culture where resolving issues and retaining customers are more
important than hitting numbers. Employee morale is high when there are job
satisfaction and optimism.

2.  Frequent Absenteeism
 A global study done by Dimension Data, the Philippines and the Asia-
Pacific region recorded higher incidents of agent absenteeism compared to
anywhere in the world. And yet, despite this, Filipino BPO employees were also
tagged as ‘more patient’ than those in other regions. Call centers in Asia also
scored 100 percent in customer satisfaction, which is higher than the global
score of 84.5 percent. The high absenteeism, in fact, is attributed to the
unconventional work schedules. It becomes more challenging for agents when
they don’t have a permanent shift. Graveyard work hours are considered odd
for the Filipino body clock. It also puts agents at risk of sleep disorders and
body pains. Yet, despite it all, many Filipinos still choose to work in the BPO
industry because of high salary, great company benefits, and the chance for a
good career.

How To Address This:

Improve your employee engagement strategies. It’s not all the time that your
employees will be motivated by money. Create new experiences for them.
Reward employees for a job well done. Make the office environment a fun place
to work in. Give them a reason to come to work every day, aside from the
standard pay they get. The truth is, whether in the BPO industry or not,
employees are motivated when they feel like their job has meaning.

3. High Attrition Rate

There are two types of employees who resign in a BPO company. The first
one is a job hopper, a person who transfers from one BPO company to another
in search of the ‘best offer.’ And the second one is an overseas worker, a person
who prefers to get a job in more developed countries like Singapore and
Malaysia. It’s only in the year 2017 when staff retention in the BPO industry
improved. But the years before that recorded as high as 80% attrition rate in
the industry. This remains to be a big industry challenge for many HR
professionals retaining top talents become a priority amidst digitalization.

How To Address This:

Understand why employees resign. And proactively do something about it.

In the Philippines, the most common reasons why call center agents resign are
the following:

 Lack of job fulfillment

 Better opportunities outside
 Unfair workload assignments
 Bad work environment
  Overly strict management
 Lack of appreciation

As an employer, part of your responsibility is to address these challenges. If

your people are leaving because of such reasons, chances are other employees
feel the same way, too. Don’t wait for the day they hand over their resignation
letters before you do something.

4. Upskilling or Reskilling Employees

Many companies in the Philippines have second thoughts in providing

training for employees because of the high attrition rate in the industry. And
because of this, making sure that your employees remain at the top of their
game is one of the major challenges that the industry is facing. The impact of
AI technology will produce more high-level jobs globally. And this would entail
high-level skills from BPO employees all over the world. [24]7.ai
Philippines President and Country Manager Jose Rienzi L. Ramirez said that
the future of the BPO industry will eventually evolve. Customer satisfaction will
require superior human intelligence and an efficient understanding of human
emotion. While Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology has now poised more
opportunities than threats, there’s still work that needs to be done.

How To Address This:

Provide digital proficiency training to your employees. Improve their skill sets.
Make them more valuable than AI assets. Train them to handle more complex
jobs and problem-solving responsibilities and leave the repetitive tasks to AI
technology. No matter how advanced automation could be, there will always be
tasks that only the human mind can do.

5. Employee Health Issues

The stressful nature of the job puts BPO employees in various health
risks. Graveyard shifts disrupt their work-life balance. Time difference affects
their psychological well-being. It makes them adapt to unhealthy habits that
can cause them serious health issues in the long run. This is one of the major
call center industry challenges faced by many BPO employees today. It is
common for call center agents to experience headaches, fatigue, eye strain,
back pain, and voice problems. But what most agents fail to realize is that
these can just be symptoms of bigger health issues. According to
the Department of Health (DOH) Former Secretary Paulyn Jean Rosell-Ubial,
BPO employees have a high tendency to counteract their job’s health risks with
unhealthy lifestyles and risky sexual behavior.
“These are all risk factors that can lead to serious health conditions, such as
respiratory tract infections, gastrointestinal diseases, obesity, diabetes,
cardiovascular diseases, and mental health diseases,” she added.

How To Address This:

Encourage health literacy among employees. Being in the BPO doesn’t mean

indulging in unhealthy habits in inevitable. Johnsohn & Johnsohn Philippines,
in partnership with DOH, started an advocacy campaign called ‘Voice Your
Care.’ The campaign aims to promote health and wellness through healthy
eating habits. The campaign specifically aims to inspire the BPO sector in the
Philippines to live healthily and excel in their field. This sparks smart
strategies on health literacy drive for BPO employees in the Philippines. Every
company has a duty to take care of their employees’ well-being. Adapting
strategies like J&J’s will give you a healthier and more productive workforce.