The brutal rape and murder of a female BPO employee in Bangalore and subsequent protests by IT-ITES employees in the city, complaining of lack of security for employees -- especially women, while commuting to and fro work at odd hours -- has put the industry on the defensive and it is reviewing employees' security.
The fast-growing industry that stands at about $17 billion today, according to a Nasscom-McKinsey report and employs over 350,000 people of which a little less than half are female workers, is insisting that that it has stringent checks and procedures in place.
Wipro BPO, for instance, delineating its transport security practices says the company ensures background checks, interview and training for drivers. The company's vehicles have two-way radios installed in cabs and a 24-hour transport helpdesk number is available for employees to call in.
"We make sure that there are security escorts in every cab. In some cabs we also have women security guards," says T K Kurien, CEO, Wipro BPO adding, "Routing is done in such a way that the first person to be picked up and the last person to be dropped is always a male.
However, a female employee working with Convergys says security guards are asleep most of the time. "Besides they are wispy looking men, the last people you would trust your life with," she quips.
A senior agent with American Express, however, insists that the guards in the cab do act as a deterrent if someone is trailing them. "I think psychologically at least it makes us safe."
However an employee of Vertex BPO recalls the advice given to new recruits during induction. "We were told not too get pally with the the driver and be alert."
"It is advisable to check for the company's identity stickers and the card of the driver before boarding the cab. Employees on their part tend to be callous and overlook these instructions," says an HR coordinator with BPO who looks into training.
"Though their are strict instructions against picking up any strangers on the route, often cabs do that and it goes unreported," says one of the managers at Convergys BPO.
Another issue is that of overspeeding. "Though no one will admit it there is pressure on drivers to race at high speeds to ensure greater number of trips," he adds.
The police insist that their vigil and procedures are tight. "We have a system in place to verifiy drivers, which is similar to that of domestic servants. It takes from a few days to a maximum of 2-3 weeks to verify their credentials. Their photographs and fingerprints are recorded," says Hanif Qureshi, SSP of Gurgoan.
"Keeping in mind the special needs of women, lady cops too maintain night vigil and can call up a help-line. Police cars patrol the city-streets between 11 pm and 5 am, he adds.
He says 'interactions' with BPO drivers are in the offing where they will be informed that they are 'being watched.'
"While the incident is unfortunate, the episode should be seen as a crime. Her being a BPO employee is incidental," says a senior manager with one of the top BPO in Gurgoan, a major hub of the BPO industry.
But as the female employee from Convergys puts it: "It's a choice that people in the BPO have made. Odd hours have inherent risks. Frankly it's an occupational hazard."
NASSCOM President Kiran Karnik, while expressing regret over the incident in Bangalore, has said: "We need to look into what are the lessons that we have to learn from this incident."
"We would like to create further best practices or anything else we can do to make sure our people are safe and secure in general," he said.