Pune BPOs to have Nasscom code of conduct

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PUNE, INDIA: Business Process Outsourcing (BPOs) of the city today got together under the aegis of Nasscom to discuss and formulate a common code of conduct for security.

Pune would have the first such regional 'Best Practices Committee' with companies like Zensar, IBM Daksh, Wipro, WNS and Serwizsol.

The committee will work on strengthening workplace-related policies and standards with the main thrust on physical security of BPO employees.

This code of conduct is a common documentation that would capture industry best practices and policies for a secure workplace and for employee risk mitigation.

About 95 per cent of the Pune BPO fraternity is part of this code of conduct.

The code of conduct covers security during the commute, transportation, security vendor selection, in-premise security, audits, minimum quality criteria for cab drivers besides vendors or agencies and employee communication, said Ganesh Natarajan, Nasscom vice chairman and deputy CMD, Zensar.

He added that what is needed however is a national consensus on security, as this is not just an issue of a particular organization but one that includes employees, citizens, government and general law and order status.

Commenting on the role of law and order in this new initiative, Hiren Kulkarni, VP and head of Zensar BPO said that while government is taking cognizance with measures like Police self-defence training for women, a lot more is expected from the authorities.

"At the end of the day security is a function of the ratio of police personnel to the population."

BPOs, as they shared, however are looking at new measures instead of heavy technology investments only for ensuring security.

Pepper spray, which for instance, Zensar BPO is implementing, self-defence techniques and utmost emphasis on last male drop seemed more feasible mechanisms than GPS.

HR heads of some BPOs gave their opinions. GPS is not very cost-effective and rather an expensive proposition as there are utilization issues, user training, high dependence on vendor for rigorous maintenance and technical reasons.

Discounting the possibility of women chauffeurs and escorts as of now, Kulkarni said that it is a good idea but it would only take care of the cab part of security.

"It might raise other security concerns with so many women in one cab. The cab driver then should be well versed in defence."

The rape and murder of Jyoti Chaudhury spurred this initiative. An employee with Wipro Spectramind in Pune, she was allegedly assaulted sexually and killed, and her body was later found off the Mumbai-Pune highway in November 2007.

BPO as an industry comprises about 40 per cent female employees and 70 per cent employees in night or off-noon shifts.

After a meeting in April the code of conduct under the Nasscom BPO HR Best Practices forum will be extended across BPOs and cities nationwide.




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