Thomas Friedman’s The World Is Flat Didn’t Predict This…

From the Register:

The India Times continues:

If the recent visual footage acquired from strategically placed cameras in a leading Mumbai-based business process outsourcing (BPO) unit showing a couple having sex in an office cubicle is anything to go by, workplace sex is no longer an aberration for most couples working in India’s sunrise sector. With work schedules stretching into long hours, and bonding happening between emotionally lonely employees, sex is just a manifestation for physical needs as two individuals try and seek a connection.

And what do the clients make of this? Well, According to BPO hotshot Prakash Toppo: “Since most of our customers are influential, they want cameras as they are dealing with a lot of sensitive information. For the couple caught in a sexually compromising situation, the one question that arises is why were they doing what they were doing in the office premises.”

We can answer that one for you Prakash: You spend 12-13 hours a day sitting in a room attempting to seek a connection with irate BT customers. After a while, your emotionally loneliness kicks in and you decide to seek a connection closer to home. Suddenly, in walks Ashish Gupta with a “let’s go to fourth base you call centre minx” look in his eye…

Anyone reading this who has recently outsourced his or her call centre operation to Mumbai should not, however, imagine that the BPO management is going to take this rampant promiscuity lying down. J Kalyanaraman, Human Resources supremo at HCL Comnet, asserts: “Filming is essential as it is in tune with keeping the faith of employees. It’s not a breach of employee privacy as there is a huge amount of customer-sensitive information involved, so it makes good sense to impose surveillance. First instances of compromising behaviour (kissing, smooching in the office premises) are let off with a stern warning as such kind of behaviour is similar to misuse of facilities given by the organisation and is therefore liable for punishment.”

Quite what this punishment is, we do not know, but it likely involves being locked into a secure cubicle for a month and put on conservatory sales cold-calling duty. Or worse – three months on the BT overdue bill roster. Cor blimey.

The world is …flat… indeed.

5 thoughts on “Thomas Friedman’s The World Is Flat Didn’t Predict This…”

  1. They’re obviously techies not marketing folks, or they’d realize that many customers would pay extra for the unedited feeds.

    This could also lead to new hiring policies and criteria…

  2. The answer: More outsourcing! Outsource your call center to India, then provide them access to Internet “adult services” to outsource the sex back to Los Angeles. (Along with the hepatitus and the sleazy personnel and other undesirable business liabilities.)

    They might not find that a satisfactory replacement for real sex, but it makes as much sense as discussing your technical problems with somebody who speaks 12 words of English.

  3. The punishment will be termination.There’s plenty more where they came from and an example will be made.

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