Indian Workers Encounter the Dark Side of Outsourcing

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK – Outsourcing of jobs to India has a dark side for workers taking those jobs from people in the U.S. and Europe.

Rajesh Mahapatra, a reporter for The Associated Press, in India provides a riveting look at the physical and psychological impact on some workers as they seek to deal with stress, long hours and other demands.

Could this mean companies such as IBM and Cisco might someday have to slow the massive investments they are making in that country?

“Call centers and other outsourced businesses like software writing, medical transcription and back-office work employ more than 1.6 million young men and women in India, mostly in their 20s and 30s, who make much more than their contemporaries in most other professions,” Mahapatra wrote.

“They are, however, facing sleep disorders, heart disease, depression and family discord, according to doctors and several industry surveys.”

In fact, things have gotten so bad that a consulting firm dealing with stress-related issues is doing a booming business in Bangalore – also known as India’s Silicon Valley.

Mahapatra noted that the firm – called 1to1help.net – has more than 25 clients. Among them are IBM, Intel and HP.

"There are times when the stress is so overwhelming that they fail to cope with it,” Archana Bisht, the founder of the consulting firm, told Mahapatra.

“Then they come to us.”

Issues include marital problems due to workers’ long hours, sleep disorders, stress, eyesight and diet.

The problem is widespread, according to a survey from Dataquest magazine and consulting firm IDC.

“About 32 percent of respondents complained of sleep disorders; 25 percent had digestive troubles; and 20 percent reported eyesight problems, the survey said. It covered 1,749 employees at 19 outsourcing companies,” Mahapatra wrote.

Mahapatra’s story is truly fascinating. Check out the complete report at the International Herald Tribune.