STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT :
INDUSTRY : BPO
INTRODUCTION :
What is BPO?
A business process outsourcing firm, commonly known as a
BPO company, is an external organization that is recruited to
perform a business operation or process using the BPO
company's staff and technical resources. It is affiliated with
numerous enterprises such as products, telecommunications,
and business services.
What is lower level management in BPO?
BPO management's goal is to oversee its outsourcing needs and
improve its work flow. This is where lower-level managers are
utilized. Despite being at the bottom of the hierarchy in the
chain of command, Lower-level management represents the
operational level and acts as a link between the management
and the operational laborers. They are primarily responsible for
supervising and inspecting all activities in order to control them.
One if its example is the Human Resources Manager or HR
Manager.
What is Human Resource Manager its Role?
The Human Resource Manager role in the company is to plan,
direct, and coordinate the administrative functions of an
organization. Their duty is to oversee the recruiting,
interviewing, and hiring of new staff; consult with top
executives on strategic planning; and serve as a link between
an organization’s management and its employees. Many
businesses use human resource management (HRM) because
of the benefits it provides. However, various challenges and
issues may arise in front of human resource managers while
performing their duties.
ISSUES encountered by HR Managers :
1. Facilitating a comfortable work culture
- Some business process work can get repetitive. It’s
up to the HR Department to provide employees some relief
from their work throughout the week. Other problems may
also arise in the workplace that HR managers must handle to
ensure their employees are comfortable. For example, this can
include conflict resolutions or issues with the office
infrastructure.
Solution :
- HR can foster a positive work culture to ensure employees are
motivated and happy. They can implement things like team
building, healthy competitions , lighthearted workplace
occasions such as Icebreakers and games, and office initiatives
that encourage goodwill among staff.
This can help create a positive employee experience.
HR managers should also look out for stressors in the
workplace and offer solutions for example, If employees are
becoming frustrated with old hardware, replacing it with new
technology could make them happier and more productive.
2. Employee Attrition
The requirement to regularly replace employees who leave is
one of the biggest and most consistent issues faced by HR
managers in BPO firms. A high attrition rate is caused by a
variety of factors (voluntary or involuntary), including job
hopping, poor conditions in the work place, termination,
retirement, or death.
Solution :
Employee turnover rates will be reduced and overall job
satisfaction will increase with effective HR practices and
benefits. HR managers just need to concentrate on employee
requirements and satisfaction while fostering a motivated
environment. Every BPO industry should always prioritize
keeping its agents engaged and motivated. BPOs are constantly
concerned about agent attrition, but lower turnover rates can
be accomplished with the correct motivation, recognition, and
training programs in place. Building a culture centered on agent
success is the first step in the process.
3. Finding a suitable candidate for the job
Finding a suitable candidate for the job from a large number of
applicants is a basic problem for the human resource manager.
They have to make suitable changes from time to time in the
selection procedure and see to it that the candidate is up to the
mark fulfilling the job requirements.
Solution :
The HR must be responsible to choose the right applicant,
he/she should check all the background and experience
including the behavior of the applicant. Also, the HR should be
base on the dedication of the applicant to work in their
company.
If required, the applicant should be provided with training even
if they already have experience to the specific work that they
applied, just to get more quality result.
4. Poor Reputation of the Industry
People frequently have negative perceptions of working in BPO,
believing it to be unpleasant work or an unwise career path.
This is a challenge that HR professionals will most likely face
when recruiting and retaining employees.
Solution :
- Ensuring a positive work environment
- Communicating the benefits of working in BPO to potential
and current employees
- Allowing flexible work schedules
- Offering competitive benefits
5. Providing Constant training
New BPO employees require training from or before day one to
produce high-quality work. Additionally, existing employees
may need ongoing training opportunities. This helps improve
your competitive advantage in the industry. However, training
can be time-consuming and costly, especially if the rate of
attrition is high. Companies can lose money when employees
quit after receiving training. Aside from the need for constant
training and cost of this, you might be unable to find relevant,
process-specific training and certifications offered by a thirdparty company. This means you may have to put it together
yourself.
Solution :
The HR team can develop resources to ensure employees are
prepared for their jobs. Creating resources like instructional
documents or tutorial videos can give employees something to
refer back to. This way, managers won’t have to repeat the
same information multiple times.
They should ideally do this in conjunction with other employee
retention strategies to minimize capital lost by training
employees who leave.