Fun office environment no fun

Rajit Gangadharan thought his dream had come true when a call centre offered him an attractive job soon after he finished a bachelor´s degree in commerce. With shopping coupons, free passes to entertainment shows, a fun office environment and a decent salary, his work involved dealing with customers located thousands of miles away. But the dream soured for the 24-year-old when he began to see the dark side of his cool job: long night shifts, irregular eating habits, and few opportunities to meet his old friends.

"Social life is nil in such a job, as you spend 10 to 12 hours at the office at nights and then spend the rest of the day sleeping while others around you are active," Gangadharan said. International call centres provide cheap English-speaking workers and high-speed telecoms to provide customer service helplines for companies around the world. The sector is forecast to grow a stunning 54 percent. But managing body clocks and the monotony spell trouble. In a recent survey, corporate researcher NFO found that managing the expectations of a young workforce was the main challenge. "People are invariably joining with the hope that six months down the line they have moved up the ladder and are no longer doing what they are doing," said Abraham Karimpanal, a senior official at NFO.

"People face personality disorders, as they are living in one environment and dealing with another," said Arjun Vaznaik, chief operating officer at Tracmail. Most call centre employees assume American-sounding names and carefully hide their location and true identities.

"A stress-related job and bad dietary habits are a lethal combination, which makes this sector susceptible to lifestyle-related diseases," said consultant Sheela Krishnaswamy, managing partner at Nutrition Information Counselling and Health Education.