What Is It Like to Work in an Outsourcing Company?

Employment in the BPO industry hit an all-time high in August last year, reaching over the one-million mark. This isn’t surprising. The BPO industry in the country has seen tremendous growth in both revenue and employment for the past decade, expanding ten times over since 2004. Revenues grew from US$1.3 billion in 2004 to US$13.3 billion in 2013.  This growth trend, seen with an average growth of 20% annually, is forecasted to hit US$25 billion in total revenue by 2016. This makes it a very stable industry to gain employment from.

The BPO industry is known to hire a large number of employees at a time, attracting both new college graduates and mid-level career executives. Have you ever wondered what it is like to work in an outsourcing company? We provide a brief background on what you can expect.

Your working hours are not confined to an 8 to 5 schedule.

You might have to work on shifts, odd hours or during holidays. Since the BPO industry services clients outside the country, chances are there will be times that you will need to work during your client’s time zones.

Does this sound like a bad thing? Not necessarily.

There are people who actually like to work on night shifts as this kind of schedule allows them to be with their families or study (if they still go to school or are continuing their education). This type of arrangement is also not permanent. Shifts are usually done in three eight-hour shifts so you will have a choice to work on day shifts too if that’s what you prefer. There are some that even allow you to work from home on certain days of the week and there are those that operate on a flexible time schedule – as long as you complete eight hours of work in a day, you can come in the office up to a certain time during the day.

BPO companies affirm work-life balance.

Given that you work odd hours, BPO companies still advocate for work-life balance. The HR department regularly carries out events that invite employees and their families to work like Family Day or Bring Your Kids to Work week. They advocate wellness programs too. They know the health hazards of working night shifts so they regularly conduct health check-ups and organize sports tournaments to encourage physical activity and fitness among their employees.

You are handsomely compensated.

This is the primary reason why BPO job opportunities are very attractive. The pay is very competitive compared to other industries and you receive generous benefits like premium health insurance, life insurance, company stock shares and bonuses for excellent performance, depending on your client’s initiatives.

You are assured of a stable, long-term job.

Most people mistake BPO work opportunities as temporary or transitional jobs. If you are looking for a long-term career that can offer you vast career promotions, this is the industry to be in today. The BPO industry maintains its strength in the country and as more international companies are finding ways how to lower operational costs without sacrificing quality of service delivery, outsourcing will be the primary solution. It isn’t seen to go away anytime soon, especially since Filipino talent and work ethics are known globally to be outstanding and world-class.

You have access to excellent career growth opportunities.

Career growth opportunities are abundant in BPO companies – from leadership, training (education), technical and workforce management, you are given the chance to decide your career path and where you want to grow. And if you perform really well, you might even get a chance to be trained overseas, in your client’s country. It is also not unusual to have team leaders who are young – they don’t look at tenure but at how you have performed since joining the company. If you play your cards right, you can easily go to the top in a few years’ time.

You are exposed to global business brands.

Services are done for leading global companies so you become well versed in the industry and technology of clients you support. On the job training is not unusual so you are also exposed to advantageous travel opportunities.

You most often have an open-door work policy.

You don’t really work in an uptight, rigid work environment. Most have a laid-back, no work uniform policy. The culture is very open-minded taking after the working environment countries their clients are based in. Diversity is encouraged and not frowned upon. People are comfortable with embracing differences – you are encouraged to be comfortable with your skin!

Work offers several career development programs and immense learning opportunities.

Companies usually offer personality and career development programs – depending on the area you are interested in – all for free. The companies also provide international certifications for the industry trained in.

BPO companies usually prefer to promote from within so they invest in their employees. They equip them with skills so they have the ability to grow their career to team leads, country managers and even EVPs. Some even provide loans for employees to complete their degree while working, or are open to adjusting working schedules if they want to continue with their education outside the training programs they offer (Master’s Programs and training certificates).

If you are interested in starting a career in the BPO industry, think of it as a long-term career. Envision where you want to see yourself five years from now and work from there. Expose yourself to the right career environment and grab learning opportunities that let you acquire new skills. You are the only one that can limit or expand your career growth in the timeframe you want, in this industry.