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Infinitely Over-lapped

Reading the last line in the news item on white collar job burnt out in America due to outsourcing hit a raw nerve

"We can be the ones who put in the overlap time," Gupta said. "These types of schedules are baked into India's DNA. We have to earn our money somehow."

Having played on both sides of the out-sourcing game I know the score. I have had team members in US show up past 10:00 a.m. EST with the Indian side waiting on them to start a status meeting. To add insult to injury these slackers are Indians who are aware of concerns that are implicit with a woman in India staying at work well past mid-night.

I have called the woman to make sure she had transportation arranged and that she would be safe going home at that late hour. I have felt a storm of guilt rage inside when I heard her say meekly "Yes, I will be fine" I happen to know that she lives with her in-laws and has a one-year old. I want to tell her I've been there done that and I know it's anything but fine.

When the pattern of late morning (EST) meetings seemed inevitable I contacted the offshore program liaison to voice my concerns about the woman being required to stay that late for her ten minute update to the team. "Can you guys have her conference in from home ?" With offshore unwilling to pick the tab for international calls from our end that was my only option. He told me they were exploring the possibilities. Needless to say nothing changed or moved past "exploratory".

Outsourcing outfits do themselves a great disservice when they decide "We have to earn our money somehow." It is reflected in every aspect of the engagement. They agree to meet impossible dead-lines, do not re-negotiate effort estimates when scope is significantly changed fearing retribution, agree to put in all the over-lap time - in a nut-shell do anything it takes to earn the client's business.

By the time the deal is inked their availability 24/7 is a foregone conclusion. Cost being the only differentiator between different vendors can make the game dangerously cut-throat. The victims are obviously much further down the food-chain than the deal-makers themselves.

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Heartcrossings said…
SSM - Unless there are several metrics for vendor differentiation apart from cost the "I'll jump higher that the next guy. Try me" will continue. In the end they all loose and work likely moves on to Vietnam :-)
1:22 PM
Priyamvada_K said…
"The victims are obviously much further down the food-chain than the deal-makers themselves."

Sad...and the victims include families too!

Priya.
4:59 PM
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