A MINOR PROJECT REPORT

ON
COMPARITIVE STUDY OF JOB STRESS ON EMPLOYEES IN CONVERGYS
& IBM.
SUBMITTED IN THE PARTIAL FULFILLMENT FOR THE AWARD OF
THE DEGREE OF BACHELOR IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF:

Mr.Nitin Goel
Assistant Professor
SUBMITTED BY:
Name of the Student: Ankit Aggarwal
Enrollment No.: 01080301712
BBA (II SHIFT), Semester III
Batch 2012- 2015

RUKMINI DEVI INSTITUTE OF ADVANCED STUDIES

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Category A+ Institute
High Grading 83% by Joint Assessment
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Approved by AICTE, HRD Ministry, Govt. of India
Affiliated to Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, Delhi
2A & 2B, Madhuban Chowk, Outer Ring Road, Phase-1, Delhi-110085
1

Table of Contents
Student declaration

Certificate of the guide

ii

Acknowledgment

iii

Executive summary

iv

Chapter I
Plan of the Study
1.1
1.2
1.3

Introduction to topic
Objective of the study
Literature review And/or Theoretical Background

Chapter II
Company Profile / Industry profile or details
Chapter III
Research Methodology
3.1 Research Methodology of the study
3.2 Sources of data
3.3 Method of data collection
Chapter IV
Data Analysis and Interpretation
Chapter V
Findings & Conclusions
Chapter VI
Suggestion/ Recommendation

BIBLIOGRAPHY

STUDENTs DECLARATION

This is to certify that I have completed the Project titled COMPARITIVE STUDY OF JOB
STRESS ON EMPLOYEES IN CONVERGYS & IBM under the guidance of Mr. Nitin
Goel in the partial fulfillment of the requirement for the award of the degree of Bachelor in
Business Administration from Rukmini Devi Institute of Advanced Studies, New Delhi.

This is an original work and I have not submitted it earlier elsewhere.

Name of the Student- ANKIT AGGARWAL

Enrolment No. - 01080301712
Class & Section- BBA II

CERTIFICATE OF GUIDE
This is to certify that the project titled Comparitive Study of Job Stress
on Employees in Convergys & IBM is an academic work done by
ANKIT AGGARWAL submitted in the partial fulfilment of the
requirement for the award of the degree of Bachelors in Business
Administration from Rukmini Devi Institute of Advanced Studies, New
Delhi. under my guidance and direction.

To the best of my knowledge and belief the data and information presented
by her in the project has not been submitted earlier elsewhere.

Name of the Faculty- Mr. Nitin Goel

Designation of the Faculty- Assistant professor, RDIAS
4

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I offer my sincere thanks and humble regards to Rukmini Devi Institute Of Advanced
Studies, GGSIP University, New Delhi for imparting us very valuable professional
training in BBA

I pay my gratitude and sincere regards to Mr. Nitin Goel, my project Guide for giving
me the cream of her knowledge. I am thankful to her as she has been a constant source of
advice, motivation and inspiration. I am also thankful to her for giving her suggestions
and encouragement throughout the project work.

I take the opportunity to express my gratitude and thanks to our computer Lab staff and
library staff for providing me opportunity to utilize their resources for the completion of
the project.

I am also thankful to my family and friends for constantly motivating me to complete the
project and providing me an environment which enhanced my knowledge.

Name of the Student- Ankit Aggarwal

Enrollment No. - 01080301712
Class & Section- BBA- II
5

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Now a day the corporate sector is booming in a high speed that the people have to work
for prolonged hours to maintain the standard of living and achieve their basic needs. So is
the condition in hospitals, colleges, BPOs and lots of other places. In spite of having the
modern technologies and facilities, people are feeling themselves to be work loaded and
stressed. deadlines to meet, changing priorities, longer working hours, e-mails,
commuting. Most of us are put under pressure to handle situations that are not lifethreatening but nevertheless provoke stress signals, thats why todays age is called The
Age of Anxiety and the century is called The Century of Stress.

A lot of research has been conducted into stress over the last hundred years. Some of the
theories behind it are now settled and accepted; others are still being researched and
debated.

The objectives of the study are:

To analyze the importance of stress management from the organizations point of view.

To understand the factors influencing job stress

To analyze the influence of job stress on job satisfaction

To prevent stress happening

To promote healthiness of employees as well as of their organization

To analyze the best practices adopted by the organizations CONVERGYS & IBM for
reducing stress.

To analysis the current stress strategies.

To recommend strategies for future course of action.

The research associated to my project is Descriptive research.

Descriptive research is more rigid than exploratory research and seeks to describe users of a
product, determine the proportion of the population that uses a product, or predict future
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demand for a product. As opposed to exploratory research, descriptive research should define
questions, people surveyed, and the method of analysis prior to beginning data collection. In
other words, the who, what, where, when, why, and how aspects of the research should be
defined.
It is analyzed from the questionnaire filled by the employees that the employees who have
scored more than 20 marks in the burnout test are not satisfied with the performance which
they give in the organization. Thus it is proved that the employees who are desired to give
better performance than their original performance are found more stressful than the others.
While at the same time the employ that have scored less than 20 marks in the burnout test are
satisfied with the performance. From the sample of 30 BPO employees who have been
surveyed, one is found to be a heart patient. This can be because of high level of stress. Very
rare of the employee are to be found suffering from depression.

In the second questionnaire one of the question was You have an important function at your
home and your boss asks to give a 4 hour over time what will be your response Yes or No?
the employees have given their opinion as per their mood. While considering the point of
view of entertainment it depends upon the mood of the employees. The entertainment is
considered one of the most ultimate solutions to reduce stress. Most of the employees do not
spend regular time in entertainment. This may be because they may not be getting time for
entertainment or they may not be interested in the same.

One of the questions was asked that were their social life balanced? It is observed that the
employees who have scored above 20 marks in the burnout test did not have their social life
balanced. Thus we can conclude that the employees who are above 20 dont have their social
life balanced. Thus it is proved that stress may affect our social life also.

Hence ,employees have reduced their stress by yoga therapy and other employees have just
started the yoga because of high level of burnout analysis which is done by the data received
from the questionnaire. So the accuracy of data depends upon the response of the employees.

CHAPTER- 1

OF

1.1 INTRODUCTION ON STRESS

Now a day the corporate sector is booming in a high speed that the people have to work for
prolonged hours to maintain the standard of living and achieve their basic needs. So is the
condition in hospitals, colleges, BPOs and lots of other places. In spite of having the modern
technologies and facilities, people are feeling themselves to be work loaded and stressed.
deadlines to meet, changing priorities, longer working hours, e-mails, commuting. Most of us
are put under pressure to handle situations that are not life-threatening but nevertheless
provoke stress signals, thats why todays age is called The Age of Anxiety and the
century is called The Century of Stress.
A lot of research has been conducted into stress over the last hundred years. Some of the
theories behind it are now settled and accepted; others are still being researched and debated.
Definition:
Hans Selye was one of the founding fathers of stress research. His view in 1956 was that
stress is not necessarily something bad it all depends on how you take it. The stress of
exhilarating, creative successful work is beneficial, while that of failure, humiliation or
infection is detrimental.
STRESS IS THE DEMAND MADE UPON THE ADAPTIVE CAPACITY OF MIND
AND BODY

---DAVID FONTANA

Stress is the "wear and tear" our bodies experience as we adjust to our continually
changing environment; it has physical and emotional effects on us and can create positive or
negative feelings. As a positive influence, stress can help compel us to action; it can result in
a new awareness and an exciting new perspective. Stress is a fact of life. But too much stress
on us can break down a person's physical, mental, and emotional health. Planning can help
people to manage stress in their lives. They must begin to make choices that support their
values and develop a personal plan to take charge of their lives.

TYPES OF STRESS - SOME GOOD, SOME BAD.

Did you know that some types of stress can be good for you? n That's right! Some forms of
stress can be good for you, but other types of stress disorders can cause major health
problems and even be life threatening.
There are four main types of stress that people experience.
A. EUSTRESS
Eustress is a type of short-term stress that provides immediate strength. Eustress arises at
points of increased physical activity, enthusiasm, and creativity. Eustress is a positive stress
that arises when motivation and
inspiration are needed. A gymnast experiences Eustress before a competition.
B. DISTRESS
Distress is a negative stress brought about by constant readjustments or alterations in a
routine. Distress creates feelings of discomfort and unfamiliarity.
There are two types of distress.
1. Acute stress is an intense stress that arrives and disappears quickly. Acute stress is the
most common form of stress. It comes from demand and pressures of the recent past and
anticipated demands and pressures of the near future. Acute stress is thrilling and exciting in
small doses, but too much is exhausting. Because it is short term, acute stress doesn't have
enough time to do the extensive damage associated with long-term stress. Acute stress can
crop up in anyone's life, and it is highly treatable and manageable.
2. Chronic stress is a prolonged stress that exists for weeks, months even years. Someone
who is constantly relocating or changing jobs may experience distress. While acute stress can
be thrilling and exciting, chronic stress is not. This is the grinding stress that wears people
away day after day, year after year. Chronic stress destroys bodies, minds and lives. It wreaks
havoc through long-term attrition. It's the stress of poverty, of dysfunctional families, of being
trapped in an unhappy marriage or in a despised job or career.

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HYPERSTRESS
Hyper stress occurs when an individual is pushed beyond what he or she can handle. Hyper
stress results from being overloaded or overworked. When someone is hyper stressed, even
little things can trigger a strong emotional response. A Wall Street trader is likely to
experience hyper stress.
C. HYPOSTRESS
Hypo stress is the opposite of hyper stress. Hypo stress occurs when an individual is bored or
unchallenged. People who experience hypo stress are often restless and uninspired. A factory
worker who performs repetitive tasks might experience hypo stress.
CALL CENTERS
Call center is a generalized term that embraces a number of activities like reservation centers,
help desks, information lines or customer service centers, irrespective of how they are
organized or what types of transactions they handle. Call center is generally referred to a
refined voice operations setting that provides a full range of high-volume, inbound or
outbound call-handling services, including customer support, operator services, directory
assistance, multilingual customer support, credit services, card services, inbound and
outbound telemarketing, interactive voice response and web-based services Call centers are
becoming increasingly popular in today's business, where many companies have centralized
customer service and support functions. Call centers are generally large offices with
representatives who either make or receive phone calls depending on the type of work; call
centers may have a single office employing a few people or large office with thousands of
employees. The main activity in some call centers is answering inbound calls, such as a bank
that gives out a toll-free number for customers needing help. At the same time there are some
call centers that focus on outbound calls too. With increase in outsourcing, call centers are
also becoming popular. By way of outsourcing, companies contract out some functions to
other companies located mostly in cost effective destinations like India. In this field India
enjoys several advantages over a number of developed counties. In India, we a have large
pool of qualified people; English speaking graduates and IT professionals. In addition to this
India have some other advantages like cheap labor, flexibility in working hours and time zone
difference. This is the reason why a number of MNCs are outsourcing their business
activities to India . Call centers are comparatively a recent introduction to the world of career
options in India. The career avenues provided by Call centers is one of the best suited and
11

growing option which even a fresher can opt for. With the opening up of the Indian economy
and the advent of globalization more and more companies from abroad are basing or
outsourcing their call centre services to India, a trend started by GE when it established a call
centre near New Delhi in 1998.
A call centre is a service centre with adequate telecom facilities, access to internet and wide
database, which provide voice based or web-based information and support to customers in
the country or abroad through trained personnel. Call centers exist in all sectors of business
including banking, utilities, manufacturing, security, market research pharmaceuticals,
catalogue sales, order desk, customer service, technical queries (help desk), emergency
dispatch, credit collections, food service, airline/hotel reservations etc. The wide area of
services provided by the call centers makes it a lucrative career.
UNDERSTANDING - THE CALL CENTERINDUSTRY
There has been some dispute amongst researchers as to whether it is appropriate to refer to
such a thing as the call center industry. As Bain and Taylor point out, despite similarities
in the integration of computer and telephone technologies, centers differ in relation to a
number of important variablessize, industrial sector and market, complexity and length of
call cycle time, nature of operations (inbound, outbound or combined), the nature and
effectiveness of representative institutions including trade unions, and management styles and
priorities. To this list of variables, Callaghan and Thompson would add the degree of
product complexity and variability and the depth of knowledge required to deal with the
service interaction. Bain and Taylor argue that it is more appropriate to use the term
sector, as call Centers are found across a wide range of industries and may be similar
primarily in terms of their core technologies. They do note, however, that there is a
professional literature and a collective identity that is maintained and developed through
conferences and forums. Belt, Richardson and Webster (2000) agree that call centers are not
an 'industry' as the term is generally defined, but rather represent certain ways of delivering
various services using the telephone and computer technologies across traditional industry
boundaries. However, these authors provide three strong reasons defending the practice of
referring to call centers as an industry:

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First, the call center community often defines itself as an industry, with numerous national
and international call center conferences and workshops taking place each year, industry
journals and call center forums organized at local levels.
Second, the labor force requirements of call centers are often the same across sectors. This
means that many, though not all, call centers share a common labor pool.
Third, the organizational templates and technologies used tend to be very similar, regardless
of the sector.
To this one might add the remarkable similarities that international researchers have found
between technologies used, work practices and key issues including monitoring, control,
training, and labor demographics for workers in countries as diverse as Germany. Japan,
Australia, Greece, Canada, the US, the UK and the Netherlands.
STRESS IN CALL CENTERS
Stress exists in every call center. Call centers are stressful work environments. The demands
of serving the customer in real-time helps to lay the foundation. Add to these factor things
such as job repetition, potential job dissatisfaction, poor ergonomics or low pay and the stress
level climbs higher. If stress in the workplace (i.e. the call center) is not of the agenda the
results of stress are revealed through higher absenteeism than other parts of the company,
higher Worker's Compensation claims and ultimately in reduced customer satisfaction. This
Operations Topic focuses on various approaches to managing stress. Raising the pay isn't
necessarily the solution. There are many other creative means of managing stress in your call
center.
FOUR KEY STRESSORS
1) Can we get off the phone for a while?
The primary source of stress reported is inherent to the nature of the job: spending all day on
the phone dealing with people one after another, day after day, is difficult. Doing it under
constant pressure to keep call volumes up, with no time between calls to recover from an
awkward call or from customer rejection is even more difficult. And doing it with very
little authority or autonomy to rectify problems that arise is perhaps the most difficult of all.
Many studies report agents as wanting to just get off the phones. For example, Belt and
colleagues note agents in all three sectors [financial services, IT, and third-party services
13

spoke of the phenomenon of burnout, caused by the pressure of working exclusively on the
phones. In the same study, the authors mention that the issue of burnout was also
recognized by some managers: It was pointed out that managers face an inherent conflict
between the need to reduce staff boredom and labor turnover, and the pressure to concentrate
staff energies on telephone based work. The question of how call center employees deal
with stress is an important one, particularly in view of evidence that a build-up of stress leads
to illness, absenteeism and turnover, writes Houlihan. Many authors agree, and there are a
variety of individual coping mechanisms described in the literature. Tricks to circumvent
control mechanisms, such as those discussed above are sometimes mentioned as attempts at
stress reduction, although they are unreliable in this role as they may also increase stress.
Others mention social interaction squeezed into brief moments--Callaghan and Thompson
describe agents using humorous (or rude) gestures towards the phone, or making faces at
colleagues to defuse stress over angry or abusive callers, and making jokes to combat the
tedium of the day. Lank shear and Mason describe a similarly social approach to reducing
tension in one of the sites they observed, where staff often laughed and joked with one
another in intervals between calls, with managements approval. More formally, some call
centers include stress management as a component in training programs, and many have, or
claim to have, team de-briefings which permit staff to vent frustrations while discussing
difficult calls or dissatisfactions with elements of work. This more nuance positioning may
provide more insight into call center conditions, as it allows a researcher to consider the
response of employees forced to interpret the often contradictory demands management
place upon them including contradictionsover service quality versus the quantity of work
output.

Clearly, these authors write, staffs face some fundamental contradictions over unity
versus conflict, uncertainty versus certainty, quality versus quantity and these are at the heart
of the reproduction of stress, resistance and control. This focus on the contradictory nature
of demands strikes at the heart of the second inherent sources of stress in (primarily inbound)
call center works: the quality/quantity conflict.

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2) QUALITY/QUANTITY CONFLICT
Typically, organizational rhetoric in inbound call centers is concerned with customer care,
or keeping customers happy (providing quality service), yet these goals are juxtaposed with
an ongoing pressure to keep call times down and call volumes up. Call centers are rooted in
contradictory tensions and structural paradoxes, and confront a number of trades-offs on that
basis. These set a context for attitudes towards the organization and can impose conflicting
role requirements on agents. A core example is that of the pressure for quantity versus the
aspiration for Quality, the guiding logic of which is the conundrum of trying to get closer to
the customer while routinising, centralizing, reducing costs and prescribing standards. The
dichotomy is not completely straightforward, it is important to note. Part of providing quality
service from a management perspective is making sure customers do not wait too long for
their calls to be answered, even though the push to keep queue waiting times short is typically
categorized as part of the pressure towards quantity. As Bain points out, efforts to attain
what is perceived to be the desired balance between the quantity and the quality of calls
presents a perennial challenge. The practice of ongoing work practice modification and
target revision as management swings from one side to another of the quality/quantity debate
is a major source of stress for call center agents.

As Houlihan notes: The practice of putting a drive on particular targets for improvement
(for example, the collection of renewal dates, the up selling or cross-selling of products, the
quality of data input, or the intensity of sales push) and continual reprioritization means that
the goalposts are constantly shifting. Virtually all of the call center authors who write about
work conditions mention the difficulty of dealing with these competing goals. Korczynski
and colleagues suggest that this dilemma is particularly difficult for front-line workers
because they may be likely to identify with embodied individual customers, for interactions
with specific customers may be an important arena for meaning and satisfaction within the
work. They contrast this customer as- individual orientation to the managerial goal of
balancing customer orientation with efficiency, which they suggest leads management to
prefer workers to identify with a generic category, the customer, since such a disembodied
image of the customer will encourage workers to deal with individual customers efficiently
because they will be conscious of the concerns of other customers waiting in a queue.
3) INTENSITY
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The third central stressor in call center work is its intensity. As Bain (2001) argues, far from
being either in terminal decline or on the wane, Taylorismin conjunction with a range of
other control mechanismsis not only alive, well and deeply embedded in the call center
labour process, but its malevolent influence appears to be spreading to previously uncharted
territory. There is widespread consensus that call centers are a new, and particularly
effective, manifestation of the increasingly capital intensive industrialization of service
sector work, and work performed in them is highly intensive and routine. Buchanan and
Koch-Schulte quote one call center worker who describes the constant pressure graphically:
4) TARGETS
There is a fourth feature of some call center work that may engender stress: performance
targets. There are various types of targets, which may vary between inbound and outbound
centers. Inbound centers typically have targets for call duration, wrap time, and daily call
volume. Outbound centers often also have sales or completion targets, which are closely
monitored and upon which pay may be partially based. In addition, in some sectors, inbound
call centers are attempting to introduce the practice of cross selling, where agents attempt to
sell additional products to the customers who call in for another purpose. In these centers,
sales targets similar to those in outbound centers are often in place. Taylor and Bain argue
that particularly in the financial services industry in the UK, targets are a significant source of
stress for workers as more and more importance is placed upon meeting them in an
increasingly competitive business environment. Sales targets, in particular, are difficult to
accept, or meet, for staff who often considers themselves as service personnel, particularly
when they are set centrally and implemented locally: Cross-selling is seen by employees, not
as an opportunity to engage in creative work, but as an additional and acute source of
pressure. This is especially the case when Sales targets are parachuted in on top of service
targets set originally when there was no pressure to produce sales.
As a CSR in Taylor and Bains study emphasizes: When somebody phones in for a balance
you have to try to get a sale or get them interested as well as turning the call round in 155
seconds.

Even in centers that claim not to prioritize targets, researchers have found that staff
often feels significant pressure. Targets simply intensify the stress produced by the
quantity/quality debate, or, as one agent is quoted as saying, They say that theyre not really
16

interested in numbers. They say that they are more into quality. Well, thats a lie. Theyre
usually more into numbers than anything. It is important not to over generalize however.
While most call centers do have some targets, they are a source of stress that is directly under
management control. Some call centers are managed in such a way that targets are set to
realistically reflect local conditions, are interpreted in light of other, more subjective
information, and are not used punitively or to intensify work. In some they are even used
effectively to motivate and encourage staff. For example, Lank shear and Mason describe a
series of conversations with managers in their call center site where management consistently
conceptualized their performance reports (for example, one commented that its human
nature for productivity to drop before and after a holiday), and used their stats as an excuse
to praise good performance and coach those who consistently had difficulty meeting targets:
Our best bet is to develop the people we have got one manager is quoted as saying.
OTHER HEALTH ISSUES

The result of intense, stressful work may be an effect on workers health. There are often high
rates of absenteeism and sick leave reported in the literature, although there is relatively little
exploration of these issues, particularly when compared to turnover. Most often, authors
provide a brief list of known health issues. For example, Richardson, Belt and Marshall write
that Health concerns have been expressed, including tension, sleeplessness, headaches, eyestrain, repetitive strain injury (RSI), voice loss, hearing problems and burnout, but they do
not develop the point. More detailed descriptions of the causes and effects of these ailments
can be found in industry and trades union reports. For example, the Trades Union Council
(TUC) in its brochure targeted at call center workers, cites the main illnesses to which call
center staff are prone: back strain and RSI, stress, eyestrain, and voice and hearing loss
Also in the UK, regulators have been proactive in their examination of the industry, with the
Health and Safety Executive issuing a bulletin on call center regulations, health risks and best
practices in December 2001. They looked specifically at health issues including stress, noise
levels, musculoskeletal disorders (such as back problems) and voice loss, and also at display
screen issues, working environments, requirements for work stations, daily work routines,
training, organizational working practices and shifts.

17

SLEEPING DISORDERS:
No prizes for guessing the most severe ailment afflicting people working in Indian Call
centers. Since this is a unique Indian problem, again, no solution appears in sight. Obviously
this affects first timers more severely, as they take time to acclimatize their biological clocks,
but even experienced people/managers are not able to completely escape from it. Some call
centers are looking at devising innovative mechanisms like flexible shifts with sleeping
arrangements in the office premises as possible solutions.
DIGESTIVE SYSTEM RELATIVE DISORDERS:
Working long and odd hours without any sleep, and eating food supplied by external caterers
everyday, has led to 41.9% of the respondents suffering from digestive problems, especially
for the large number of girls working in the industry, the problem is even more severe. Many
call centers are now taking additional care to ensure their caterers supply hygienic food;
besides stipulating strict conditions to maintain the quality of the food they serve.
DIPRESSION:
In last year's survey, this was not among the top disorders, but this year it has climbed up the
chart, affecting nearly one-fourth of the respondents. Not surprising, since, as the industry
matures, the initial glitz and glamour wears away and the real problems come to the fore. Not
only are there several health related issues, but, on top of that, the gradual realization that
there is limited scope in developing a career owing to fewer growth opportunities is
increasing the frustration levels. Coupled with growing mental fatigue and increasingly
punishing physical environments, depression is the obvious end result. Some call centers
have now devised different stress management programs mainly to counter depression.
Severe Stomach Related Problems Continuing digestive problems lead to severe stomach
disorders like gastroenteritis, as endorsed by more than 24% of the respondents. Even doctors
in major cities agree-in recent times many of the patients with various stomach ailments are
from call centers.

EYESIGHT PROBLEMS:
Globally call center industry employees are considered a high-risk group for eye related
problems. While the quality of monitors might impact these disorders, sitting continually
18

without adequate breaks seems to be the truer reason. The number of people affected seems
to be on the rise-last year only 19% complained; this year it has gone up to 23%. At some
point of time, this problem might also afflict the IT services industry, but for the call center
industry, no remedy seems to be in sight.
EAR PROBLEMS:
More than 16% of the respondents inform that they have hearing problems. Again, no
surprises here, since a call center job involves taking calls throughout the shift, sitting with
headphones. While quality of headphones does make a difference, it would not be correct to
completely wish the problem away by thinking that changing headphones will solve it.
Some other Human Issues, in Call-Centers, which need immediate attention Personal
habits:
The young executives are getting more than five figure salaries per month in an early age.
They tend to develop certain bad habits such as alcohol, smoking etc. It is not easy to identify
such individuals. It is also very sensitive to talk to them. The professional counselors can
conduct group-counseling, workshops, educative film shows in order to create awareness on
effects of bad habits. Such actions will enable individuals to realize the importance of good
habits and they could seek one to one counseling sessions to solve their problems.
DISCIPLINE AND BEHAVIOURAL ISSUES:
Call centers provide excellent working environment, free food and transportation. There is
always a situation where individual or group of youngsters tend to commit mistakes and
abuse the freedom. They start behaving like in college campus where they have more
freedom. However, the call center executives have more responsibility and accountability,
they need to follow discipline and do well in the job. The most common behavior is misuse of
food, behave erratically in vans, and smoke in public places, misuse of telephones and other
resources of the company. The supervisors always concentrate on performance and achieving
targets. They do not have time or interest to go deep into these matters and find out the

reasons for such behavior. The professional counselor can play a major role in educating the
youngsters on discipline; provide advice to erring executives. The counselors with their
wisdom and experience can tackle such issues tactfully and bring change within the
19

individuals. As said earlier, to majority of them this is the first employment and they are fresh
out of the colleges. Few tend to behave differently and they have the do not care attitude.
Such executives will not take their job seriously, they indulge in teasing, and joking, talking
over mobile phones, have friction within the team. These aspects may go noticed or
unnoticed by the supervisors. The fact remains that such unacceptable behaviors will cause
disturbance to others and overall it affects the productivity. Sleeping while on duty, reading
novels and playing games on the computer during working hours brings down productivity
and quality suffers. The HR representatives and professional counselors jointly have a role to
bring behavioral change starting from the training days. Continuous education and
Counseling will help to mitigate such problems and it is possible to prevent serious problems.
INTER- PERSONAL REALTIONSHIP AND FRIENDSHIP:
Executives develop friendship quickly and sometime the friendship breaks and there will be
misunderstanding among the team members and naturally affects the team performance. The
supervisors and counselors can play a major role to sort out the interpersonal relationship and
develop team spirit. Healthy relationship among the team members has always helped the
team to out perform. When the relationship fails the individuals will also break down
mentally. They either absent for duties or fall ill or the performance will come down. It is also
true that due to misunderstanding and break in friendship they change jobs quickly.
LOVE AFFAIRS AND MARRIAGES:
Few of the boys and girls fall in love quickly. They maintain the healthy relationship, behave
in a matured manner, plan the future course of action and such persons have got married with
the consent of their parents. They work together in the same organization for longer duration.
There are instances, where lovers fall apart, start disliking, creating troubles to each other and
vitiating the atmosphere. They are immature, take instant decisions to break or unite and
sometimes go to an extent of damaging others reputation. The professional counselors can
play an important role in explaining the importance of marriage, preparation required for
marriage, how to enter the institution of marriage, which is acceptable to both parents and
society and about the new role and responsibility after getting married. Counseling services
can definitely give emotional support to individuals.

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ABSENTEEISM:
Absenteeism is very high in calls centers. Employees tend to be very irregular to the duty due
to various reasons. Professional counseling services to such irregular employees on one to
one basis will help to bring down absenteeism. Counselor can educate and explain the
importance of attending duties to earn salary and also to meet organizational goals. Each
individual are unique and the problem they face are also different in nature. Professional
counselors can understand, analyze and provide long lasting solutions for the individuals.
HIGHER EDUCATION AND PART TIME JOBS:
It is possible to do higher education while working in BPO units. Few organizations
encourage and offer support services to pursue higher education. However, time management
by the executives is crucial to go forward in education as well as to maintain performance and
career Growth. Programs on time management, tips to study, tips to keep fit and such other
programs can be offered. These steps would help to seek the loyalty of employees to
organizations and helps greatly for retention of employees. Organizations do not grant
permission to pursue part time jobs while working in BPO units. In order to make quick
money and to have options open to change jobs in future will drive employees to do part time
work. Human body does not permit to stretch beyond ones capacity. Executives need to take
sufficient rest in daytime so that energy levels are maintained. Either due to lack of
experience or due to compulsions, executives keep their one feet in call center and another in
part time jobs. In the long run this would affect individuals health. The HR executives must
identify such persons and offer professional Counseling services to them.
REMEDIAL MEASURES FOR HANDLING STRESS
The important strategies for managers to fight stress are prioritizing and delegating work,
laughing a lot, exercising regularly, practicing relaxation techniques, maintaining a good
balanced diet, and having a good nights sleep.
1. PRIORITIZE WORK
Multi-tasking is the buzzword these days. An individual requires special skills to perform
multiple tasks simultaneously. One way to minimize stress while multi- asking is to plan,
prioritize, and perform. Planning involves preparing a list of activities that need to be
performed. This involves considering the time factor. Prioritizing involves ranking the
21

activities based on their importance and performing these activities in that order. Prioritizing
activities each day is the simplest way to tackle stress. The next step is to schedule time for
tasks depending on the priorities. For instance, a person may have to attend a community
meeting and an official party. He/she may schedule time for both activities by attending the
official party first and then the community meeting.
2. DELEGATE WORK
Some individuals prefer doing all the work themselves. This adds to their stress. They should
learn to delegate routine work to others. For instance, a manager can delegate the work of
preparing a report on a project to a subordinate.
3. LAUGHTER
Laughter is a good de-stressor. An individual can relax and de-stress by watching a humorous
movie, reading comics, etc. A sense of humor allows an individual to perceive and appreciate
the imbalances of life and provides moments of delight. A day without laughter is a day
wasted for life. This is very true. Laughter is the best outlet for stress. It is a great stress
buster. Laughter is a no cost, no side effect medicine. A person with a sense of humor is less
likely to be under stress. A sense of humor allows and individual to perceive and appreciate
the imbalances of life and provides moments of delight.
4.EXERCISE
Exercise is another good stress-buster. It keeps an individual physically and mentally alert.
When a person is nervous, tense, or angry, exercise is the best outlet for giving vents to
his/her emotions. Regular exercise lowers blood pressure, lowers pulse rate, boosts blood
circulation in the body, increases artery suppleness, lowers cholesterol, and reduces fatigue
and tension. These benefits help an individual to tackle the physiological changes that occur
during stress. Exercise should increase blood circulation to the heart.

5. RELAXATION
The best strategy to reduce stress is to relax. Relaxation is not being idle. It is doing what one
wants to do, rather than what one should do. It is very important for a person to schedule
some time for relaxation. This relaxation time should disconnect the person from all his/her
22

tensions, worries. This is the time when the person rebuilds his/her energy levels. Relaxation
techniques vary from person to person.
6. DIET
A good balanced diet plays a vital role in reducing stress. A person tends to neglect diet when
under stress. This may lead to overeating or under-eating. This improper eating results in a
weak immune system and creates health problems. A well-balanced meal that is eaten on time
is very important to minimize stress.
7. SLEEP
Stress makes a person sleepless or very sleepy. A stressed person may feel sleepy throughout
the day and awake during nights. On an average, everyone needs at least 7-8 hours of sleep
per day. Some may need more sleep or some less. After a good nights sleep, a person feels
fresh. An individual must adopt a bedtime routine that induces sleep like reading a book that
is soothing, and listening to music that is relaxing. One must go to bed at the same time every
day.
8. MEDITATION
Meditation is one of the most effective techniques in reducing and avoiding stress. Regular
meditation helps in stress reduction. It

enables one to control the thought process

enables one to take effective decisions

helps in physical and mental relaxation

Improves concentration

Meditation is a technique to achieve a thoughtless or mindless state. In this state, a person has
no thoughts. This kind of state thus acts a stress reliever and a great rejuvenator.
9. YOGA
Yoga is another important stress reliever. Yoga has been tried and tested since ancient
According to Patanjali Maharishi; yoga is the cessation of mind. It is a state of no mind. Yoga
is not for bodybuilding. It simply focuses on gentle postures that improve circulation of blood
to vital parts of the body. The increase in blood circulation rejuvenates the organs and
releases stress.
23

10. MAINTAINING WORK LIFE BALANCE

Work-life balance means harmonious balance of work and domestic life. It allows an
employee to fulfill all the roles in his/her life effectively and efficiently.
EMPLOYEES BENEFITS PROVIDED BY THE BPOs STUDIED:
A part from the legal and mandatory benefits such as provident-fund and gratuity, below is a
list of other benefits
1. Group Medi-claim Insurance Scheme: This insurance scheme is to provide adequate
insurance coverage of employees for expenses related to hospitalization due to illness,
disease or injury or pregnancy in case of female employees or spouse of male employees. All
employees and their dependent family members are eligible. Dependent family members
include spouse, non-earning parents and children above three months.

2. Personal Accident Insurance Scheme: This scheme is to provide adequate insurance

coverage for Hospitalization expenses arising out of injuries sustained in an accident. This
covers total/partial disablement death due to accidents.

3. Subsidized Food and Transportation: The organizations provide transportation facility to

all the employees from home till office at subsidized rates. The lunch provided is also
subsidized.

4. Company Leased Accommodation: Some of the companies Provides shared

accommodation for all the out station employees, in fact some of the BPO companies also
undertakes to pay electricity water bills as well as the Society charges for the shared
accommodation. The purpose is to provide to the employees to lead a more comfortable work
lifebalance.

5. Recreation, Cafeteria, ATM and Concierge facilities: The recreation facilities include
pool tables, chess tables and coffee bars. Companies also have well equipped gyms, Personal
trainers and showers at facilities.
24

6. Corporate Credit Card: The main purpose of the corporate credit card is enable the
timely and efficient payment of official expenses which the employees undertake for
purposes such as travel related expenses like Hotel bills, Air tickets etc
.
7. Cellular Phone / Laptop: Cellular phone and / or Laptop are provided to the employees
on the basis of business need. The employee is responsible for the maintenance and
safeguarding of the asset
.
8. Personal Health Care (Regular medical check-ups): Some of the BPO'S provides the
facility for extensive health check-up. For employees with above 40 years of age, the medical
check-up can be done once a year.

9. Loans: Many BPO companies provide loan facility on three different occasions:
Employees are provided with financial assistance in case of a medical emergency. Employees
are also provided with financial assistance at the time of their wedding. And, The new recruits
are provided with interest free loans to assist them in their initial settlement at the
worklocation.

10. Educational Benefits: Many BPO companies have this policy to develop the personality
and knowledge level of their employees and hence reimburse the expenses incurred towards
tuition fees, examination fees, and purchase of books subject, for pursuing MBA, and/or
other management qualification at Indias top most business schools.

11. Performance based incentives:

In many BPO companies

they have plans for,

performance based incentive scheme. The parameters for calculation are process performance
i.e. speed, accuracy and productivity of each process. The Pay for Performance can be as
much as 22% of the salary.

25

12. Flexi-time: The main objective of the flextime policy is to provide opportunity to
employees to work with flexible work schedules and set out conditions for availing this
provision. Flexible work schedules are initiated by employees and approved by management
to meet business commitments while supporting employee personal life needs .The factors on
which Flexi time is allowed to an employee include: Child or Parent care, Health situation,
Maternity, Formal education program.

13. Flexible Salary Benefits: Its main objective is to provide flexibility to the employees to
plan a tax-effective compensation structure by balancing the monthly net income, yearly
benefits and income tax payable. It is applicable of all the employees of the organization. The
Salary consists of Basic, DA and Conveyance Allowance. The Flexible Benefit Plan consists
of: House Rent Allowance, Leave Travel Assistance, Medical Reimbursement, Special
allowance.

14. Regular Get together and other cultural programs: The companies organizes cultural
program as and when possible but most of the times, once in a quarter, in which all the
employees are given an opportunity to display their talents in dramatics, singing, acting,
dancing etc. Apart from that the organizations also conduct various sports programs such as
Cricket, football, etc and regularly play matches with the teams of other organizations and
colleges.

15. Wedding Day Gift: Employee is given a gift voucher of Rs. 2000/- to Rs. 7000/- based
on their level in the organization.

16. Employee Referral Scheme: In several companies employee referral scheme is

implemented to encourage employees to refer friends and relatives for employment in the
organization.

17. Employees stock option plan:Now, the actual question, why people are leaving? What

26

types of retention strategies are required? What is expected from HR Professional and how
they can address this issue?

1.2 OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

To analyze the importance of stress management from the organizations point of view.

To understand the factors influencing job stress

To analyze the influence of job stress on job satisfaction

To prevent stress happening

To promote healthiness of employees as well as of their organization

To analyze the best practices adopted by the organizations CONVERGYS & IBM for
reducing stress.

To analysis the current stress strategies.

To recommend strategies for future course of action.

1.3 REVIEW OF LITERATURE AND PROBLEM STATEMENT

One of the most serious problems organizations are facing today is stress. Stress is now an
indispensable part of our lives. There are many reasons behind increasing stress levels at
workplace including rising targets, strict deadlines, stiff competition, hectic working hours,
turbulent work environment, increasing ambitions and conflict among staff, misleading
organizational policies, and lack of proper communication in the organization.
Numerous studies found that fob stress influences the employees job satisfaction and
their overall performance in their work. Because most of the organizations now are more
demanding for the better job outcomes. In fact, modern times have been called as the age of
anxiety and stress (Coleman, 1976).The stress itself will be affected by number of stressors.
Nevertheless, Behr and Newman (1978) had defined stress as a situation which will force a
person to deviate from normal functioning due to the change (i.e. disrupt or enhance) in
his/her psychological and/or physiological condition, such that the person is forced to deviate
from normal functioning. From the definition that has been identified by researchers, we can
conclude that it is truly important for an individual to recognize the stresses that are facing by

27

them in their career. Some demographic factor may influence the way a university academic
staff act in their workplace.

Management role of an organization is one of the aspects that affect work-related

stress among workers (Alexandros-Stamatios et. al., 2003).Workers in an organization can
face occupational stress through the role stress that the management gave. Role stress means
anything about an organizational role that produces adverse consequences for the individual
(Kahn and Quinn, 1970). Management will have their own role that stands as their related.
Role related are concerned with how individuals perceive the expectations other have of them
and includes role ambiguity and role conflict (Alexandros-Stamatios et. al., 2003).
A sharp rise in lifestyle diseases such as strokes, coupled with a lack of adequate preventive
health care, threatens Indias future growth prospects, a research study said. Experts warn that
the countrys hugely successful outsourcing industry could be the hardest hit.
At IBM, we have long understood that investing in prevention and well-being makes sense
for both our employees and our business. The company has identified employee health risk
reduction and maintenance of low health risk as a key requirement under IBM's Well-being
Management
System. "The stress level has gone through the roof," said Lee Conrad, national coordinator
of Alliance@IBM, a group trying to unionize IBM workers. "People are left to guess because
IBM is not forthcoming.
In 2007, IBM employed about 20,000 workers throughout the Hudson Valley, including 11,
0000 in Poughkeepsie and East Fishkill.

Stress is the reaction that people take due to excessive pressure or other types of demand
placed on them. It arises when they worry that they cannot cope. Stress is a demand made
upon the adaptive capacities of the mind and body. According to Selye (1996), stress is a
scientific concept which has suffered the mixed blessing of being too well-known and too
little understood. Sternberg (2000) opines a person's response to the presence of something in
the environment that causes him to feel challenged in some way called stress.
28

CHAPTER

COMPANY OVERVIEW
29

IBM
IBM has been present in India since 1992. Since inception, IBM in India has expanded its
operations considerably with regional headquarters in Bangalore and offices in 14 cities
including regional offices in New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai. Today, the company
has established itself as one of the leaders in the Indian Information Technology (IT) Industry.
IBM has set the agenda for the industry with 'on demand business' - a kind of transformation
where an organisation changes the way it operates and reduces costs; serving customers
better, reducing risks and improving speed and agility in the marketplace. IBM is already
working with customers to transform them into 'on demand' businesses. IBM is the only
company in the world that offers end-to-end solutions to the customers from hardware to
software, services and consulting. Linux support further enhances IBM's e-business
infrastructure enabler capability.

In 2005, IBM announced the acquisition of Network Solutions Ltd., a leading infrastructure
services company in India. This strategic investment will enable IBM to augment it's
networking and managed services portfolio of offerings in India and broaden its reach across
the country.
Software Group the largest provider of middleware and the second-largest software business
in the world offers its customers comprehensive solutions to meet their e-business
requirements. IBM Software provides best-of-breed solutions for financial services,
manufacturing, process, distribution, government, infrastructure and small & medium
business sectors. IBM Software portfolio consists of:
- Transformation and integration solutions that are built on the IBM WebSphere middleware
platform. - Information leveraging solutions that are built on a portfolio of Data management
(DB2) tools. - Lotus product line to help organisations leverage collective know-how. - Tivoli
range of products to enable organisations to manage complex technology infrastructure. Rational range of Application Development Tools to help software development houses
develop applications in a structured and systematic way.
Systems and Technology Group:
30

The portfolio of eServers (xSeries, iSeries, pSeries, and zSeries) offer a broad range of
products from entry level, mid-range to high-end servers and mainframes, presenting
customers with the best technologies and practices to support their e-business infrastructure
requirements.
IBM has been providing leading-edge storage technology to organisations around the world
for nearly half a century. IBM offers a complete portfolio of storage networking products and
solutions that not only includes LTO, SAN, NAS but also IP Storage - iSCSI appliances and
gateways.
IBM's Personal Computing Division was acquired this year by Lenovo Group Limited, the
leading Personal Computer brand in Asia. Lenovo will continue to be the preferred supplier
of PCs to IBM and IBM will provide service and support for 5 years to Lenovo PCs.
IBM Global Financing provides flexible and attractive financing and leasing programs to
fund Information Technology (IT) requirements of Indian customers. IGF helps customers
through greater access to the hardware, software, solutions and services essential to compete
in the global marketplace.

India is an important market for IBM and the company has been making significant
investments from time to time.
IBM Innovation Center for Business Partners:
(One among 10 facilities worldwide) Independent Software Vendors are encouraged to port
their solutions on IBM platforms at this Center and develop Web based applications for
Indian customers.
Linux Solution Center, Bangalore:
(One among 7 facilities worldwide) The center supports Business Partners and Independent
Service vendors across the ASEAN / South Asia region.
IBM Linux Competency Center, Bangalore:
(One among only 4 facilities in Asia) This center develops standards and embedded software
for open source, undertaking high-end research in the area for IBM Worldwide.
31

Software Innovation Center, Gurgaon:

This state-of-the-art center combines IBM's global experience and technology expertise to
deliver e-business solutions for Indian organisations and also the government through the eGovernance Centre. The center offers IBMs customers a range of services including
technical consultation, proof of concept and technical presentations, implementation
planning, solution architecture, application design and development, deployment, and
education and training. The e-Governance Centre, a part of this facility offers technology,
support and infrastructure to help governments and total service providers to design, develop,
test and port prototypes of e-Governance applications.
India Software Lab at Bangalore and Pune:
The Software Lab in India develops, enhances and supports key IBM Software products &
technologies in collaboration with other IBM labs world wide. Center for Advanced Studies
at Bangalore was established at the India Software Labs to allow universities access to IBM's
leading-edge product development and the supporting infrastructure, while IBM has the
opportunity to work with academic leaders and researchers on research projects.
High Performance On Demand Lab in India, Bangalore:
This specialised software and services lab in India to drive automation and virtualisation
into the increasingly complex IT infrastructures supporting the emerging economy of India.
This is the first of its kind lab for IBM in India, bringing specific high-value skills to help
clients in India and the surrounding region to enhance and optimise their IT resources to
support the growth of their businesses.
Engineering & Technology Services Center, Bangalore:
This center provides technology design services for advanced chips, cards and systems to
companies in India and across Asia.
India Research Laboratory , Delhi:
(One among 8 facilities worldwide) IBM's India Research Laboratory (IRL) focuses on areas
critical to expanding the country's technology infrastructure. It also has significant initiatives
in Services and Sciences, Information Management, User Interaction Technologies, eCommerce, Life Sciences, Distributed Computing and Software Engineering. Currently, IRL
researchers are working on several projects like bioinformatics, text mining, speech
recognition for Indian languages, natural language processing, grid computing, and
32

autonomic computing, among others.

Services Innovation and Research Center, Bangalore:
will be an extended arm of IBM's India Research Lab (IRL), headquartered in New Delhi.
The Services Innovation and Research Center (SIRC) was recently launched as an initiative
that will work in close collaboration with IBM's Global Services group to develop innovative
technologies and solutions that improve operational and delivery capabilities.
IBM also set up its Global Delivery Centres at Bangalore, Pune, Gurgaon and Kolkata:
They deliver "best-of-breed" technology solutions to IBM customers worldwide covering
middleware, e-business technologies, enterprise and web technologies, data warehousing
across functional areas like Supply Chain Operation Services, Financial Management
Services, Human Resource Services, Customer Relationship Management, e-Business
Integration, Application Management Services.
Global Business Solution Center in Bangalore:
IBM further expanded its global consulting delivery capabilities with the establishment of a
first-of-a-kind Global Business Solution Center. The center will allow IBM's more than
60,000 consultants to collaborate and deploy reusable tools and assets in 55 key business
areas such as Consumer Driven Supply Chain Optimisation, Banking Risk and Compliance
and Product Lifecycle Management.
Business Transformation Outsourcing Centers at Bangalore, Delhi and Mumbai:
This center handles Business Transformation Outsourcing needs of IBM customers
worldwide. Some key areas of competence of this center are Customer Contact Centers,
Receivables Management, Telemarketing, Transaction Processing and Finance and
Accounting.
With the acquisition of Daksh eServices, one of Asia's leading business services providers,
with service delivery centers in India and Philippines, IBM further enhanced the BTO service
capability. With Daksh, IBM adds banking, insurance, retail, hi-tech telecommunications and
travel verticals to BTO Indias service capabilities.
Partnering India
IBM shares the belief that India can unleash its true potential only through making IT
33

available to and usable for large numbers of people. IBM's Community initiatives focus on
education and children and leverage its expertise in technology to address societal issues.
IBM has partnering relationships in India with a number of educational institutions. IBM has
also set up an IT Center in Mumbai in association with Victoria Memorial School for the
Blind to impart IT education to visually impaired people. IBM KidSmart Early Learning
program was launched to further strengthen IBMs commitment to community in India. This
is the only program in India aimed at introducing technology at the pre-school level in
disadvantaged sections of society to get a head start on their academic development through
the use of age-appropriate software developed by IBM. Tryscience is another community
related programme launched, which reinvents science learning, recreates the interactive
experience of onsite visits, and provides science projects as well as multimedia adventure
field trips for museum visitors - primarily children, their parents and teachers.

CONVERGYS
Convergys Corporation is a corporation based in Cincinnati, Ohio, that sells customer
management and information management products, primarily to large corporations.
Customer management products include agent assisted, self-service and care software
tailored to the communications, financial services, technology, retail, healthcare and
government markets. Information management provides convergent billing and business
support system (BSS) products and services including revenue management, product and
order

management,

and

customer

care

management

to

telecom,

utilities,

and

cable/satellite/broadband service providers.

HISTORY
The company grew from Cincinnati Bell Information Systems and MATRIXX, both
subsidiaries of Cincinnati Bell, and AT&T Solutions Customer Care (formerly AT&T
American Transtech), which was sold to Cincinnati Bell in 1998; an IPO in August 1998
made it a fully independent company.[2] Since then, Convergys' headquarters in Cincinnati,
Ohio, has acquired numerous companies.

34

Convergys sold its Human Resources Management line of business to NorthgateArinso in

March 2010.
On 22 March 2012, Japanese technology firm NEC announced it would buy the Information
Management Business of Convergys for approximately $449 million. In 2012, Convergys
Philippines, 8 years after its entry into the country established 18 centers with 26,000
employees in all, was named BPO Employer of the Year at the annual International ICT
Awards.

One of the Convergys offices in Gurgaon, India

Convergys has approximately 89,000 employees in 68 customer contact centers and other
facilities in India (New Delhi, Pune, Thane, Hyderabad, and Bangalore), the Philippines
(Manila, Cebu City, Davao City, and Bacolod), Vietnam, Indonesia, United States, Canada,
Costa Rica, South America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia.

35

CHAPTER -3

Research can be defined to be search for knowledge or any systematic investigation to

establish facts. The primary purpose for applied research is discovering interpreting and the

36

development of methods and systems for the advancement of human knowledge on a wide
variety of scientific matters of our world and the universe.
Research Methodology is initiated before undertaking the research and a foundation was
laid in form of a research design, sampling, method of data collection and different analysis
technique.

Research Methodology adopted

The research methodology consisted of the following steps:
1. Familiarization with the stress concepts and telecom industry in India
2. Collection of database from individuals through a questionnaire.
3. Analysis and interpretation of data.
4. Reaching at conclusions and suggestions based on analysis.

SAMPLE DESIGN
A research design is considered as the framework or plan for a study that guides as well as
helps in the data collection and analysis of data. Research can classify in one of three
categories:

Exploratory research

Descriptive research

Causal research

These classifications are made according to the objective of the research. In some cases the
research will fall into one of these categories, but in other cases different phases of the same
research project will fall into different categories.
37

Exploratory research has the goal of formulating problems more precisely, clarifying
concepts, gathering explanations, gaining insight, eliminating impractical ideas, and forming
hypotheses. Exploratory research can be performed using a literature search, surveying
certain people about their experiences, focus groups, and case studies. When surveying
people, exploratory research studies would not try to acquire a representative sample, but
rather, seek to interview those who are knowledgeable and who might be able to provide
insight concerning the relationship among variables. Case studies can include contrasting
situations or benchmarking against an organization known for its excellence. Exploratory
research may develop hypotheses, but it does not seek to test them. Exploratory research is
characterized by its flexibility.
Descriptive research is more rigid than exploratory research and seeks to describe users of a
product, determine the proportion of the population that uses a product, or predict future
demand for a product. As opposed to exploratory research, descriptive research should define
questions, people surveyed, and the method of analysis prior to beginning data collection. In
other words, the who, what, where, when, why, and how aspects of the research should be
defined. Such preparation allows one the opportunity to make any required changes before
the costly process of data collection has begun. There are two basic types of descriptive
research: longitudinal studies and cross-sectional studies. Longitudinal studies are time series
analyses that make repeated measurements of the same individuals, thus allowing one to
monitor behaviour such as brand-switching. However, longitudinal studies are not necessarily
representative since many people may refuse to participate because of the commitment
required. Cross-sectional studies sample the population to make measurements at a specific
point in time. A special type of cross-sectional analysis is a cohort analysis, which tracks an
aggregate of individuals who experience the same event within the same time interval over
time. Cohort analyses are useful for long-term forecasting of product demand.
Causal research seeks to find cause and affect relationships between variables. It
accomplishes this goal through laboratory and field experiments.
The research associated to my project is Descriptive research.
3.1 Sources of data

38

Primary data will be going to used for the present study. Primary data will be collected
through a survey of 30 respondents from selected 2 BPOs CONVERGYS, IBM from Delhi/
NCR.

Secondary data Secondary data are data that were collected for another purpose and
already exist somewhere. In library and information science, historiography and other areas
of scholarship, a secondary source is a document or recording that relates or discusses
information originally presented elsewhere. A secondary source contrasts with a primary
source, which is an original source of the information being discussed. Secondary sources
involve generalization, analysis, synthesis, interpretation, or evaluation of the original
information
Most of the data collected by the researcher is PRIMARY DATA through personal interviews,
where the researcher and the respondents operate face-to-face.

3.2 Sampling
Sample: 30 employees

Tools of analysis
Questionnaire will be the only tool used to collect the primary data from

selected

respondents. For this purpose, a well structured questionnaire has been framed with the help
of research guide.

Demographic data of sample

25- 30 years

Randomly selected people.

39

SAMPLING
Sample: I have taken the sample of 30 employees from two different BPOs CONVERGYS
& IBM of Delhi/NCR for this pilot study. The sample size was chosen to provide adequate
information on reliability and certain degree of face validity. Respondents included eighteen
registered telecallers, two HR managers, three team leaders, two branch managers, and five
executives. The subjects were selected by convenience sampling. The sample was selected
because of geographical accessibility. Ethics approval was received from the appropriate
authorities.
Reason: As we find the employees of the call centers to be more stressful as more and more
employees are leaving job and are dismissed because of absenteeism. I have selected only
those call centers which are affiliated to the public and are specialized in consumer needs
fulfillment.
271

DATA COLLECTION TOOLS

Checking Yourself for Burnout
Burnout occurs when passionate, committed people become deeply disillusioned with a job
or career from which they have previously derived much of their identity and meaning. It
comes as the things that inspire passion and enthusiasm are stripped away, and tedious or
unpleasant things crowd in. This tool can help you check yourself for burnout.
Introduction:
This tool can help you check yourself for burnout. It helps you look at the way you feel about
your job and your experiences at work, so that you can get a feel for whether you are at risk
of burnout.
Using the Tool:

40

Work through the table on paper and calculate values manually.

Fill in values appropriately on the sheet. This will automatically calculate scores for
you and interpret these scores, showing the score and interpretation in row 30.

If you choose to use the manual method, then calculate the total of the scores as described in
the instructions (note that this uses a slightly different scoring method from the spreadsheet).
Apply the score to the scoring table underneath to get the interpretation.

STASTICAL TOOL
The statistical tools used for analyzing the data collected are percentage method, bar
diagrams and pie chart.

41

CHAPTER -4

DATA ANALYSIS
AND
INTERPRETATION

42

4. Data analysis and Interpretation

The project report shows the information of the level of stress which the employees are
facing due to heavy workload and performance targets is going the employee cut-off and
turnover ratios are found to be high so the workload for the existing employees are high. So
they are facing the problem of work overload and thus they get stressed
The report of convergys
Score
15 18

Comment

Response

Little sign of burnout here

19 32

Little sign of burnout here, unless some factors are particularly 5

severe

33 49

Be careful - you may be at risk of burnout, particularly if several 7

scores are high

50 -59

You may be at severe risk of burnout - do something about this 1

urgently

60 75

You may be at very severe risk of burnout - do something about 0

this urgently

43

The report of IBM

Score
15 18

Comment

Response

Little sign of burnout here

19 32

Little sign of burnout here, unless some factors are particularly 3

severe

33 49

Be careful - you may be at risk of burnout, particularly if several 10

scores are high

50 59

You may be at severe risk of burnout - do something about this 1

urgently

60 75

You may be at very severe risk of burnout - do something about 0

this urgently

44

No stress

Severe Stress

Mild Stress

1
Moderate Stress
3

High stress

10

From the above graph it can be seen that maximum employees of both
BPOs are at a moderate level of risk of burnout while the employees
who were found with a little sign of burnout is less. So the ratio of little
sign of burnout and moderate level of burnout is 2:3.

1. Do you feel run down and drained of physical or emotional energy?

45

INTERPRETATION
From the diagram it is clear that 75 % of the employees are satisfied with the performance
they give in the work while 25 % of the employees are not satisfied.

2.

Do you find that you are prone to negative thinking about your job?

46

YES
NO
NO RESPONSE

INTERPRETATION

17 % of the employee feel that they are suffering from negative feeling about job while 83 %
of the employee feel that that they are happy and satisfied with the job.
3. Do you find that you are harder and less sympathetic with people than perhaps they
deserve?

Yes
3

No

No Response

27

47

YES

NO

NO RESPONSE

INTERPRETATION

90% of the employees are soft and sympathetic with their colleagues while 10% of the
employees are not concern with the opinion

4. Do you find yourself getting easily irritated by small problems, or by your co-workers and
team?

Yes

No

No Response

6
24

0
48

30
25
20
YES

15

NO
10
5
0
YES

NO

NO RESPONSE

INTERPRETATION

20% of the employees get irritated by small problems or by your co-workers and team
whereas 80% of the employees are not concern with the opinion.

5. Do you feel misunderstood or unappreciated by your co-workers?

Yes

No

No
Response

10

20

49

INTERPRETATION

33% of the employees feel unappreciated by their co-workers whereas 67% of the employees
are not concern with the opinion.

6. Do you feel that you have no one to talk to?

Yes

No

No Response

27

50

30
25
20
YES

15

NO
NO RESPONSE

10
5
0
YES

NO

NO RESPONSE

INTERPRETATION

10% of the employees feel that they dont have any one to talk to whereas 90% of the
employees are not concern with the opinion.
7. Do you feel that you are achieving less than you should?

Yes

No

22

No Response
0

51

INTERPRETATION

10% of the employees feel that they dont have any one to talk to whereas 90% of the
employees are not concern with the opinion.

8. Do you feel under an unpleasant level of pressure to succeed?

Yes

No

22

No Response
0

52

YES
NO
NO RESPONSE

INTERPRETATION

33% of the employees feel under an unpleasant level of pressure to succeed whereas 67% of
the employees dont feel an unpleasant level of pressure.

9. Do you feel that you are not getting what you want out of your job?

Yes

No

22

No Response
0

53

0%
33%

Yes
No
No Response

67%

INTERPRETATION

33% of the employees feel that they are not getting what they want out of their job whereas
67% of the employees feel that they are getting what they want out of their job.

10. Do you feel that you are in the wrong organization or the wrong profession?

Yes

No

No response

24

54

YES

NO

NO RESPONSE

INTERPRETATION

20% of the employees feel that they are in the wrong organization or the wrong profession
whereas 80% of the employees dont have the same opinion.

11.Are you becoming frustrated with parts of your job?

Yes

No

No response

23

0
55

INTERPRETATION

23% of the employees feel that they are becoming frustrated with parts of their job whereas
77% of the employees dont have the same opinion.

12. Do you feel that organizational politics or bureaucracy frustrate your ability to do a good
job?
Yes

No

No response

10

20

56

INTERPRETATION

33% of the employees feel that they get frustrate organizational politics or bureaucracy their
ability to do a good job.

13. Do you feel that there is more work to do than you practically have the ability to do the
job?

Yes

No

No response

24

57

INTERPRETATION

13% of the employees said that they have more ability to work whereas 80% of the
employees dont have the same opinion as well as 7% of the employees have not responded.

14. Do you feel that you do not have time to do many of the things that are important to doing
a good quality job?

Yes

No

No response

12

18

0
58

INTERPRETATION

40% of the employees feel that they do not have time to do many of the things that are
important to doing a good quality job whereas 60% of the employees dont have the same
opinion.
15. Do you find that you do not have time to plan as much as you would like to?

Yes

No

No response

12

18

59

YES
NO
NO RESPONSE

INTERPRETATION

40% of the employees feel that they do not have time to do many of the things that are
important to doing a good quality job whereas 60% of the employees dont have the same
opinion
Limitation of the study

I. The questionnaire was filled by 30 employees of different designations. So the point of

view of employees differs as per their designations.
II. The questionnaires were filled be 30 employees working in the major BPO of DelhiNCR i.e. CONVERGYS & IBM. So the scope of sample findings was less.

60

III. Many a times the employees may not be really conscious or may not be bothered about
the questionnaire. This may create a problem in the research. So the scope of sample
findings was less.
IV. The employees from whom the questionnaires are filled are in a heavy workload so
some of the questionnaires filled by the employees who are in stress cannot be called
reasonable.
V. The responses of the employees cannot be accurate as problem the of language and
understanding arises.
VI. One of the other problems of questionnaire is the cost. Sometimes it may be possible that
even by spending so much the result may not be reasonable.

Advantages of Written Questionnaires

Questionnaires are very cost effective when compared to face-to-face interviews. This
is especially true for studies involving large sample sizes and large geographic areas.
Written questionnaires become even more cost effective as the number of research
questions increases.

Questionnaires are easy to analyze. Data entry and tabulation for nearly all surveys
can be easily done with many computer software packages.

Questionnaires are familiar to most people. Nearly everyone has had some experience
completing questionnaires and they generally do not make people apprehensive.

Questionnaires reduce bias. There is uniform question presentation and no middleman bias. The researcher's own opinions will not influence the respondent to answer
questions in a certain manner. There are no verbal or visual clues to influence the
respondent.

Questionnaires are less intrusive than telephone or face-to-face surveys. When a

respondent receives a questionnaire in the mail, he is free to complete the
61

questionnaire on his own time-table. Unlike other research methods, the respondent is
not interrupted by the research instrument.

Disadvantages of Written Questionnaires

One major disadvantage of written questionnaires is the possibility of low response

rates. Low response is the curse of statistical analysis. It can dramatically lower our
confidence in the results. Response rates vary widely from one questionnaire to
another (10% - 90%), however, well-designed studies consistently produce high
response rates.

Another disadvantage of questionnaires is the inability to probe responses.

Questionnaires are structured instruments. They allow little flexibility to the
respondent with respect to response format. In essence, they often lose the "flavor of
the response" (i.e., respondents often want to qualify their answers). By allowing
frequent space for comments, the researcher can partially overcome this disadvantage.
Comments are among the most helpful of all the information on the questionnaire, and
they usually provide insightful information that would have otherwise been lost.

Nearly ninety percent of all communication is visual. Gestures and other visual cues
are not available with written questionnaires. The lack of personal contact will have
different effects depending on the type of information being requested. A
questionnaire requesting factual information will probably not be affected by the lack
of personal contact. A questionnaire probing sensitive issues or attitudes may be
severely affected.

When returned questionnaires arrive in the mail, it's natural to assume that the
respondent is the same person you sent the questionnaire to. This may not actually be
the case. Many times business questionnaires get handed to other employees for
completion. Housewives sometimes respond for their husbands.

Kids respond as a prank. For a variety of reasons, the respondent may not be who you
think it is. It is a confounding error inherent in questionnaires.

Finally, questionnaires are simply not suited for People. For example, a written survey
to a group of poorly educated people might not work because of reading skill

62

problems. More frequently, people are turned off by written questionnaires because of
misuse.

63

CHAPTER -5
FINDINGS
AND
CONCLUSIONS

FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS

It is analyzed from the questionnaire filled by the employees that the employees who have
scored more than 20 marks in the burnout test are not satisfied with the performance which
they give in the organization. Thus it is proved that the employees who are desired to give
better performance than their original performance are found more stressful than the others.

64

While at the same time the employ that have scored less than 20 marks in the burnout test are
satisfied with the performance. From the sample of 30 BPO employees who have been
surveyed, one is found to be a heart patient. This can be because of high level of stress. Very
rare of the employee are to be found suffering from depression.
It is proved from the survey that the employees who have scored more than 25 marks in the
burnout test are concern about the opinion of their colleagues. And the employees who got
less than 25 marks do not mind about their colleagues opinion. Thus it is proved that the
colleagues opinion also play a lead role in the increase and decrease of the stress level. Those
who mind about their colleagues opinion are found to be more stressful.
The employees who have scored 28-29 marks in the burnout test dont believe in sharing their
problems with their spouse or friend or any closed one. Thus we can say that sharing your
problems with your spouse or close friends is a better idea to reduce stress.
In the second questionnaire one of the question was You have an important function at your
home and your boss asks to give a 4 hour over time what will be your response Yes or No?
the employees have given their opinion as per their mood. While considering the point of
view of entertainment it depends upon the mood of the employees. The entertainment is
considered one of the most ultimate solutions to reduce stress. Most of the employees do not
spend regular time in entertainment. This may be because they may not be getting time for
entertainment or they may not be interested in the same.
One of the questions was asked that were their social life balanced? It is observed that the
employees who have scored above 20 marks in the burnout test did not have their social life
balanced. Thus we can conclude that the employees who are above 20 dont have their social
life balanced. Thus it is proved that stress may affect our social life also.
The employees were asked weather they plan their work or not, moderate answers were
given. The employees scoring more than 25 marks were not found their work planned. Thus
the employees who plan their work have scored below 25 marks in the burnout test except
some cases as there are always some drawbacks in making plan. Failure of a plan may also
lead a person to stress. Thus we can conclude that planning of the work may help to reduce
stress level. Most of the employees who have scored more than 20 marks fear about their
quality of work they give. This aspect is not dependent of the burnout level. This aspect
depends upon the dedication of work. So it is meaningless to compare this question with the
65

burnout test. A question was asked that weather you get stressed at the non achievement of
their target? All the employees have responded positively. But this is not concern with the
burnout score. From this we can conclude that all the employees are given achievable target
and naturally by the non-achievement of the target all the employees may get stressed. One of
the other possibilities is that the employees have responded positively to show themselves to
be good.

The employees having more than 10 marks in the burnout test says that they are under stress.
Out of 35 employees of the sample 20 of the employees accepted that the reason for their
stress is workload. 10 employees are not stressed because of the workload but because of
their family problem. 5 of the employees are not suffering from stress. 14 employees out of
30 employees who are stressed feel stressful when their boss scolds them while 16 employees
refused that they are not stressed because their boss scolds them. All the 30 employees have
accepted that they try to find the solution of their stress. 10 employees out of 30 employees
practice yoga to reduce their stress and the other 20 employees dont practice yoga. The
burnout scores of the employees who practice yoga are either more than 25 or less than 20.
Thus we can conclude that the employees have reduced their stress by yoga therapy and other
employees have just started the yoga because of high level of burnout above analysis is done
by the data received from the questionnaire. So the accuracy of data depends upon the
response of the employees.

66

CHAPTER -6

SUGGESTIONS
AND
RECOMMENDATIONS

SUGGESTIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

67

Organizations must address these issues while developing their Work-Life Balance
policies. Further, these policies must be enshrined in an organizations vision or values
and supported by a culture that encourages flexibility. This is further outlined in the
following framework for making Work-Life Balance work in organizations.

There is a need for more explicit, detailed and relevant regulations, guidance specific
to this industry. Identify the key need or reason for introducing Work-Life Balance
policies

Examine current practices in the organization

Hold joint discussions with employees to evolve policies, while also identifying
possible barriers

Communicate policies through handbooks, newsletters, Intranet and other forms of

communication

Begin with a few "quick win" policies

Monitor implementation and put feedback systems into place

Senior management commitment stress interventions are unlikely to be

implemented successfully without the long-term commitment of management

job design clarifying roles, reducing the danger of role ambiguity and conflict
giving people more autonomy within a defined structure to manage their
responsibilities;

targets and performance standards setting reasonable and achievable targets which
may stretch people but do not place impossible burdens on them;

placement taking care to place people in jobs that are within their capabilities;

career development planning careers and promoting staff in accordance with their
capabilities, taking care not to over- or under-promote;

Establishment of welfare committee-- where in employees are an important part

where they can voice their concerns

68

Health risk assessment - both pre-employment and periodic for employees should be
conducted especially eye and audiometry tests. Call handlers should be provided with
information on the risks identified in the risk assessment and how these risks can be
controlled.

Tie-ups - with different health clubs for the benefit of the employee

performance management processes, which allow a dialogue to take place between

managers and individuals about the latters work, problems and ambitions;

counseling giving individuals the opportunity to talk about their problems with a
member of the personnel department or the company medical officer, or through an
employee assistance programme;

Ergonomic assessments - of work station for 24 hours occupancy should be done.

management training in performance review and counseling techniques and in what

managers can do to alleviate their own stress and reduce it in others;

Seminars and workshops- The BPO industry as a whole should come together and
address the stress problem by conducting seminars and workshops for their
employees.

worklife balance policies which take account of the pressures on employees who
have responsibilities as parents, partners or carriers, and which can include such
provisions as
special leave and flexible working hours
Length and frequency of breaks should be adequate
Small trips should be given as incentives to the employees

Need for more detailed study- to collect data from larger number of employees
working in a broader range of sectors spread over wider geographic area, so that
research findings will be useful to provide initial advice to the industry.

The BPOs mostly have relatively younger age group of employees, their energy and
ideas can be put to better use by identifying their competencies and matching the
same with the

business goal.

It is a fact that in India BPOs are not taken as serious career options and that is one of
the reasons why young people joining it but leaving it all the more soon. The most
important thing therefore is for the industry to promote the same as a viable career
option. NASSCOM, the governing body for industry is off late making an attempt
69

towards that direction. Such efforts should be done on a larger scale so as to promote
the industry further.

BIBLOGRAPHY

70

REFERENCES
Berry, L. M. (1997). Psychology at Work. San Francisco: McGraw Hill
Currivan, D.B. (2000), The Causal Order of Job Satisfaction and Organizational
Commitment in Models of Employee Turnover. Human Resource Management Review, 9
(4), 495-524
Gruneberg, M. M. (1979), Understanding Job Satisfaction. London: The Macmillan Press
Ltd
Harrington, D., Bean, N., Pintello, D., & Mathews, D. (2001), Job Satisfaction and
Burnout: Predictors of Intentions to Leave a Job
Organizational Behavior Stephen P. Robbins
The Relaxation & Stress Reduction Workbook (New Harbinger Self-Help Workbook
Human Resource Management by Robert L. Mathis, John H. Jackson
Human Resource Management by Alan Price
Management of Organizational Behavior Utilizing Human Resources by Paul Hersey and
Kenneth Blanchard
ILO (2001) World Employment Report, 2001; ILO, Geneva.

71

ANNEXURE

72

BURNOUT QUESTIONNAIRE
This questionnaire designed by Dr. Freudenberg will help you determine if you have
symptoms of a syndrome popularly known as "burnout". Burnout refers specifically to a type
of Adrenal Fatigue brought about by lifestyle factors such as working too hard or juggling too
many activities.
Instructions: for each question, click the button in the column that most applies. Click the
'Calculate My Total' button to add up your score and check your result using the scoring table
underneath.
For each question, tick the column or click the radio button that most applies. Select only one
answer in each row. Score 1 for every tick in the Never column, 2 for every tick in the
Rarely column, and so on up to 5 for every tick in the Very Often column. Add up your
total and check your result using the scoring table underneath.
Put a tick mark against the appropriate box.

0
Never

1
Rarely
2
Sometimes
73

3
Fairly often
4
Very often

#
Question
0
1
2
3
4
1
Do you feel run down and drained of physical or emotional energy?

74

2
Do you find that you are prone to negative thinking about your job?

3
Do you find that you are harder and less sympathetic with people than perhaps they deserve?

4
Do you find yourself getting easily irritated by small problems, or by your co-workers and
team?

5
Do you feel misunderstood or unappreciated by your co-workers?

75

6
Do you feel that you have no one to talk to?

7
Do you feel that you are achieving less than you should?

8
Do you feel under an unpleasant level of pressure to succeed?

9
Do you feel that you are not getting what you want out of your job?

76

10
Do you feel that you are in the wrong organization or the wrong profession?

11
Are you becoming frustrated with parts of your job?

12
Do you feel that organizational politics or bureaucracy frustrate your ability to do a good job?

13
Do you feel that there is more work to do than you practically have the ability to do?

77

14
Do you feel that you do not have time to do many of the things that are important to doing a
good quality job?

15
Do you find that you do not have time to plan as much as you would like to?

To
tal
= 0

78

79