Smriti (1)

Stress Management In BPO Sector
A project study on “Stress Management In BPO Sector”
A project submitted to University of Mumbai for in partial fulfilment of

the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Management Studies.
By
SHINGANE SMRITI PRAKASH
Matrushri Kasiben Motilal Patel College of Commerce and Science,

Thakurli (e)-421201
Guide.
Mrs. Poonam Wadhwa.
University of Mumbai, Mumbai- 400028
Year 2010-2011
DECLARATION BY THE STUDENT
I hereby declare that this project titled “A study on stress management in BPO
sector,” submitted by me is based on actual work carried out by me under the
guidance and supervision of Mrs. Poonam Wadhwa. Any reference to work done
by any other person or institution or any material obtained from other sources have
been duly citied and reference. It is further to state that this work is not submitted
anywhere else for any examination.
M.K.M.P College of commerce & science,
Thakurli (E)-421201
Signature of student
SHINGANE SMRITI PRAKASH
DATE: _________
CERTIFICATE FROM THE GUIDE.
This is to certify that SHINGANE SMRITI PRAKASH has completed the research
project “A study on stress management in BPO sector,” under by guidance and
supervision, and submitted the project work as laid down by University of Mumbai. The
material that has been obtained from other sources is duly acknowledged. It is further
certified that the work or its part has not been submitted to any other University far
examination under my supervision. I consider this work worthy for the award of the
degree of Bachelor of Management Studies.
Matrushri Kasiben Motilal Patel College,
Thakurli (E)
Signature of the Guide Date:

EVALUATION CERTIFICATE
This is to certify that the undersigned have been assessed and evaluated the project
titled “A study on stress management in BPO sector,” submitted by
SHINGANE SMRITI PRAKASH The project has been accepted / rejected for
the fulfilment of the degree of Bachelor of Management Studies.
Internal examiner External examiner
Signature: Signature:
Name: Name:
Date: Date:
Acknowledgment
I express my heartfelt gratitude to my guide Mrs. Poonam Wadhwa for her

inspiring guidance and supervision throughout the completion of the project.
I m thankful to “University of Mumbai” for giving me this opportunity

which have proved to be extremely rewarding in term of growth of both
knowledge and experience , which in course will immensely help in future
assignment on this part of my academic curriculum.
(Smriti Shingnane)
Executive summary
Today’s age is called “The Age of Anxiety” and this century is called “The
Century of Stress”. Today vast majorities of people are in a state of Stress. Their
fast-paced lifestyle demands that they are raring to go always and are always
under pressure to perform. This pressure usually leads to Stress. Stress can be
due to various reasons. And Stress in many cases causes Tension, Depression,
Anxiety, etc.
A lot of research has been conducted into ‘stress’ over the last hundred years.
Some theories about it are now settled and accepted; others are still being
researched and debated. Hans Selye was one of the founding fathers of research
on stress. He stated in 1956 that “Stress is not necessarily something bad – it all
depends on how we take it.” The stress of exhilarating, creative successful that of
failure, humiliation or infection is detrimental. Since then, a great deal of further
research has been conducted on the subject, and new ideas have come to light.
Stress is now viewed as a “bad thing”, with a range of harmful biochemical and
long-term effects. These effects have rarely been observed in positive situations.
Stress is that stress is a condition or feeling experienced when a person perceives
that “demands exceed the personal and social resources the individual is able
to mobilize.
This project focus on the stress among the B.P.O employees and the various
techniques used manage these stress.
INDEX
CHAPTER CONTENTS PAGE NO.

NO.
1
Introduction Of Stress Management
• Objectives
• Hypothesis
• Research Methodology
• Limitations Of Study
2 Stress Management In BPO or Call Center

The beginning of an industry
Understanding- "Call Center"
HUMAN ISSUES IN CALL-CENTER
INDUSTRY
3 Review Of Literature
4 Actual Study and Sample Design
5 Data Analysis and Interpretation
6 Findings and Suggestions
7 Conclusion
• Bibliography
• Annexures
CHAPTER 1:
INTRODUCTION
• INTRODUCTION
• STRESS! What is it?
• TYPES OF STRESS - SOME GOOD,
SOME BAD
• SIX MYTHS ABOUT STRESS
• STRESS AND GENDER
• EFFECTS OF STRESS
• STRATEGIES FOR COPING WITH
STRESS
CHAPTER:1
INTRODUCTION OF STRESS MANAGEMENT

1.1INTRODUCTION:
Since the origin of the term ‘stress’ it is ambiguous ‘stress’ began life as a variant
on ‘distress’ in the 14th century. It meant the experience of physical hardship,
starvation, torture, and pain. These days, however, the term revolves around the
medieval definition, in which ‘stress’ simply meant ‘hardship’. The recent
scientific developments inform us that ‘stress’ is actually good for us. Stress is
derived from the Latin word stranger, meaning to draw tight, and was used in the
17th century to describe hardships or affliction. During the late 18th century stress
denoted “force, pressure, strain or strong effort,” referring primarily to an
individual or to an individual’s organs or mental powers (Hinkle, 1973).
As has already been noted, stress has been defined as a stimulus, a response, or
the result of an interaction between the two, with the interaction described in terms
of some imbalance between the person developed, particularly that surrounding
the person-environment (P-E) interaction, researches have considered the nature of
that interaction and, more importantly, the psychological processes which it takes
place (Dewey, 1992).
Stress is a physiological and psychological imbalance. It arises due to the

demands on a person and that person’s inability to meet these demands. Stress is
the body’s way of reacting to any situation and it can have serious repercussionson
an individual’s life. Yet, people fail to realize the importance of stress
management in their lives. Effective managers can stay in control of life, without
panicking even under stressful situations. They handle stress by planning work,
taking regular breaks, and rejuvenating them.
STRESS! What is it???STRESS IS THE DEMAND MADE UPON THE

ADAPTIVE CAPACITY OF
It isn’t easy to find a generally acceptable definition of stress. The word

with different people takes different meanings … be it professionals,
psychologists, doctors, engineers, management consultants, all use the word in
their own distinctive ways. Management consultants talk in terms of
organizational challenges, psychologists in terms of human behavior and
doctors in terms of psychological mechanisms.
The word ‘stress’ is defined by the Oxford Dictionary as “a state of affair

involving demand on physical or mental energy”. A condition or
circumstance (not always adverse), which can disturb the normal physical
and mental health of an individual. In medical parlance ‘stress’ is defined as a
perturbation of the body’s homeostasis.
At one end of a scale, stress represents those challenges that excite us and
keep us on our toes whereas on the other end, stress represents those conditions
under which individuals have demands made upon them that they cannot physically
and psychologically meet. Hence, at one end, stress is a life- saver and the other it is life-
destroyer.
TO DEFINE STRESS…
It is a demand made upon the adaptive capacities of mind and body. This
definition is useful in three ways…
Firstly, it makes clear not only that stress can be both, good or bad, but also that
since there is wide range of things that can make demand over the mind and the
body, there is wide range of things that can cause stress.
Secondly, it infers the point that it isn’t the events that determine that we are
stressed or not, but it is our reactions to them.
And thirdly, as the definition says… that stress is a demand made upon the
body’s capacities, its nature and the extent of these capacities determine our
response to the demand. If our capacities are good enough we will respond well. If
they aren’t… we give
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. As a negative influence, it can result in feelings of distrust, rejection,
anger, and depression, which in turn can lead to health problems such as
headaches, upset stomach, rashes, insomnia, ulcers, high blood pressure, heart
disease, and stroke. With the death of a loved one, the birth of a child, a job
promotion, or a new relationship, we experience stress as we read just our lives. In
so adjusting to different circumstances, stress will help or hinder us depending on
how we react to it.
Stress is a fact of life. But too much stress 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.
1.2 TYPES OF STRESS – SOME GOOD, SOME BAD
Did you know that some types of stress can be good for you? 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.
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.
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 demands 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, or 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
The worst aspect of chronic stress is that people get used to it. They forget it’s
there. People are immediately aware of acute stress because it is new; they
ignore chronic stress because it is old, familiar, and sometimes, almost
comfortable.
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.
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.
1.3 SIX MYTHS ABOUT STRESS
Six myths surround stress. Dispelling them enables us to understand our problems
and then take action against them. Let’s look at these myths.
Myth 1: Stress is the same for everybody.
Completely wrong. Stress is different for each of us. What is stressful for one
person may or may not be stressful for another; each of us responds to stress in an
entirely different way.
Myth 2: Stress is always bad for you.
According to this view, zero stress makes us happy and health. Wrong. Stress is to
the human condition what tension is to the violin string: too little and the music is
dull and raspy; too much and the music is shrill or the string snaps. Stress can be
the kiss of death or the spice of life. The issue, really, is how to manage it.
Managed stress makes us productive and happy; mismanaged stress hurts and even
kills us.
Myth 3: Stress is everywhere, so you can’t do anything about it.
Not so. You can plan your life so that stress does not overwhelm you. Effective
planning involves setting priorities and working on simple problems first, solving
them, and then going on to more complex difficulties. When stress is mismanaged,
it’s difficult to prioritize. All your problems seem to be equal and stress seems to
be everywhere.
Myth 4: The most popular techniques for reducing stress are the best ones.
Again, not so. No universally effective stress reduction techniques exist. We are
all different, our lives are different, our situations are different, and our reactions
are different. Only a comprehensive program tailored to the individual works.
Myth 5: No symptoms, no stress.

Absence of symptoms does not mean the absence of stress. In fact, camouflaging
symptoms with medication may deprive you of the signals you need for reducing
the strain on your physiological and psychological systems.
Myth 6: Only major symptoms of stress require attention.
This myth assumes that the “minor” symptoms, such as headaches or stomach
acid, may be safely ignored. Minor symptoms of stress are the early warnings that
your life is getting out of hand and that you need to do a better job of managing
stress.
1.4 STRESS AND GENDER
Does stress tend to affect the male of the species more than the female? Opinions
vary, since there are differentiating factors between the sexes. All parameters
being equal, however, the preponderant view is that women are more adept at
handling stress, thanks to better coping mechanisms.
The human body’s reaction to stress is natural. It results from the need to resist a
stressful situation. For example, when a person is nervous, there is an increase in
his/her pulse rate. This is a ‘fight or flight’ response. However, things can go out
of control if too much stress is present. The person can have a heart attack or a
nervous breakdown. Too much of stress can tell upon a person’s health. If
neglected, it can lead to serious health disorders at a later stage. Stress has both
physical and psychological effects on an individual. (Refer Exhibit 1 to find out
the effects of stress on an individual.)
1.5 CAUSES OF STRESS
1. Causes of Stress at Home

• Death of spouse, family, near relative or friend.
• Injury or illness of any family member.
• Marriage of self or son or daughter or brother or sister.
• Separation or divorce from partner.
• Pregnancy or birth of a new baby.
• Children’s behavior or disobedience.
• Children’s educational performance.
• Hyperactive children.
• Sexual molestation.
• Argument or heated conversations with spouse, family members or

friends or neighbors.
• Not sufficient money to meet out daily expenses or unexpected

expenditure.
• Not sufficient money to raise your standard of living.
• Loss of money in burglary, pick-pocketed or share market.
• Moving house.
• Change of place or change of city or change of country.
2. Causes of Stress at Work

• To meet out the demands of the job.
• Your relationship with colleagues.
• To control staff under you.
• To train your staff and take work from them.
• Support you receive from your boss, colleagues and juniors.
• Excessive work pressure.
• To meet out deadlines.
• To give new results.
• To produce new publications if you are in research area.
• Working overtime and on holidays.
• New work hours.
• Promotion or you have not been promoted or your junior has superseded
you
• Argument or heated conversations with co-workers or boss.
• Change of job.
• Work against will.
3. Other Causes of Stress
• Fear, intermittent or continuous.
• Threats: physical threats, social threats, financial threat, other threats.
• Uncertainty.
• Lack of sleep.
• Somebody misunderstands you.
• Setback to your position in society.
1.6 Effects of Stress on an Individual
Physical Effects :
- Increased heart rate and blood pressure
- Sudden increase or decrease in weight (change in

appetite)
- Frequent headaches, fatigue, and respiratory

Problems
- Nervous weakness ( biting nails, too much sweating)
- Insomnia
- Reduced immunity to common colds and flu
- Ulcers and weak digestive system

1.7STRATEGIES FOR COPING WITH STRESS
After understanding the sources of stress and the effects of stress on individuals,
let us discuss some strategies to fight stress.
Strategies to Fight Stress
Some of 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 night’s sleep.
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-
tasking 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 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.
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.
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 an individual to perceive and appreciate the imbalances of
life and provides moments of delight.
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.
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 tensions, worries. This is the time when the
person rebuilds his/her energy levels. Relaxation techniques vary from person to
person.
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.
Sleep
Sleep is a weapon. During sleep, a person prepares himself/herself to face another

day. 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 night’s 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.
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.
Yoga
Yoga is another important stress reliever. Yoga has been tried and tested since
ancient times. 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.
Maintaining work-life balance
Work-life balance means a harmonious balance of work and domestic life. It

allows an employee to fulfill all the roles in his/her life effectively and efficiently.
Researches have proved that employees are at their best when they are contented
and motivated both at work and at home.
Achieving a work-life balance is not as easy as it seems. In the corporate world,

change is constant and imminent. The impact of globalization has further fuelled
these changes. The corporate world signifies uncertainties, too many
responsibilities, and long work hours. These changes in the environment disturb
the balance between domestic and work-life of employees. The increasing
competition and demands of society further aggravate the situation. All this adds
up to stress.
Importance of Work-life balance
The corporate world is realizing the importance of the work-life balance.

Companies are realizing the fact that the work-life balance of employees has a
direct effect on the productivity of their organizations. Exhibit 5 explains the
various practices that companies follow to maintain work-life balance.
OBJECTIVES OF RESEARCH STUDY
1. To study the stress level among B.P.O employees
2. To study the techniques of managing stress of employees in B.P.O

industry.
HYPOTHESIS
• Employees productivity increases in stress free environment
• Stress management is expected to increase efficiency of performance

in B.P.O industry.
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
• For the proposed project the data has been collected from primary and
secondary sources.
• Primary data was collected through structured questionnaire.
• For the purpose of primary data 4 BPOs were visited viz., Reliance,
Vodafone, Godrej and Spanco Pvt. Ltd. And a total sample size of 51
employees was taken for the study purpose.
• The Secondary Data was obtained from internet and various books
and articles from newspaper.
• Graphs, charts and percentage are used as statistical technique to

analyze the data
LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY
 Time constraint was the biggest problem faced during the project work.
 Managing self time with that of the respondent’s time made the research
limited to few people.
 Availability of sufficient and relevant data from the respondents
(employees) was not possible to a great extent which restricted the study to
limited facts and figures.
 Also due to data privacy and company policies a detailed could not be
done within the premises of the company.
References
• WWW.GOOGLE.COM
• WWW.MANAGEMENT PARADISE. COM
• WWW.ARTICLE BASED.COM
• WWW.WIKIPEDIA.COM
• WWW.SCRIBD.COM
CHAPTER 2
STRESS IN BPO AND CALL
CENTER
• The beginning of an industry

• Understanding- "Call Center"
• HUMAN ISSUES IN CALL-CENTER
INDUSTRY
• Four Key stressors
• Other Health issues…
• STRATEGIES FOR COPING WITH
STRESS
2.1The beginning of an industry

Carrying out transactions over the telephone has a long history, beginning with
operator services and later, reservations lines, particularly for airlines. But in the
last 15 to 20 years, the introduction of information technologies and
telecommunications advances have expanded the types of work it is possible to
undertake, while reducing costs. Concurrently, ideas of ‘service’ and service
relationships continue to be redefined as technology becomes increasingly
ubiquitous, rendering the public more receptive to mediated service interactions.
There are a variety of factors, which have led to the increase of telephone services,
suggest Richardson and Marshall, including the transformation of telephony by
“the development of digital exchanges, intelligent telephone networks and their
integration with computer data bases”; falling telephony costs and the introduction
of toll-free numbers; the high degree of penetration and familiarity of telephone
technology; and the ability to communicate complex information by phone in real
time. In addition to technological progress and social advantages, another likely
reason for the burgeoning of the call center industry in the early 1990s was a
significant period of retrenchment in a number ofbusiness sectors, including a drive
towards reducing costs and cutting staff-both of which can be accomplished by
centralizing services, reducing branch offices close to the customer, and taking
advantage of lower cost real estate and labor costs in locations outside main
business centers. Call centers, of course, permit all of these activities.
The US was in the forefront of the call center movement, yet Nadji Tehrani, editor
of the first trade publication devoted to the telemarketing and call center
industries, writes that when Telemarketing Magazine was launched in 1982 in the
United States, there were “only a handful” of companies conducting market
research or handling customer service by phone. He describes the rapidity of

technological development during the ensuing years: “We have seen the use of 3 x
5 cards and rotary dial phones, evolve to push-button telephones to integrated
contact management software and automated dialing to Web-enabled call centers”.
Outsourcing centers that specialize in providing call center services for other
companies are also expanding. Although most call centers in the UK are currently
nationally oriented, there is a move towards pan-European call centers in areas
such as hotels, travel, and computing.
Still, despite its rapid rate of growth, the call center industry is relatively new. The
“vast majority” of call centers in the UK have “existed for less than ten years”
claims Cameron, while Michel notes that in Germany, 25% of call centers in the
country were established before 1991, and 41% during what he terms the “call
center boom” after 1995. A boom is perhaps an accurate term. One estimate
suggests a rate of growth between 20%-25% a year in Canada, while a 1996
Datamonitor report gave a figure of 40% for call center market growth in Europe,
a number anticipated to hold until the turn of the century. Similarly, as mentioned
above, academic interest in call centers is also quite recent, with the bulk of
reported research beginning in the late 1990s and beginning to accumulate in the
last two years.
2.2Understanding- "Call Center"
As a first step, it is useful to establish a definition of a call center. This is not a

completely straightforward task, as there are considerable variations between types
of call centers, which are spread across several sectors of the economy, and which
perform different functions for different organizations, both within and across
sectors.
The broadest definition in the call center literature is that provided by Norling,
who states “a call center is any communications platform from which firms deliver
services to customers via remote, real-time contact”. Callaghan and Thompson
apply a similarly inclusive definition, stating that call centers may be “broadly
defined as workplaces that integrate telephone and computer technologies”. While
these definitions usefully highlight the centrality of communication technology
integration in the call center field, it leaves the boundaries of the industry
somewhat ambiguous. Taylor and Bain narrow the definition by specifying the
types of technologies used: “we define a call center as a dedicated operation in
which computer-utilising employees receive inbound-or make outbound-telephone
calls, with those calls processed and controlled either by an Automatic Call
Distribution (ACD) or predictive dialing system. The call center is thus
characterized by the integration of telephone and VDU technologies.”
Other authors narrow their definitions by focusing on the types of services which
these integrated technologies are designed to provide. For example, in an early
definition, Richardson states “telephone call centers are specialist technology-
intensive offices that are established by organizations in order to deliver services
to customers over the telephone, replacing or complementing face-to-face
interaction with the public” . Similarly, Kinnie, Purcell and Hutchinson provide a
tripartite definition incorporating technology, technological control, and tasks:
We define call centers in the following way:
I. Employees are engaged in specialist operation which integrate

telecommunications and information systems technologies;
ii. Their work is controlled by automatic systems which virtually simultaneously

distribute work, control the pace of that work and monitor their performance;
iii. They are in direct contact with the customer through dealing with in-bound
calls, making out-bound calls or a combination of the two.
Houlihan also includes the types of operations typically performed in a call center
within her definition. She lists the tasks most effectively performed by call
centers: “Call centers are centralized, specialized operations for both inbound and
outbound communication handling. Call center operations are especially suited to
information delivery, customer services and sales operations”.
2.3HUMAN ISSUES IN CALL-CENTER INDUSTRY
Stress
For many employed in the call center sector, “the daily experience is of repetitive,
intensive and stressful work, based upon Taylorist principles, which frequently
results in employee “burnout”. Brown, more vividly, characterizes the work as
“repetitive brain strain”. These descriptions are hardly surprising, in a way, given
that call centers are established by organizations to “create an environment in
which work can be standardized to create relatively uniform and repetitious
activities so as to achieve economies of scale and consistent quality of customer
service”. This means, in other words, that workplaces are organized in ways that
weaken employee autonomy and enhance the potential for management control,
and “a loss of control is generally understood to be an important indicator of work-
related stress”.
There is almost universal consensus that call center work is stressful. Even in
studies that report the observation that some staff actually enjoys their work,
mention of stress is still the norm, and a significant portion of the call center
literature is devoted to detailing the sources of stress in call center work.
2.4Key stressors Four
I)’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'. .
• "The question of how B.P.O 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..
• 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. .
..
II) 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 trade-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.
• . 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. .
• 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.
III) Intensity
• The third central stressor in call center work is its intensity. . 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".
• The pace of work is determined by the combination of technologies that

deliver calls to the headset and account details to the screen, and workers
often have no control over this process.
• Call centers are information handling organizations. As currently

characterized, the job of the agent is to be the voice of the organization,
interfacing with the client or customer.
IV)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.
• Sales targets, in particular, are difficult to accept, or meet, for staff who often
consider 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 Bain's 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".
.
2.5 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, eye-strain, repetitive strain injury
(RSI), voice loss, hearing problems and burn-out”, 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.
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.
Ι) 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 or
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.
II) Digestive System Related 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.
ΙΙ Ι) Depression
• 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 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 B.P.O have now
devised different stress management programs mainly to counter

depression.
Ις) 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.
V) Eyesight Problems
• Globally B.P.O industry employees are considered a high-risk group for
eye-related problems.
• While the quality of monitors might impact these disorders, sitting
continually 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.
VI)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.
VII)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.
VIII)Discipline and behavioral 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 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.
IX) Inter-personal relationship 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.
X)Love affair 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.
XI)Absenteeism
• Absenteeism is very high in calls centers. Employees tend to be very irregular

to the duty due to various reasons.
• The professional counseling services to such irregular employees on one to one
basis will help to bring down the absenteeism.

• The counselor can educate and explain the importance of attending duties to
earn the salary and also to meet the organizational goals. Each individual are
unique and the problem they face are also different in nature.
• Only the professional counselors can understand, analyze and provide long
lasting solutions for the individuals.
ΞΙ Ι) 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, the time management by the executives is crucial to go forward in
education as well as to maintain the performance and career growth.Programmes
on time management, tips to study, tips to keep fit and such other programmes can
be offered. These steps would help to seek the loyalty of employees to the
organizations and helps greatly for the 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 the jobs in future will drive the employees to do part time
work. Human body does not permit to stretch beyond one's capacity.
• The executives need to take sufficient rest in the daytime so that energy levels
are maintained. Either due to lack of experience or due to compulsions, the
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 Stress Management Understanding that the "Stress" is
a major concern for all Call-Center Employees, it is a duty of HR-heads of

Call-Centers to address it properly.
• Some of the common signs and symptoms of stress Although we all experience
stress in different ways, there are certain signs that are most frequently
reported. These signs fall into two major categories; physical/behavioral signs
and emotional signs. If we become aware of our own stress symptoms, we will
be more effective in dealing with them sooner rather than later. What follows is
a list of some of the most experienced symptoms of stress.
• The physical/behavioral symptoms include; muscular tension, muscle spasms
and tics, rapid heart beat, shortness of breath and high blood pressure, cold
hands and feet, backaches, headaches and neck aches, stomach problems,
indigestion, irritable bowel and ulcers, feeling fatigued, irritable, decreased
ability to concentrate, insomnia and changes in eating behavior.
• Since these physical symptoms may be related to physical problems, you
should consult with your medical doctor before you assume that your
symptoms are purely stress-related.
• The emotional symptoms include; anxiety in a variety of situations not limited
to the stressful situation, depression, hopelessness and a strong urge to cry
without specific incident, withdrawal from social interactions and avoidance of
previously enjoyed activities, powerlessness and decreased self esteem,
hostility, anger and resentment, fears, phobias and unwanted thoughts.
• Learning to become more aware of your own stress symptoms is the first major
step in the stress management and healing process. It is often helpful to
monitor your daily symptoms in a stress diary where you match the stressful
events with the symptom experienced.
• For example; you made find that if you are stuck in early morning traffic you
may experience irritability and headaches. In this case it will be important to
use these symptoms as a cue that you have to begin managing that stress more
effectively when it happens.

• What are the consequences of un-managed stress? We all know that stress is something
that doesn’t feel good to us physically and emotionally.

• What is even more compelling is what happens below the surface each time we
experience stress. .
• The nervous system then makes changes in the body that prepare you to handle
the perceived danger ahead. These changes include increases in heart rate and
blood pressure as well as pupil dilation.
• In addition, there are hormones and chemicals secreted such as adrenaline, that
give the body the necessary push to be able to manage the threat ahead.
• Although there are situations in which these adrenaline surges are very helpful
in helping us mobilize, the constant adrenaline surges due to repeatedly
perceived threats, have a toxic effect on the body.
• For example, recurrent adrenaline surges inhibit some of the other important
functions in the body including growth and tissue repair, digestion and the
immune response.
• Just as the thinking part of your brain is responsible for turning the stress
response on, you can turn it off by changing the threatening appraisals you are
making.
• Once you are able to determine that a threat does not exist or that it can be
effectively managed, your thinking brain stops sending panic messages to the
nervous system. As a result of this reappraisal, the hormones and chemicals
cease to be released and the body returns to normal.
• Bringing the body back to an "un-stressed" state is very important since almost
every system in the body can be damaged by stress. Although our bodies are
adaptive and can recover from periodic stressors, chronic stress has serious
consequences.
• We experience the consequences of stress on three important levels; physically,

emotionally and behaviorally.
• What follows is a description of the specific consequences in these three
categories.
Physically, the body is likely to develop a stress-related disease as a result of the stress
toxins that are released.For example, chronic stress can lead to cardiovascular disease by
elevating blood pressure, damaging the heart and arteries and increasing blood sugar.
Respiratory conditions such as asthma and bronchitis can result from stress-
triggered changes in the lungs.
• When stress inhibits the body’s digestive functions, diseases such as ulcers,
colitis and chronic diarrhea can occur. In addition, stress contributes to
inhibited growth of tissue and bone which can lead to decalcification and
osteoporosis. The immune system is also inhibited by the reduced efficiency
of the white blood cells, making the body more susceptible to disease.
• Increased muscle tension, fatigue and headaches are additional

consequences of chronic stress.
• The second category of consequences of chronic stress is the emotional
consequences. Depression can result form chronic stress due to the constant
release and depletion of norepinephrine.
• What also contributes to the depression is the thought that life is terrible
and that it is never going to get better.
• What then results is a feeling of helplessness and ineffectiveness, feeling
like a failure and a reduction in self-confidence.
• Individuals who are depressed are also likely to withdraw from
relationships and isolate themselves which often increases the intensity of
the depression. In addition, anxiety and fearfulness are commonly felt

emotions if someone constantly perceives threats around the corner.
• In addition, individuals who are chronically stressed are likely to exhibit
increased cynicism, rigidity, sarcasm and irritability since they believe that
their situation is not likely to improve.
• Chronic stress also has significant behavioral consequences. The behavioral
consequences often result from the innate survival urge we have to seek
relief, to fight or to flee. Unfortunately, these relief-seeking behaviors
eventually become problematic. For example, "addictive behaviors" can
result from the repeated efforts to soothe or escape the painful stress.
• Alcohol, drugs, smoking and overeating are often seen as tools to help
manage the stress even though their effects are short lived and the
consequences of chronic use are destructive to the body and mind.
Unfortunately the mind's ability to deny the long-term consequences in
order to fill the short-term need to escape perpetuates the problem and
increases the excessive use behavior.
• Similarly, procrastination, poor planning, excessive sleeping and the
avoidance of responsibility are examples of behaviors used by stressed
individuals to temporarily flee from the pain. What is most significant
about these behaviors is their ability to generate additional problems that
are as severe as the original stressor.
• For example, procrastination or avoidance of the management of a stressor
only serves to increase anxiety and exacerbate the stress experience.
The stress consequences reviewed above suggest that in addition to being

physically and psychologically distressing, they reduce the likelihood of effective
goal reaching. The rationale for properly managing and coping with the stress is
for health protection in the future as well as making the present more productive
and satisfying.
Managing Stress
Since stress is an inevitable fact of life that we can’t always prevent, our efforts
need to be focused on coping with stress more effectively. What follows is a
description of a three pronged approach to stress management which includes
behavioral/practical techniques, relaxation techniques and cognitive/thinking
techniques.
The behavioral/practical approaches to stress management include exercise and

eating a healthy, balanced diet, which includes selections from the basic food
groups. In addition, it is recommended that one avoid the excessive use of alcohol,
caffeine and sugar, which contribute to fatigue and vulnerability to mood swings.
It is also important to allow the body to rest and replenish to help inoculate the
body against future stress. Building this stress resistance also includes scheduling
time for leisure and pleasure, which provides for a more balanced, fulfilling life.
Anticipating and preparing for recurrent stressors by managing time, setting
priorities and limits, delegating responsibility, and not procrastinating are helpful
stress reducing strategies. These techniques are effective stress management tools
because their utilization is within our control.
References
• WWW.GOOGLE.COM
• WWW.SCRIBD.COM
CHAPTER 3
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
1. Case on stress of workplace
The workplace had become a high stress environment in many organizations

cutting across industries. Employees were experiencing high level of stress due to
various factors such as high workload, tight deadlines, high targets, type of work,
lack of job satisfaction, long working hours, pressure to perform, etc.
Interpersonal conflicts at the workplace, such as boss-subordinate relationships

and relationships with peers, were also a source of stress.
Experts believed that the dysfunctional aspects of stress could directly impact an
organization’s performance and also affect the well-being of its employees. Stress
at the workplace was linked to absenteeism, higher attrition, and decreased
productivity. Stress led to fatigue, irritability, poor communication, and quality
problems/errors. High stress levels also affected the morale and motivation of the
employees. Prolonged exposure to stress without effective coping mechanisms
could lead to a host of physical and mental problems. For instance, stress could
lead to stress-induced gastrointestinal problems, irritable bowel syndrome, acidity,
acid reflux, insomnia, depression, heart disease, etc. Moreover, stress could push
the victim toward high risk behavior such as smoking, drinking, and substance
abuse. Stress-related illness led to increase in absenteeism and attrition affecting

the profitability of the organizations. Organizations cutting across industries were
gearing up to provide employees with a stress-free healthy environment. The
efforts to address this issue were more pronounced in some industries than others.
Experts felt that, though stress at the workplace is a global phenomenon,
professionals in some industries were more susceptible to stress than others. For
instance, surveys conducted in 2006 and 2007 in the UK and the US respectively,
found that employees in Information Technology (IT) industry (including the IteS
outsourcing industry) were the most stressed. Accordingly, these organizations
had started implementing various unconventional methods to decrease stress at the
workplace.
Even in India, organizations had woken up to this menace and were resorting to
novel methods including teaching the employees dancing and music, trekking, etc,
to reduce stress at the workplace. For instance, Tata Consultancy Services Ltd.
Had started different clubs like Theatre Club, Bibliophile Club, Adventure &
Trekking Club, Fitness Club, Sanctuary Club, Music Club and Community
Services Club, etc.
Infosys Technologies Ltd. Focused on increasing self-awareness and provided the

employees with guidance on how to cope with stress through a series of
workshops by experts.
In addition to conducting stress management workshops, organizations were

also conducting off-site picnics, games, and inter-departmental competitions.
Some companies were also using a system of mentors and promoted open
communication to improve interactions and camaraderie at the workplace.
Employees in most of the established companies had access to in-house
counseling centers. Some companies had also employed nutritionists to provide
healthy food at the office canteens and counsel the employees on healthy eating
habits and lifestyle. Some companies were also considering employing
psychologists to counsel their employees.
Experts felt that organizations were resorting to creative methods to address the
issue of stress at the workplace, but more action was required on this front, both in
terms of assessment of the situation and implementation of concrete steps to tackle
the problem.
2.Why United Biscuits decided to manage stress using the Management

Standards
To address the increase in reported ‘stress’ cases during the period 2003-2005.
To introduce preventive measures to tackle work related stress with a view to

reducing litigation.
To take responsibility and care for the well-being of employees.
Following an initial presentation on the importance of tackling work related stress,

the United Biscuits Management Board developed and promoted a stress policy
within their organisation. This policy required annual site risk assessments to be
conducted to monitor stress levels within United Biscuits. In addition, they
maintained an internal routine health surveillance system, which identified and
distinguished work-related disorders (e.g. Mental health and asthma) from non-
work related issues. This was used to monitor ‘organisational health’ trends after
the policy was introduced. HR and Occupational Health teams gathered data on
staff turnover, claims, absenteeism, and ‘stress’ cases to identify ‘hot spots’ which
may be the result of stress. Then the procedures for managing individual cases of
stress, as summarised below, were introduced for line managers, HR and
Occupational Health professionals.
The Management Standards implementation The HSE Indicator Tool (35

questions related to the six Management Standards) was administered in two
departments. In addition, United Biscuits incorporated questions into their annual
staff survey to address all six HSE identified risk factors – Demands, Control,
Support (managers & peers), Relations, Role and Change.
3.What next? – Action plans
Results were communicated to all United Biscuits staff, with action plans
discussed in employee liaison groups. This led to a simplification of data

collection and regular team meetings with managers. In addition, in-house training
on stress management was introduced for managers.
Main challenges
An initial challenge was persuading the company to accept stress as an important

business issue. In addition, ensuring that all line managers received training on
managing stress. In hindsight, greater benefits would have been achieved if trade
unions representatives had been involved in the development of the policy at the
beginning of the process.
“One of the main challenges was for the company to accept that stress was
important – it is now accepted as a business issue that can be managed.” Clive
Harker – Occupational Physician
4.What worked well?
The Board acknowledging stress and mental health problems was an important
step and created the framework for success. The incorporation of the Management
Standards approach into organisational policy helped United Biscuits to identify
and manage complex cases (e.g. Work and domestic pressures with associated
common mental health disorders) and monitor continuous improvement with a
specific focus on hot spots.
Benefits
• Led to increased awareness in those line managers who have received

training.
• Since 2005, as shown on the graph below, there is a decrease in “stress

cases” for which work was the most significant cause.
• Led to better defense in claims/tribunals.
• Led to reduced absence costs for stress. For each case where absence is
prevented, it is estimated the cost of 4 weeks wages and other associated
costs is saved. For the three years since the policy was introduced this
represents about 40 weeks of absence.
Reported Stress Cases 2004-2007
Introduction
Striking a balance is the real fulfillment to life. In the rat race of our present day
existence, especially in the long working hours ethos of our industry, we forget to
maintain a balance between work and family. The result is devastating: high levels of
stress, trauma, and even nervous breakdowns.
The phrase work life balance was coined in 1986 in USA .Until 1999 it remained on the
fringes of corporate usage and public dissemination. Post 2000, work life balance has
gone mainstream, with hundreds of dedicated internet sites, including those of mega
corporations, helping spread its usage. There has been legislation enacted in many
countries making work life balance crucial to the functioning of a corporation.
All this translates in the HR departments paying more and more attention to the
aspirations of every employee and creating parameters of social interactivity to enable
them to constantly discover their true potential. The BPO industry and other IT based
businesses are constantly reframing their worklife policies because of high attrition rates.
Objective of the Paper
To study the worklife of the BPO employees and the various problems faced by them
while working in the BPO sector. 1. The paper also gives an insight on the various
human resource practices carried out in the BPO sector. 2. This paper would give a
detailed report on the employees and their benefits and disadvantages in relation to
their worklife 3. The paper would throw light on the human resource functions,
practices followed by the HR department in relation to a BPO unit-Converges
Some Statistics of the BPO Industry
Over 25,000 people are employed in the BPO sector Revenue of the sector touches $
3.6 billion
Burn out Stress Syndrome is common among BPO employees
BPO industry lacks a regulatory framework from Foreign Direct Investment
The Government and the corporate sector should look at employment laws as
different from the labor laws for the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry.
There is a need for a forum to redress the grievances of employees in the BPO
sector. At a public meeting organized by the Union of Information Technology
and Enabled Services ,participants rued that the BPO industry lacks a regulatory
framework from Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) regulations to issues of security,
technology transfer and employee welfare. Various call centre employees and non-
governmental organization activists expressed concern about the non-
implementation of the universal charters prepared pertaining to the security of
women working in night shifts. The absence of such a regulation leaves employees
open to machinations of unscrupulous employers, cases of fraudulent salary cuts,
collection of deposits in the name of training, arbitrary fixing of salaries and fear
of reprisal.
The number of people employed in the BPO sector is currently upwards 2,50,000
in the country and expected to reach 1.1 million by 2008.( according to a
NASSCOM Report)The business has grown by 46 per cent, with the revenue
touching $ 3.6 billion and has added 70,000 new jobs in the year 2004. The NGO
workers are apprehensive about the sustainability of the employees in the BPO
industry because of the haphazard work shifts. “Though BPO industries have been
a boon in terms of employing a bulk number of unemployed graduates, it is
difficult for them to sustain. The stress, working against nature and the safety and
security factor plays a major role. Though a job in the call centers is all about “big
money,” the future of the employees and their educational opportunities five years
down the line is a million dollar question. The employees cease to be social beings
and often get isolated from their family and friends. BOSS ﾁ\ the Burn-Out Stress
Syndrome ﾁ \ is a common syndrome among the BPO employees and includes
chronic fatigue, insomnia due to the complete alteration of 24-hour biological
rhythm of the body. Crossing lines of gender, religion and caste, anyone can fit
into this type of work, assuming they have good language skills. Lamenting on the
stress factor, many call centre employees called for longer breaks during work
hours and an insight on loss of identity of employees is also a rising question.
Articles
Information
Emotional stress usually occurs when people consider situations difficult or unable
to manage. Different people consider different situations as stressful.
Physical stress refers to a physical reaction of the body to various triggers. The
pain experienced after surgery is an example of physical stress. Physical stress
often leads to emotional stress, and emotional stress often occurs as physical
discomfort (e.g., stomach cramps).
Stress management involves controlling and reducing the tension that occurs in
stressful situations by making emotional and physical changes. The degree of
stress and the desire to make the changes will determine how much change takes
place.
ASSESSING STRESS
Attitude: A person's attitude can influence whether or not a situation or emotion is

stressful. A person with a negative attitude will often report more stress than
would someone with a positive attitude.
Physical well-being: A poor diet puts the body in a state of physical stress and
weakens the immune system. As a result, the person can be more likely to get
infections. A poor diet can mean unhealthy food choices, not eating enough, or not
eating on a normal schedule. This can cause a person to not get enough nutrients.
This form of physical stress also decreases the ability to deal with emotional
stress, because not getting the right nutrition may affect the way the brain
processes information.
Physical activity: Not getting enough physical activity can put the body in a
stressful state. Physical activity has many benefits. A regular physical activity
program can help decrease depression, if it exists. It also improves the feeling of
well-being.
Support systems: Most everyone needs someone in their life they can rely on when
they are having a hard time. Having little or no support makes stressful situations
even more difficult to deal with.
Relaxation: People with no outside interests, hobbies, or ways to relax may be

unable to handle stressful situations because they have no outlet for their stress.
Physical activity: Inadequate physical activity can result in a stressful state for the
body. Physical activity has many physiologic benefits. A consistent program of
physical activity can contribute to a decrease in depression, if it exists. It also
improves the feeling of well-being.
Support systems: Most everyone needs someone in their life whom they can rely
on when they are having a hard time. Minimal or absent support systems make
stressful situations more difficult to deal with.
AN INDIVIDUAL STRESS MANAGEMENT PROGRAM
Positive thinking.
• Refocus the negative to be positive.
• Make an effort to stop negative thoughts.

• Plan some fun. Take a break.
Physical activity:
• Start an individualized program of physical activity. Most experts

recommend doing 20 minutes of aerobic activity 3 times per week.
• Decide on a specific time, type, frequency, and level of physical activity.

Make this dedicated time fit into your schedule so it can be part of your
routine.
• Find a buddy to exercise with -- it is more fun and it will encourage you to
stick with your routine.
• You do not have to join a gym -- 20 minutes of brisk walking outdoor will
do the trick.
Nutrition:
• Plan to eat foods for improved health and well-being. For example, increase
the amount of fruits and vegetables you eat.
• Use the food guide pyramid to help select healthy food choices.
• Eat an appropriate amount of food at a reasonable schedule.
Social support:
• Make an effort to interact socially with people. Even though you feel
stressed, you will be glad to have gone out to meet your friends if only to
get your mind off of things.
• Reach out to individuals.
• Nurture yourself and others.
Relaxation:
• Learn about and try using one or more of the many relaxation techniques,
such as guided imagery, listening to music, or practicing yoga or
meditation. One or more should work for you.
• Take time for personal interests and hobbies.
• Listen to one's body.

• Take a mini retreat.
• RESOURCES
• If these stress management techniques do not work for you, there are
professional individuals such as licensed social workers, psychologists, and
psychiatrists who can help. Scheduling time with one of these mental health
professionals is often helpful in learning stress management strategies,
including relaxation techniques. Support groups of various types are also
available through the community.
Stress is the mental, physical and emotional reactions you experience as a results
of demands of your life. You must have experienced stress at one time or another
whether you know its definition and types or not.
What is stress? Definition of Stress
The word stress is derived from the Latin word "stringi", which means, "to be
drawn tight". Stress can be defined as follows:
Definition of Stress : 1In medical terms stress is described as, "a physical or
psychological stimulus that can produce mental tension or physiological reactions
that may lead to illness." When you are under stress, your adrenal gland releases
corticosteroids, which are converted to cortisol in the blood stream. Cortisol have
an immune suppressive effect in your body.
Most of us experience stress at one time or another. Without stress, there would be
no life. However, excessive or prolonged stress can be harmful. Stress is unique
and personal. A situation may be stressful for someone but the same situation may
be challenging for others. For example, arranging a world level symposium may
be challenging for one person but stressful to another. Some persons have habit of
worrying unnecessarily.
Types of Stress
Three types of stress may be distinguished:

1. Acute stressAcute stress is usually for short time and may be due to work
pressure, meeting deadlines pressure or minor accident, over exertion,
increased physical activity, searching something but you misplaced it, or
similar things.
Symptoms of this type of tension are headaches, back pain, stomach
problems, rapid heartbeat, muscle aches or body pain.
2. Acute StressAcute stress is common in people who take too many

responsibilities and are overloaded or overworked, disorganized, always in a
hurry and never in time. These people are generally in positions of importance
at their workplace and stressful lifestyle is inherent in them.
Symptoms of this type of stress are prolonged tension headaches,
hypertension, migraines, chest pain and heart disease.
3. Chronic Stress:This type of stress is the most serious of all the 3 stress types.
Chronic stress is a prolonged stress that exists for weeks, months, or even
years. This stress is due to poverty, broken or stressed families and marriages,
chronic illness and successive failures in life. People suffering from this type
of stress get used to it and may even not realize that they are under chronic
stress. It is very harmful to their health.
Causes of Stress
Whenever our body feels something not favorable, then it tries to defend itself. If
this situation continues for a long time, then our body is working overtime.
There are several causes of stress. For example, you are under stress when you are
worried about something, worried about your children, worried about the illness of
your father, worried about your job security, or worried about your loans or
similar things.
BODY PART
How to Reduce, prevent, and Cope with Stress
It may seem that there’s nothing you can do about your stress level. The bills
aren’t going to stop coming, there will never be more hours in the day for all your
errands, and your career or family responsibilities will always be demanding. But
you have a lot more control than you might think. In fact, the simple realization
that you’re in control of your life is the foundation of stress management.
Managing stress is all about taking charge: taking charge of your thoughts, your
emotions, your schedule, your environment, and the way you deal with problems.
The ultimate goal is a balanced life, with time for work, relationships, relaxation,
and fun – plus the resilience to hold up under pressure and meet challenges head
on.
Identify the sources of stress in your life
Stress management starts with identifying the sources of stress in your life. This
isn’t as easy as it sounds. Your true sources of stress aren’t always obvious, and
it’s all too easy to overlook your own stress-inducing thoughts, feelings, and
behaviors. Sure, you may know that you’re constantly worried about work
deadlines. But maybe it’s your procrastination, rather than the actual job demands,
that leads to deadline stress.
To identify your true sources of stress, look closely at your habits, attitude, and
excuses:
• Do you explain away stress as temporary (“I just have a million things
going on right now”) even though you can’t remember the last time you
took a breather?
• Do you define stress as an integral part of your work or home life (“Things
are always crazy around here”) or as a part of your personality (“I have a lot
of nervous energy, that’s all”).
• Do you blame your stress on other people or outside events, or view it as

entirely normal and unexceptional?
Until you accept responsibility for the role you play in creating or maintaining it,
your stress level will remain outside your control.
Start a stress journal
A stress journal can help you identify the regular stressors in your life and the way
you deal with them. Each time you feel stressed, keep track of it in your journal.
As you keep a daily log, you will begin to see patterns and common themes. Write
down:
• What caused your stress (make a guess if you’re unsure).
• How you felt, both physically and emotionally.
• How you acted in response.
• What you did to make yourself feel better.
Look at how you currently cope with stress
Think about the ways you currently manage and cope with stress in your life. Your
stress journal can help you identify them. Are your coping strategies healthy or
unhealthy, helpful or unproductive? Unfortunately, many people cope with stress

in ways that compound the problem.
Unhealthy ways of coping with stress
These coping strategies may temporarily reduce stress, but they cause more
damage in the long run:
• Smoking
• Drinking too much
• Zoning out for hours in front of the TV or computer
• Withdrawing from friends, family, and activities
• Using pills or drugs to relax
• Sleeping too much
• Procrastinating
References
• WWW.GOOGLE.COM
• WWW.SCRIBD.COM
CHAPTER 4
AREA OF STUDY
ACTUAL STUDY
The main purpose of selecting these topic is show that stress faced by BPO or
call center's employees and how it is managed by executives.there are also studied
about causes and effects faced by BPO employees and workers.
I have visit following BPO OR CALLCENTER industries :
• Godrej BPO ,Mahape, Navi Mumbai.
• Spanco Pvt Ltd. , Vashi.
• Vodafone Pvt Ltd., Mahape.
• Relience Pvt.Ltd.
I have taken an interview of employees , i have asked them various questions

about their work and about stress and how they managed employees stress in their
organisation.
SAMPLE DESIGN
A sample of 51 respondents was taken using random sampling . The researcher
contacted the executive and employees personally and brief summary of the nature
of study and details in qutionnaie were narrated them.
CHAPTER 5
DATA ANALYSIS AND
INTERPRETATION
⇔ Introduction
⇔ Analysis of data
⇔ Summarization
INTRODUCTION:
The respondents were 51. The method were used by open ended question, yes no
type question. The BPO employees have selected multiple answers which they feel
is corrected according to their opinion.
EMPLOYEES VIEWS
Q.NO.1 Do you have enough time to do What is expected of you from your job? Y
60
50
40
yes
30 NO
Sometimes
20
10
0
Row 4
As every job involves carry out certain responsibility or task ,so to complete it
employees sufficient time so the researcher try to find out whether they are given
enough to do their job.
On the detail analysis of data it was found that about 60% get enough time to do
their job ,but about 16% employees work under stress , and about 24%are not
certain about it that is workload sometimes more.
Q.NO.2 Do you get upset thinking that you are not able to prosper Or make
progress in job or carrier ?
20
18
16
14
12 YES
NO
10 SOMETIMES
8
In every BPO industry because of their shift pattern employees survive under a
stress and they get upset thinking than they are not able to make progress in their
job .
On the basis of analysis of data researcher have found 25%of employees faced
these problem in their job , 35% of employees are not certain that they will make
proper progress and nearly 39% is not bothering about their proces
Q.NO.3 Do you find difficult to concentrate on your work due to tension ?
25
20
15 YES
NO
SOMETIMES
10
As every job require employees should concentrate on their work . But in BPO
industry it's not possible to every employees to do same .
Because researcher have found that on the basis of data analysis 20% employees
cannot concentrate on their job due to tension and employee may found difficult
sometimes Or may not and 31% of employee does not feel that tension may be
constrain in his work .
Q.NO.4 Do you feel that you are over loaded with so many task at a time ?
30
25
20
YES
NO
15 SOMETIMES
10
In Bpo industry involved Shift pattern.. which may effect on work of employees
has to do many task at a time because of that they may be feel overloaded .
As researcher have found that 60% employees sometimes feel that they are
overloaded with to many task at a time
Q.NO.5 Does your shift pattern affect your work ?
25
20
15 YES
NO
SOMETIMES
10
Every BPO industry involved shift pattern . Which may effect on work of
employees.
On the basis of data analysis researcher have found that 70% - 80% of employees
agreed that shift pattern affect on their work .
Q.NO.6 Are you afraid whether you will be able to complete your your target on
time ?
30
25
20
YES
NO
15 SOMETIMES
10
The data for the proposed study was collected from 51 respondents of BPO
sector
On the detailed analysis of data it was found that 52% of respondents strongly
that agreed that they are afraid that whether they will be able to complete their
work at a time
Whereas 18% of respondents not agreed as they were opinion that they get better
salaries & medical benefits Etc.
Q.NO.7 Does your working relationship with higher authority your working
ability leads to tension ?
30
25
20
YES
NO
15 SOMETIMES
10
As is evident from the chart ,majority of the respondents (51%) say yes that they
have working relationship with higher authority their working ability leads to
tension.26% employees is disagreed And other 25% employees are faced these
problem sometime.
Q.NO.8 Due to insufficient resources are you not able to complete the task ?
25
20
15 YES
NO
SOMETIMES
10
Opinion of study revel that ,majority of the respondents (75%)agree with that due
to insufficient resources they are not able to complete the task .and only 25%
employees not agreed.
2. EMOTIONAL EXHAUSTION
Q.NO.1) Do you feel emotionally drained from your work ?
25
20
15 YES
NO
SOMETIMES
10
As is evidence of chart , majority of the respondents 80% is agreed with above

statement I.e employees fell emotionally drained from their work. And other 20%
employees disagreed with this statement.
Q.NO.2 Do you often feel that you are not able to concentrate completely because
of stress ?
30
25
20
YES
NO
15 SOMETIMES
10
As evidence from the chart ,majority of respondents (74%) agree with above
statement that they often feel that they are not concentrate completely because of
stress.
Q.NO.3 Do you find extremely difficult to take decision ?
20
18
16
14
12 YES
NO
10 SOMETIMES
8
6
4
2
0
As evidence from the chart ,majority of respondents (62%) agree that they find
extremely difficult to take decision because of stress
Q.NO.4 Do you get very nervous and depresses when you don't fulfill
organizational requirement in your work ?
25
20
15 YES
NO
SOMETIMES
10
As evidence from the chart ,majority of respondents (79%) agreed that they get
very nervous and depressed when they don't fulfill organizational requirement
because of stress.
III) PHYSICAL
Q.NO.1 Do you take 8 -10 hrs sleep everyday ?
30
25
20
YES
NO
15 SOMETIMES
10
As evidence from the chart, majority of respondents (56%) disagree with above
statement that they take 8-10 hrs sleep everyday nearly 43% employees are agreed
that they are take 8-10 hrs sleep everyday.
Q.NO.2 Are you loosing / gain your weight due to stress ?
35
30
25
YES
20 NO
SOMETIMES
15
10
As evidence from the chart ,majority of respondents (86%) employees agree with
above statement that they are loosing their weight due to stress. Only 16% of
employees are disagreed with that.
Q.NO.3 Do you become restless and see engaged in smoking drinking alcohols
etc.?
18
17.5
17
YES
NO
16.5 SOMETIMES
16
15.5
15
that they become restless and get engaged in smoking, drinking, alcohols etc.
Q.NO.4 Are you able to speak openly about your feelings when you are angry Or
worried?
20
18
16
14
12 YES
NO
10 SOMETIMES
8
6
4
2
0
above statement that they are able to speak openly their feeling when they are
angry or worried nearly 22% of employees are not able to speak openly about their
feelings in stress.
.
Q.NO.5 Do you fun at least once a week
35
30
25
YES
20 NO
SOMETIMES
15
10
As evidence from the chart ,majority of respondents (88%)employees are agreed

that they fun at least once a week .12% of employees not fun.
Summarization
The graphs were prepared according to their responses & by observing to the
respondents according the viewpoints discussed about particular topic. The
opinion was noted & interacting about the topic many facts has been noted.
CHAPTER 6
FINDINS AND
SUGGETIONS
FINIDIGS:
The finding of the present revealed the following.
• Most of the respondent falls under high stress category.
• There is direct relationship between stress & Demography factors i.e. age,
experience & designation.
• However the various aspects of personnel policies & practices of the

organization have contributed in reducing the stress among employees.
SUGGESTIONS:
• A small percentage of the employees did have high stress. Person facing
stress at the organizational level of lot of psychological problems in the
form of decreased motivation, absenteeism low productivity targets not
being achieving etc.
• As a reedy for the above said employees facing stress are advised to attend
stress management courses which will help them to build coping
strategies and cause out their stress .
The stress management cause comprise of a package program

consisting of:
• Relaxation
• positive outlook towards works / responsibilities
• self analysis through personality type testes
• inter personal skill development
• protection yoga cum meditation
• Time management
• Realize excessive use of tea / coffee cigarette is not answer to stress

CHAPTER: 7
CONCLUSION
CONCLUSION:
• The present study was conducted at BPO Center The was to founded the
stress levels, personality type of the employees.
• The study revealed that fall under low stress category only a small
percentage is highly stressed & needed prevailing in the organization to
some extent
• At the end of the study, we can conclude that through there are signs of
stress among the employees & such stress is affecting their behaviors, it can
be controlled & reduced effectively.
• This can be done by giving counseling & incorporation the suggestions

given here in at individual & organization level.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Books for reference :
Fred luthans : “Organization Behavior”
Mc Graw Hill international Edition .
Stephen P. ronin : “Organization Behavior – concept Controversies &

Application”
News papers :
• Times Of India
• Mid Day
Websites :
• WWW.GOOGLE.COM
• WWW.SCRIBD.COM

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Stress Management In BPO Sector

A project study on “Stress Management In BPO Sector”

A project submitted to University of Mumbai for in partial fulfilment of

SHINGANE SMRITI PRAKASH

Matrushri Kasiben Motilal Patel College of Commerce and Science,

Mrs. Poonam Wadhwa.

University of Mumbai, Mumbai- 400028

DECLARATION BY THE STUDENT

M.K.M.P College of commerce & science,

SHINGANE SMRITI PRAKASH

CERTIFICATE FROM THE GUIDE.

Matrushri Kasiben Motilal Patel College,

Signature of the Guide Date:

Internal examiner External examiner

I express my heartfelt gratitude to my guide Mrs. Poonam Wadhwa for her

I m thankful to “University of Mumbai” for giving me this opportunity

CHAPTER CONTENTS PAGE NO.

2 Stress Management In BPO or Call Center

4 Actual Study and Sample Design

5 Data Analysis and Interpretation

6 Findings and Suggestions

INTRODUCTION OF STRESS MANAGEMENT

Stress is a physiological and psychological imbalance. It arises due to the

STRESS! What is it???STRESS IS THE DEMAND MADE UPON THE

It isn’t easy to find a generally acceptable definition of stress. The word

The word ‘stress’ is defined by the Oxford Dictionary as “a state of affair

1.2 TYPES OF STRESS – SOME GOOD, SOME BAD

There are four main types of stress that people experience.

Eustress is a type of short-term stress that provides immediate strength. Eustress

Distress is a negative stress brought about by constant readjustments or alterations

There are two types of distress.

anyone’s life, and it is highly treatable and manageable.

1.3 SIX MYTHS ABOUT STRESS

Myth 1: Stress is the same for everybody.

Myth 2: Stress is always bad for you.

Myth 3: Stress is everywhere, so you can’t do anything about it.

Myth 5: No symptoms, no stress.

Myth 6: Only major symptoms of stress require attention.

1.4 STRESS AND GENDER

1.5 CAUSES OF STRESS

1. Causes of Stress at Home

• Death of spouse, family, near relative or friend.

• Injury or illness of any family member.

• Marriage of self or son or daughter or brother or sister.

• Separation or divorce from partner.

• Pregnancy or birth of a new baby.

• Children’s behavior or disobedience.

• Children’s educational performance.

• Argument or heated conversations with spouse, family members or

• Not sufficient money to meet out daily expenses or unexpected

• Not sufficient money to raise your standard of living.

• Loss of money in burglary, pick-pocketed or share market.

• Change of place or change of city or change of country.

2. Causes of Stress at Work

• To meet out the demands of the job.

• Your relationship with colleagues.

• To control staff under you.

• To train your staff and take work from them.

• Support you receive from your boss, colleagues and juniors.

• Excessive work pressure.

• To meet out deadlines.

• To give new results.