India, often referred to as the ‘electronic housekeeper of the world’, is home to the largest number of offshored call centres. This makes it very important to understand how BPO providers in India manage their human resources. The key message from recent empirical studies on Indian call centres/BPO is that human resources are at once the greatest strength and the greatest challenge confronting this new industry. Many of these studies are, however, based more on polemics and managerial rhetoric as opposed to the systematic empirical investigation of the employment relationship.
This first-of-its-kind compilation intends to fill this vital gap by advancing evidence-based understandings of the issues, challenges and strategies confronting human resource management (HRM) in the Indian call centre/BPO sector. It features empirical research and conceptual advances, presented by well-known academics, researchers and practitioners from around the world and captures the voices of key stakeholders. Apart from presenting a front-line picture of employment relations and HRM in India, this book also provides the stakeholders’ perspectives by focusing on the motives, strategic opportunities and constraints confronting management practitioners, trade unions and employees. The Next Available Operator: Managing Human Resources in Indian Business Process Outsourcing Industry also investigates the similarities and differences between Indian call centres and those located in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia.
This volume is a must read for management practitioners, students and academics who seek a comprehensive understanding of HRM in Indian call centres.
Mohan Thite is an Associate Professor in Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia. He has a multi-disciplinary, multi-industry and multi-national career profile in academia and industry, spanning over 30 years. His research interests include Strategic human resource management, Digital HRM/ e-HRM/ Human resource information systems, international HRM and Global mobility and management of skilled talent in high-technology sectors. He is the founding Editor-in-Chief of South Asian Journal of HRM, published by Sage. He has published five books and over 100 book chapters, journal articles in esteemed journals, research reports and conference papers.
Bob Russell is Associate Professor at Griffith Business School, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia. He is the author of books on industrial relations in Canada and work transformation in the mining industry. Currently he is conducting research on call centres, information and globalisation. This material has appeared in Australian and international journals including the Journal of Industrial Relations, Work, Employment and Society and New Technology, Work and Employment. Bob is currently completing another single-authored book on info-service work.
