News

Volume 3 Issue 1 - January 01, 2005

Round Table on employing disabled people in BPO industry

DNIS News Network - Senior representatives from BPO and software companies attend a Round Table Conference on ‘Employing disabled people in BPO industry: Opportunities and challenges’ in Bangalore.

A Round Table Conference on ‘Employing disabled people in BPO industry: Opportunities and challenges’ was held on December 23 at the Grand Ashok hotel, Bangalore. Senior representatives from BPO and software companies attended the meeting.

The core points for calling the meeting were for creating more employment opportunities in the BPO/IT sector, addressing issues of access with regard to employing disabled people, and bringing up concerns of employment and training of disabled people.

The group discussed four main reasons for looking at recruitment of disabled people in the BPO/IT sector, including Corporate Social Responsibility policy of the company; addressing the high attrition rates in the sectors; creating a larger pool of individuals from which people could be recruited; and, creating a system wherein people with disabilities are given an equal opportunity to a job and are encouraged to apply for relevant posts and of being assured of not being discriminated on ground of their disability.

Action points identified were a process mapping of the BPO industry and a spirit of collaboration between NGOs in the disability sector and the industry; sensitisation workshops and education for the project managers and recruiters of BPOs and IT companies. Also identified were barrier-free and disabled-friendly constructions; mobility aids for disabled people in companies; creation of a cell for companies to approach for employing people with disabilities; and documentation of the process of employment. Organisations should look at other functional areas where disabled people could be employed; a few organisations could take the lead in employing disabled people and thus becoming role models. Progeon Pvt Ltd. has agreed to train 20 disabled candidates in the coming year.