Good news for smarter and more competitive BPO workers (Repost)

Good news for smarter and more competitive BPO workers

by Joel Yuvienco
August 10, 2014

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Something good is happening to globally-competitive Filipino workers. Based on key official accounts and projections, the Business Processing Outsourcing (BPO) industry in the Philippines has grown significantly over the past four years (as shown in this graph showing Compound Annual Growth Rate). To achieve this, multinational companies have capitalized on a young, large workforce and Filipinos have benefited by the growth in labor opportunities. But, the real benefit of the emergence of the BPO industry in the Philippines is that it revealed the tremendous untapped potential of an extremely talented, capable, highly skilled Filipino workforce.

Recently, I had a conference call with Rahul Parikh, consultant to Global Staffer, to learn more about what it has to offer.

JOEL: HOW DID GLOBAL STAFFER APPROACH THIS UNTAPPED POTENTIAL?

Rahul Parikh (RP): Four years ago, Global Staffer, a global executive search firm, recognized this opportunity and started its operations in the Philippines. They are now launching a comedic mini video series that talks about how opportunities exist for many Filipino workers to work at a company where their job is fun and challenging. You can view the series at www.globalstaffer.com.

JOEL: WHAT DOES GLOBAL STAFFER BRING TO THE PHILIPPINE ECONOMY?

RP: When Global Staffer came to Manila, the company not only brought higher value/higher skilled tasks to the Philippines, but Global Staffer has also created higher value work. Rather than limit the young Filipino workforce to basic call center tasks, Global Staffer is enabling them to solve challenging problems and have a direct, significant impact on a global scale.

JOEL: DO YOU HAVE REFERENCE MODELS FOR WHAT COULD BE A TREND FOR A FILIPINO WORKFORCE THAT WANTS TO MAKE SMARTER CAREER MOVES?

RP: Lenny Anicete transitioned from a BPO position as collections representative at Convergys to Global Staffer three years ago. She recalls, “As a collections representative, I was restricted to learning strictly collections issues. The job was repetitive and mundane. It crossed my mind that maybe I could be doing something else. I am a lot smarter and a lot more capable than what they are asking of me.”

In just three years, she has risen through the ranks to the most senior position in the Global Staffer Manila office and has developed managerial, analytical, and problem-solving skills that she would not have been able to do in such short of a time while at a BPO. Global Staffer is enabling and encouraging faster career advancement opportunities for talented Filipinos—within the firm and outside the firm. Ultimately, this trend will open up new possibilities within the Philippine economy as more higher value work opportunities come up.

CAPABLE

The growth of the BPO industry was great in creating jobs, but what it really did was open the world’s, and more importantly, the Filipino’s eyes to how capable young Filipinos are. Global Staffer knows it; Lenny Anicete is experiencing it; and many more Filipinos will be part of the growing trend.

So that’s what it is like for globally qualified Filipinos in the BPO sector.

To learn more about this untapped potential, be sure to check out the mini video series at www.globalstaffer.com. Here’s an episode of “A Day in the Life” videos: www.youtube.com/user/globalstaffer.

Joel C. Yuvienco is an educator, international speaker, and eLearning architecture consultant based in Manila. A “tweener” straddling the  Baby Boomer and X Generations, he is a strong believer in Information and Communications Technology as a potent tool to bridge cultural/generational divides. For close to 15 years, Joel has worked in the government and the corporate sector, until he decided to focus on social entrepreneurship doing what he loved doing: Innovative Training and Education Research. He can be reached at joel.yuvienco@gmail.com.