I went to see my oncologist yesterday. We talked about how I am sleeping too much (or is it too much, really? Is it the “new normal”?) I have been taking quick afternoon naps, besides sleeping quite long hours at night. In between, however, I feel quite bright. Yes. I think it is in fact a new routine that I will have to get into, fatigue and all.
But I digress. Her office is in a rather pleasant complex with faux Georgian buildings and wispy palm trees. It was strikingly hot for December, with the sky a hard blue and a restless wind. As I looked up, I saw the building towering over us, draped with green netting. Atop this lump of concrete stood an orange crane, which looked as if was about to punch a hole in something - or perhaps, a staple of some sort.
This object is going to be another BPO. It is being built by a Chinese construction firm. What on earth is a BPO, you may ask? Well, the acronym stands for Business Process Outsourcing. It’s a place where employees sit in cubicles, on telephones, talking to customers of large companies like Amazon or Bank of America far away about their credit cards that have been blocked, or their orders that have gone astray.
When BPOs first became a reality in Jamaica, they were welcomed with open arms by our Government as “God’s gift” to our lagging employment figures. The glamour seems to have worn off, however, partly because an unpleasant offshoot emerged a few years later: some employees began scamming unfortunate customers out of their life savings. Some of these despicable people are still doing it, chatting up old ladies in the U.S. who just want someone to talk to. And taking their money. Deception. Dishonesty. Fraud.
There is nothing inspiring about BPOs. Quite the reverse. They are symbolic of “developing countries” that are desperate to find jobs for their people. “Real” jobs are scarce in our part of the world, you know. I understand that BPO work is tedious, stressful, and not particularly well paid.
I did have a pleasant experience, however, just yesterday, with a BPO employee who helped me out with a banking matter. He was courteous, with a delightful accent. Thank you, Luis from Dominican Republic! I wish you the best.
Great post, Emma. Thanks for your insights into BPO life! I've seen a bit of it too.