Bibhu Ranjan Mishra / Bangalore Feb 19, 2009, 00:58 IST
In an effort to slash hiring and increase efficiency, Wipro Technologies, one of the leading IT companies in the country, is training its employees to turn into a multi-skilled workforce.
The Bangalore-headquartered company is providing training to its employees in different domains and technologies to cater to the current requirements as the company is pursuing for integrated deals by providing both BPO and IT services by a single team.
"When people are multi-skilled, we will likely have fewer people. Instead of having two individuals being paid lower salaries, we are better off paying more to a single person who is capable of doing both work. This not only improves turnaround times, but also efficiency in operations," Girish Paranjpe, Joint CEO for Wipro's IT business, told Business Standard.
With an aim of optimally using its manpower in both IT and BPO operations, Wipro has already signed a few large integrated deals, wherein the company is providing both the IT outsourcing and BPO services by a single team. The company has transitioned some of their employees from each of these two businesses (IT and BPO) to work for such projects.
According to Paranjpe, the company has signed up three-four large clients who have outsourced their entire IT and BPO activity to the company. By the end of FY09, the company expects that close to 1,000 people will be deployed in the integrated outsourcing projects.
"One of the things we are trying to drive is integrated projects by offering both BPO and IT services. So, it makes more sense to have a fungible team. Much of our new work, we are hoping to do in an integrated fashion — where we will manage the IT application and also carry out the business process for the clients," Paranjpe added.
In December last year, Wipro had offered close to 2,000 campus recruits from various engineering colleges jobs in the BPO business till they could be absorbed in the company's IT business. The experiment of putting engineering graduates into BPO work, however, seems to have seen a very limited success as the company found many of them unsuitable for BPO works.
Analysts say, Wipro's experiment of putting engineering graduates into BPO work was driven by the company's aggressive quest to make the manpower multi-skilled so that they could be useful as the company signs more number of integrated deals.
Of about 1,000 people who had accepted the offers to join the BPO jobs, the company found only about 300 suitable for the job after initial screening. Among those who failed to qualify the initial screening, close to 450 people are undergoing training now, and will be asked to take the test again, according to Wipro's Head of HR Pratik Kumar.
Said Kumar, "If today we are looking for engineers for BPO works, it's not because we have engineers who are sitting idle. But because suddenly we found that nature of the job is such, we require engineers as well. It's is not a utilisation issue. It's an issue of the integrated nature of the work which is throwing opportunities."
the Wipro HR team has already done a pathetic job of recruiting so many freshers...thanks to its myopic foresight...and this bpo move, was an unsuccessful move(what else could it be?)..but the point is actually, they r playin with thr own rep, they compete wid brands that are provin so much more credible in these troubled times...future attitude towards the company is definitely goin to be affected....
wipro has seriously messed it up .. campus recruits like me have been sitting idle at home for d past 8 months waiting for the joining .. companies like infosys have honoured all of their campus recruit offers .. wonder if a satyam like scam is waiting to be unearthed..
Totally ineffective process.......
They are playing with our future & career.......
They recruited us as project engineers but we are now sitting idle at home. They recruited us from our college at the 1st or 2nd slot... so couldn't get the chance to sit on other recruiter's campus interview. Till now it is about 2 years we haven't got our joining... Now what should we do? Day by day our frustration is going up.. after waiting 10 months if I don't get my joining i have to commit suicide........ And the total responsibility will be on wipro.. I haven't any other way. If I don't get my joining I can't repay my education loan which i've taken for engineering study..
I will be thankful if you publish this.......
Rubbish....
Purest form of rubbish...
Wipro, for sure, knows how to make a mess...
I got nothin else to say...
Posted by: Engineer
February 20 , 2009, 21:39 IST
This is like a hospital authority tellin that they are going to develop multi skilled Doctors and thereby improve efficiancy...
And these doctors will be given training in how to do the nurse's job as well...
From the 2000 doctors whome we already interviewed only 400 were found to be good at nurse's job...rest have been put to traing...
Doctors need to improve their skills at 'nursing' :P
Wipro better understand one thing that all educated people of Indian society is watching your "oversmart tactfull" moves...so please dont go on and tarnish your image in the industry and society...
And dont forget that you are operating amidst a few highly distinguished and decent and successfull peers...
Content Guide
