How can you tell if you’re working for a bad company? They insist you stay and carry on working despite an earthquake.
This was allegedly what happened in several Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) companies in Cebu following the earthquake last September 30.
According to reports, some BPOs insisted that their employees work through the quake or immediately return to work shortly after evacuating. Never mind their fears for own personal safety; never mind their fears for the welfare of their homes or loved ones.
The boss of one company even allegedly locked their doors and threatened his workers.
‘You’re going outside? The elevator isn’t working, can you do it? Will you resign? Have you informed your team lead? Where is your team lead?’ an online news report quoted the boss as saying.
The actions of those companies have drawn the ire of the BPO Industry Employees Network and now the Department of Labor and Employment is looking into six BPOs here for allegedly being negligent when it came to the welfare of their employees.
Just the other day the department suspended the operations of one of them for safety lapses.
You will hear no complaints from us. In the face of natural disasters like earthquakes it must be people over profit. The welfare of the workers must be placed above all else.
We understand that for some BPOs, the mentality might be that the clients come first. But while profits come from clients, the workers are the ones engaging with these clients to produce those said profits. They are as essential as the clients themselves.
Considering the higher pay BPOs give their employees compared to regular jobs, we would think that those companies now under scrutiny have better standards when it comes to labor and safety practices.
If you happen to be working for a company that locks its doors to prevent people from evacuating during an emergency, perhaps it’s better think twice about staying. The good thing about BPOs is that they are plentiful here. Your choices aren’t limited.