Affects on Culture

Many people in India decide to go into outsourcing because they find it somewhat glamorous. They have the whole day off to spend with friends and family and make a considerable amount of money to sit around and answer phone calls at night. Some Indians don’t realize how tiring it can be to work in a language that isn’t their own. When answering phone calls from Americans it is important to understand and relate to a culture that is not their own. One of the first classes that must be taken when going into the outsourcing business is accent neutralization. They spend hours and hours perfecting our language, making sure that they sound as American as possible. They must also educate themselves on slang. It is said that "the most marketable skill in India today is the ability to abandon your identity and slip into someone else's.” Being able to identify with their callers is very important. Signs of our culture have been seen more frequently in India. There are more coffee shops, bars, clubs, etc. India has definitely become more westernized and so have the people. “I was less of an Indian even about 30 years ago because I grew up with Woodstock. I grew up with the Beatles,” says Anney Unnikrishnan. “I knew everything that was happening in the America, but here they are able to go out and do something about it. If I wanted to buy a CD I had to think about it several times before I spent that money. In here they are just able to go out and buy it, so they are getting their Americanization a little bit more forward than I did.” Because of the extra income that the younger Indians are receiving, they have now become more materialistic and more brand conscious. Even Indian’s role models have changed. With the generation before outsourcing, the most respect and admiration was given to the gurus and teachers. Now, when asking two employed Indians of a BPO company who their role model is they said Bill Gates.

There is no doubt about it, the culture and way of living has definitely changed in India. However, the change is not all bad. There seems to be more equality when it comes to men and women. Women have the same opportunities as men and can receive the same education and employment opportunities. “A few years back we didn’t have girls at this age working,” says Sophia Ross, a call centre employee. “We were probably all studying or getting married, but now it’s not like that. You socialize more now. You have the money to go out with your friends.” There certainly seems to be a sense of empowerment with this new generation of Indians. Lately, the companies that Indians work for have been expanding and needing more positions to be filled with skills that aren’t as common in India as is seen in the United States. This has led to a new trend called “reverse outsourcing”. In my next post I will go into more detail about this.