It has been just over a year since the murder of Prathibha Srikant Murthy - the Bangalore-based call centre employee who got into a taxi driven by a man she thought had been sent by the company in which she worked.
The crime called into question security measures at call centres, where night shifts and late night pick-ups and drops are common.
While many call centres continue to have strict security, there are others who are still not overtly concerned with the security of employees.
Security guidelines
Within hours of Pratibha Srikant Murthy's murder coming to light in December 2005, BPOs announced immediate changes.
There would be no first pick up or last drop for a female employee and a male colleague or a security guard would always be with her in the vehicle.
Twenty-four hour hotline numbers were started along with background checks of drivers. One year on, Prathibha's employer, HP, says it is still following these guidelines and other BPO majors also say security is still a priority.
"We are paranoid about security and frankly it was a rude wake up call for a large part of the industry. Indirectly we employ more than 1400 drivers, we cover more than 156 000 kilometres - the commute we do on a daily basis. Each one of them go through a police verification. We issue identity cards and reward drivers based on their behaviour," said Romi Malhotra, MD, DELL International Services.
Safety of workers
But while some companies may be taking the issue seriously, security is clearly not a universal concern.
"There is no security provided, I am the last drop. I have to beg the male employees to accompany me to my house. There is no security guard in the van. I have got myself a pepper spray," said an IT Firm employee.
The police say BPOs themselves need to take more responsibility.
"We have been trying our level best to give security and protection and also to brief them about the efforts they have to make from their side," said N Achyuth Rao, Police Commissioner, Bangalore.
The safety of workers in any industry is of vital importance but this perhaps is an industry young and organised enough to actually ensure the safety of its workers.
The crime called into question security measures at call centres, where night shifts and late night pick-ups and drops are common.
While many call centres continue to have strict security, there are others who are still not overtly concerned with the security of employees.
Security guidelines
Within hours of Pratibha Srikant Murthy's murder coming to light in December 2005, BPOs announced immediate changes.
There would be no first pick up or last drop for a female employee and a male colleague or a security guard would always be with her in the vehicle.
Twenty-four hour hotline numbers were started along with background checks of drivers. One year on, Prathibha's employer, HP, says it is still following these guidelines and other BPO majors also say security is still a priority.
"We are paranoid about security and frankly it was a rude wake up call for a large part of the industry. Indirectly we employ more than 1400 drivers, we cover more than 156 000 kilometres - the commute we do on a daily basis. Each one of them go through a police verification. We issue identity cards and reward drivers based on their behaviour," said Romi Malhotra, MD, DELL International Services.
Safety of workers
But while some companies may be taking the issue seriously, security is clearly not a universal concern.
"There is no security provided, I am the last drop. I have to beg the male employees to accompany me to my house. There is no security guard in the van. I have got myself a pepper spray," said an IT Firm employee.
The police say BPOs themselves need to take more responsibility.
"We have been trying our level best to give security and protection and also to brief them about the efforts they have to make from their side," said N Achyuth Rao, Police Commissioner, Bangalore.
The safety of workers in any industry is of vital importance but this perhaps is an industry young and organised enough to actually ensure the safety of its workers.
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