CHILD LABOUR

The term “child labor” has many definitions depending on who is talking about it. Unfortunately, this means that there is no way to give a concrete, rock-solid definition of child labor.

The international labour organisation, or the ILO, defines child labor as “some types of work” done by children under the age of 18. The ILO also says that child labor includes full-time work done by children under 15 years of age that prevents them from going to school (getting an education), or that is dangerous to their health. More complete definitions of what child labor I in regard, age restrictions, job types, and exceptions can be found in convention 138, convention 182, and the convention on the rights of the child

Other sources and organizations disagree on what child labor is. Some say that it is only hazardous work or work that interferes with a child’s education, while others are broader and include any work done by children working for pay.Some organizations, such as UNICEF, decide to draw a line between child work, which, depending on what definition you use, can consist of light work done by children above the age of 12, and child labor.

While there are many different ways to define what child labor is, it is much easier to find things that are NOT instances of child labor. These include washing dishes, and other chores, and supervised apprenticeships.

In many cases, child labor consists of children working in horrible conditions, missing school, and wasting away their childhood. While child labor can consist of children working at dangerous jobs, it is by no means restricted to this type of labor There are many other cases where children (people under the age of 18) work in jobs that are NOT hazardous and do not interfere with their education. These jobs allow them to get a sense of responsibility and an opportunity to earn money. Examples of this can be seen many times in the U.S. with children working at restaurants.


33. ABOUT CALL CENTRES

India's call centre professionals do not see the industry as a long-term career option, says a study by NFO India, part of NFO WorldGroup, and PeopleEquity Consulting, a Bangalore-based HR consultancy."The inherent nature of the job is monotonous and lacks challenge. Compounding this is the low interest in job content or career growth. That is why there is a constant search for greener pastures," said Manesh Mathew, director, PeopleEquity Consulting.

The study says the sentiment is driven by the fact that most people in the industry are reasonably well qualified for the job of an associate or agent.The study involved interviews with 1,000 front-line call centre professionals across 19 leading centres in Bangalore, Chennai, Mumbai and New Delhi.The study gauged perceptions on more than 65 parameters to determine satisfaction, motivation and commitment.
The study included expert interviews with HR managers, training professionals, sociologists and psychologists associated with the industry.The study suggests that it is the money alone that keeps call centre professionals going. "The primary factors contributing to this apparent state of 'happiness' is related almost exclusively to money, and, at least for the short term, the opportunity for accelerated growth (read more money), although working for well-known national and global 'names' is also adding to the glamour/delight," it points out.Call centre professionals also showed an inclination to switch jobs even for small monetary gains.

"Although happy with the money they are being paid, the permanent source of disgruntlement is the lurking feeling that they probably did not manage the best bargain and thus left wondering whether they are being paid as per industry standards. This is the cause for the high level of attrition..." the study says.
Although these employees were fully aware of the unique demands of the job such as peculiar working hours, the need to assume pseudo identities, learning foreign accents and so on they were not quite prepared for the burn-out rates or their inability to handle the "work-life balance".

"Thus, today they believe that employers are not doing enough when it comes to 'HR policies to reduce stress at work' or providing 'sufficient holidays to recuperate from stress at work'."The study concluded that helping employees cope with their work-life balance is a more immediate concern area for the employers.