outsourcing sucks.

[ABEL]

the last few months i've had to deal with outsourcing in my job.
instead of getting to be a graphic designer like i was hired to be (for 10 years), i am now sending the jobs i normally would have done to india.

i don't see how it's good for the economy. sure it looks good short term, but i really don't think it's a good choice. whatever happened to "made in america"?

sure i've even thought about getting another job, but that's not so easy with the economy the way it is. luckily i still have a job with a fairly stable company with good benefits (even tho i'm not as happy as i used to be about it) and can even joke about it a little. every time my parents see a cartoon or article related to outsourcing they send it to me.

they sent me this cartoon that i thought was pretty funny...

so has anyone else here had to deal with outsoursing in their jobs?

 

[nbcrusader]

I've seen plenty of outsourcing, but it has all been to domestic vendors. The number of jobs outsourced to foreign countries is relatively small.

Unless America reverses its thirst for cheaper products, business will continue to compete by lowering costs.

 

[melon]

Hah..."cheaper products." Try higher profit margins for stockholders.

Melon

 

[zonelistener]

Hah..."cheaper products." Try higher profit margins for stockholders.

A little bit of this.....

Unless America reverses its thirst for cheaper products, business will continue to compete by lowering costs.

A little bit of that!

It actually works well for both parties involved. I have seen a handful of stories on the India jobs. A lot of times, the outsourced jobs are jobs that have high turnover rates in the states. IF service levels do not go down, I don't see a reason why NOT to send these jobs to India.

 

[anitram]

Once, an AT&T long distance representative called someone I know after midnight. to ask if they'd like to switch their long distance plan.

The person answered and asked if they were fucking normal to call at such an hour. The AT&T guy apologized, said he was in India and they got their North American time zones mixed up.

 

[ABEL]

IF service levels do not go down, I don't see a reason why NOT to send these jobs to India.

how about more and more americans out of jobs?

if people lose their jobs because their work is being sent to india (or other countries), they can't afford to buy things. if they can't afford to buy things, the economy suffers. sure outsourcing is a quick fix and looks good on paper, but in the long run i only see problems for the economy.

 

[theSoulfulMofo]

last month, i got my AmEx card for emergencies... I call the Customer Service to ask a question... and I get what sounded like an electronic voice... and I'm like, "Hello? Is this a voice machine?"

The receiver said, "No." (Imagine the cheezy 80s movie computer synth voice)...

And then I realized... it was an outsourced Customer Service, from what sounded like India.

 

[RockNRollDawgie]

America On Line ( AOL) should be called India On Line. Every time you call tech support, you speak with someone from India.

 

[Angela Harlem]

Once, an AT&T long distance representative called someone I know after midnight. to ask if they'd like to switch their long distance plan.

The person answered and asked if they were fucking normal to call at such an hour. The AT&T guy apologized, said he was in India and they got their North American time zones mixed up.

i have an mp3 of a send up of telstra's habit of doing this. some guy rings a help line to report his home phone line isnt working, and it then goes into the indian fella not understanding pretty much everyone of our colloquialisms.

"excuse me sir, but of course your phone is not going to work if it is up shit creek. you really should not put it in water"

 

[MrBrau1]

how about more and more americans out of jobs?

if people lose their jobs because their work is being sent to india (or other countries), they can't afford to buy things. if they can't afford to buy things, the economy suffers. sure outsourcing is a quick fix and looks good on paper, but in the long run i only see problems for the economy.

These companies don't care. They watch the bottom line, that's it.

 

[iacrobat]

The thing I don't get is what will Americans do once all their manufacturing jobs and service industry jobs are outsourced. Will there be anything left?

God bless globalisation.

 

[nbcrusader]

This is a mountain out of a molehill. The percentage of jobs outsourced is extremely low. Given some of the experiences with Indian call centers, it doesn't look like this will gain momentum.

 

[BVS]

This is a mountain out of a molehill. The percentage of jobs outsourced is extremely low. Given some of the experiences with Indian call centers, it doesn't look like this will gain momentum.

Well it's a pretty large molehill. This must be some mother of a mole.

 

[FizzingWhizzbees]

This must be some mother of a mole.

Seriously though, I don't know what the situation is in the US, but here we've had several large companies closing call-centres or offices in this country, resulting in the loss of many thousands of jobs, in just the last few months. And even if only a small percentage of jobs are affected, that doesn't make it any less disastrous for those who lose their jobs.

 

[elevation2u]

outsource bush

 

[AcrobatMan]

okay ..okay

 

[zonelistener]

These companies don't care. They watch the bottom line, that's it.

This is my point EXACTLY, ABEL. Thank you MrBrau1. Most companies could care less about the "national economy." The most important thing is "Shareholder return." And as long as we here in America focus on "Shareholders" rather than people...we will continue see jobs outsourced.

If you are concerned about your job going away due to outsourcing...create a back up plan...NOW! Get additional training. Hey, knowing that we our contry is focused first and foremost on the "shareholder," I am sure you can fine a good job with a financial company (I would say "answering phones...but I think quite few of these companies have outsourced jobs to India too).


Its all part of the reality of the wonderful world we live in. I will never take another job as a "career choice." I will take jobs as "something that will build skills and prepare me for the next job." Our generation will not have careers.

 

[Salome]

This is a mountain out of a molehill. The percentage of jobs outsourced is extremely low. Given some of the experiences with Indian call centers, it doesn't look like this will gain momentum.

I agree

I don't really think that this will have enormous economical consequences

 

[Popmartijn]

I agree

I don't really think that this will have enormous economical consequences

Oh, it will. Imagine all those people in India getting a higher income. They want to consume, also want to have those Philips TV's, Ford cars, Apple iPods, etc. There is a huge market emerging for our goods.

C ya!

Marty

 

[Popmartijn]

Hello,

I wanted to post the link to this article for a while, but until now I didn't have the time. It's from the February 2004 issue of Wired magazine. It describes the outsourcing of IT jobs from both sides, the US and the Indian. I thought it was quite a good read. Here's the URL:
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/12.02/india.html

The article is long, but a very good read. It also points to some developments for the future, what kind of jobs will remain in the Western world (those that require creativity).

C ya!

Marty