Now, dope tests on BPO employees

All employees of a Vashi call centre made to undergo compulsory urine test to check for drugs; addiction on the rise in call centres

With easy access to drugs such as hash and grass, drug abuse is on the rise, especially among BPO employees. But now BPOs across the city are maintaining caution. All 311 staffers of Tracmail, a BPO in Vashi were subjected to a urine test last week to rule out any drug abuse. Such a test was conducted for the first time on call centre employees and the effort is to stem the rising problem of narcotic addiction.



According to insiders working with Tracmail, both the male and female staffers were subjected to the urine tests. The lab technicians from a private laboratory attached to a Fortis hospital in Vashi were called in around evening.

Added another staff, "For both seniors and juniors, the test was mandatory."

K J Singh, senior vice president, Tracmail, confirmed to MiD DAY that the drug test was conducted for the first time and they were complying with the contract agreement with their US-based client, who is into consumer banking.

Singh added, "Our client in US is very particular about handling their customer queries and therefore this test was conducted." Singh said all had tested negative.

Security staff and people frequenting the Vashi International Park in the night told MiD DAY that call centre employees are spotted drinking and smoking up in isolated spots near the staircase.

MiD DAY spotted numerous cigarette butts and liquor bottles thrown in the duct areas.

Meanwhile, Inspector Sanjay Surve of the Vashi police said, "We caught two people recently with over 600 gm of charas near Vashi station. We will inquire if they had any customers at the call centres. We will also carry out surprise checks at the Infotech Park late at night and necessary action will be taken."

Psychiatrists say

According to psychiatrists, one of the major factors driving call centre employees to drugs is the shift in the sleep-wake cycle. "Call centre employees take drugs to combat late hours and lack of sleep," says Dr Yusuf Merchant, president, Drug Abuse and Information Rehabilitation and Research. The perception that call centres are breeding houses of stress is fast catching on.

Another psychiatrist Dr Jagdish Shah, said, "Numbers have definitely increased. I see at least one to two cases per week."

Scary statistics
A study last year in the Indian Journal of Sleep Medicine found that 40 per cent of call centre workers surveyed smoked, compared to 7 per cent of a control group, and 36 per cent had more than two alcoholic drinks a week, against 2 per cent of the control group. Another 27 per cent of call-centre workers also reported using sleeping pills or other drugs, often in an effort to combat the sleep deprivation that nags most overnight workers.