EUREKA FORBES LOOKS BEYOND PEOPLE’S DISABILITIES AND HAS UNDERSTOOD AND UTILISED THEIR POTENTIAL
While many of us would have heard or read this quote somewhere, the depth of it gets tested when you look at its implementation at the education and job level for the disabled/differently-abled people.
The Indian Census 2001 has revealed that over 21 million people in India suffer from some kind of disability. This is equivalent to 2.1 per cent of the population. However, how many of us had friends or teachers with limited ability? How many of us can claim to having worked for a true equal opportunity provider, who also give equal rights to its employees with disabilities? I am sure the numbers would be few.
Right from education to securing a job, discrimination exists and it is a well-known fact. While everyone aspires for financial independence, job security and to lead a life with dignity, the corporate job avenues for persons with disabilities (PWDs) are still low. Even though the scenario may seem much brighter in the urban environment with numerous opportunities, technological advances and government support, it is the Indian private sector that needs to gear up. In spite of being well-qualified, most of the times, companies tend to look at a prospective employee’s disability first and his capabilities next.
However, one company that has broken this barrier, understood and utilised the potential of PWDs is Eureka Forbes, a consumer durable company, and leader in water and air purification systems, vacuum cleaners and security systems. The company was the pioneer in opening India’s first state-of-the-art call center — EuroAble — manned and operated by people who are differentially-abled.
THE INITIATIVE
Euroable was conceived and launched to fulfill the aspirations of the differentially-abled, who aspire for financial independence and want to lead a normal life without depending on anyone. Started in April 2011, it was the brainchild of Shapoor Mistry, chairman, Eureka Forbes Limited; the project is spearheaded by Vinath Hegde, head, customer relationship management, Eureka Forbes Limited, who has successfully designed and developed a back-end call centre technology and has recruited, trained and established a competent team to set up EuroAble.
The idea came into being during 2009-10, when Eureka Forbes offered employment opportunities to especially-abled student trainees of NASEOH (National Society for Equal Opportunities for the Handicapped) in Mumbai to assemble PCB motherboards for the Aquaguard water purification system. Eventually, more such trainees were recruited in the CRM department for lead generation. This gradually resulted in the idea of setting up a state-of-the-art call centre and training especially-abled people to provide them with employment opportunities at the centre.
CREATING APPROPRIATE ENVIRONMENT
According to company officials, special care has been taken in training the employees so as to meet the global standards, as well as to create a centre that can be easily accessible by all. The EuroAble center is a 5,000 sq ft facility at NASEOH in Chembur, a Mumbai suburb, and has been especially designed for needs of the especiallyabled. So, you may find workstations that are a foot longer than the standard, three-feet call centre desks, which have enough space all around to allow easy access, by both wheelchair and crutches. The desktop computers have been designed with all the controls on top, so employees don’t need to bend to reach down.
The main area of operation is a large hall that has over 90 work stations, including 10 exclusively for people in wheelchairs. Currently, 96 people are employed here, with most of them being affected by polio or suffering from orthopedic disabilities. At present, the employees work in three different shifts throughout the day. The company also ensures that the pick-and-drop transport facilities are provided.
Most employees come from the lower-income strata, with limited or no fluency in English. Also, having suffered discrimination for most part of their lives, they need special counseling to be able to speak as an equal while conversing with the customer. Their speech and the attitude over the phone need to reflect they are professional call centre employees representing a premier company. Hence, the stress to extensively train the employees — from speaking in English and product training to handling consumer calls.
Instead of opting for a regular 10-day training course, the company has spread the training over a period of three months, keeping the new employees’ needs in mind so that after intense vice modulation, product information and computer classes, there is still some time to get the employees emotionally ready. They are also constantly motivated and encouraged to improve their communication skills, and their performance is monitored round-the-clock.
SPREADING SMILES
Besides becoming confident to take on the world, the employees are selfsufficient with a steady source of income and have an identity of their own. Take the case of Nutan, who was a shy girl bogged down by family problems and financial responsibility, with no one to take care of her. Her confidence was quite low after facing innumerable rejections while applying for jobs. However, after going through the training process in product and communication skills, she is a far more confident and positive girl. “From interacting with my seniors, to showing proficiency in handling the SAP process, every day has been a milestone since I joined EuroAble. It has not only given me a platform for financial stability and professional growth, but has also helped me in finding my soulmate in the same office,” she says.
Another success story is of Savita Ahiru, who was the oldest of the three siblings, doing odd-jobs to take care of her family and also to fulfill her dream of studying further. With great difficulty, she completed her higher secondary, but could not find a job. When she got married and had a baby, the struggle for a job to support her family started once more. After coming to EuroAble through NASEOH, she has found new confidence, and is now a proud employee and a big support to her family.
EuroAble further says that “the employees, despite their physical disabilities, have never compromised on efficiency” and this is the lesson many corporates who fear recruiting PWD should understand. What is also heartening is to see the efficiency and confidence of the employees, in spite of an increase in the volume of calls. According to the company officials, many employees who have performed well over the years and have grown with the call centre have been inducted into the leadership programme. As part of this programme, they are often responsible for supervising the entire gamut of operations at the call centre.
For its exceptional work, The National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People (NCPEDP) in 2012 awarded EuroAble with the Helen Keller Award for being a role model organisation that has promoted employment opportunities for people with disabilities.
Witnessing the success of EuroAble, many corporations intend to start similar initiatives that would employ people with special needs. The company is also offering corporations to use the EuroAble premise for tele-calling, which will be handled by physically challenged people. In the near future, EuroAble is planning to employ 140 people, which will cater to about 20,000 customer calls in a day. It also plans to employ and train visuallyimpaired people for the same.
The success of EuroAble proves the point Professor Karen Clay of Carnegie Mellon University makes: “The severity of one’s disability does not determine their level of potential. The greatest barriers that persons with disabilities have to overcome are not steps or curbs, its expectations.”