Date:30/03/2007 URL: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2007/03/30/stories/2007033006060100.htm

Back After MNC innings, techies pad up for minnows

Priyanka Vyas

CAREER ASPIRATIONS

EMPLOYEES AT AN IT FIRM

New Delhi March 29 Global investment banks and top MNCs may seem to be the most sought after to work with, but the captive units of such organisations are losing sheen to companies such as Genpact, EXL, Integreon, WNS. While being employed with the captive units of some of the top companies may be good for the image, to climb the corporate ladder and gain experience with multiple global clients, it is third party service providers that employees hanker after.

Integreon, a legal process-outsourcing firm has about 1200 employees, of which a significant number have prior experience of 2-5 years in offshore units of hedge funds or investment banks. "After having worked for two years in captives, employees are realising that they are not able to move to higher levels. Since most of these companies have offshored work here, very few get the feel of working for projects on site," says Mr Lokendra Tomar, Senior Vice-President, Knowledge, Business Administration and Professional Document Services, Integreon.

" The challenges inherent in working for a third party service provider and the excitement to build another company is the key driver for senior employees to move out of captive units. But even at a junior level, after 3-5 years of experience, the opportunity to grow at the managerial level, be able to learn across a wider breadth of services is a determining factor," said Mr Arjun Singh, CEO, Banking, Finance Services and Insurance, WNS.

While there may not be data to suggest an exodus from some of the major captive units, managing employee expectations around the career path within the larger organisation is more difficult in a captive versus a third party outsourcer," said Mr Siddharth Pai, Partner and Managing Director of TPI, an IT consulting company.

Recruitment consulting firms such as Elixer and Gilbert also feel that at a senior level it is not at all difficult to find employees who are willing to work for third party companies. They want the adventure and the challenge, rather than the big brand name of the captive company. Hence, attrition rates are typically higher in captives. " The movement has been in both directions, but employees are certainly moving from captive units," said Mr Ashish Gupta, COO Evalueserve.