BPO companies vulnerable to COVID-19 outbreaks
Despite preventative measures and lockdown restrictions, there’s still clustering of COVID-19 cases in some business process outsourcing (BPO) companies. The multibillion-dollar industry in the country employs about 1.2 million workers.
Employees of BPO firms getting exposed to COVID-19 has always been a concern since the pandemic kicked in. Roughly six months later, it looks like companies are still struggling to provide a safe working environment for their workers.
BPO Industry Employees Network (BIEN), an independent network of BPO employees, said they have tracked at least 16 BPO companies all over the country with reported outbreaks among employees as of end-August. BIEN said they classified “outbreaks” as those instances where no less than 20 employees were infected in a single site.
In Bacolod City, BIEN president Mylene Cabalona said there was even a reported death due to COVID-19, which prompted city mayor Evelio Leonardia to hold a virtual meeting with representatives of 13 BPO companies in the city to assess the preventive measures they have in place and check their compliance with health protocols.
