The practice of outsourcing customer support, technical support and even some manufacturing jobs overseas has spawned some interesting business lingo in recent years. Because many of these positions have been outsourced to the country of India, more specifically the Indian city of Bangalore, those domestic employees who were displaced often call themselves Bangalored. To be Bangalored is to be unceremoniously replaced when one's job is sent overseas.
The practice of outsourcing certain support and technical positions overseas is already controversial, and indeed some American companies are quietly or even overtly beginning to bring those positions back to American soil. For those who have been Bangalored, however, this shift in corporate policy may be too little too late. Their jobs still remain outsourced to foreign countries with large English-speaking populations and lower wage requirements.
The decision to send certain support jobs overseas does make some financial sense to large companies, since the global economy encourages countries to market their best goods and services to all takers. Well-educated foreign workers who speak acceptable English can assume the routine or mundane support roles formerly performed by American workers, and ostensibly those domestic employees can be promoted to more challenging positions. For those who have been Bangalored, however, the opportunity to advance or receive more training may never have materialized.
Some employees who have been Bangalored do find better opportunities elsewhere, however. Their former jobs in customer or technical support may not have allowed them to use their skills or training in a real world setting, so having those terminal or high stress positions outsourced may actually have been a motivation for skilled employees to seek more challenging roles in the company. Many jobs which have been Bangalored do not offer significant opportunities for advancement or higher wages.
While it is often a difficult thing for employees to get Bangalored, the practice of outsourcing support jobs overseas may prove to be even more difficult for companies in the long run. Customers who have called foreign-based technical and service support lines often complain about contradictory or unprofessional advice from unintelligible representatives. The quest to save money by outsourcing essential services may prove that it's not only employees who can be Bangalored.
