Outsourcing misbehaviour?

I saw an article in The Guardian today (G2, Ravi Somaiya) that reports on a new line of business - an outsourced PA, but for all but the most privileged workers, help with almost everything that you take to the workplace that should be done at home.

The following extract lets you see what this means in more detail:

Today might be the last day you'll ever have to make that dentist's appointment sneakily at your desk, or pay the phone bill in your lunch hour.

You can now, for £8 an hour, hire an assistant in an Indian call centre to do it all for you.

Your outsourced PA will help with almost anything - from appointments and phone calls to research or reminding you to go to the gym.


One of the angles taken in the article is that busy work routines creates a demand for workers to outsource stuff they can't squeeze in at work.

A statements that is fair enough, yet I would disagree with the view that the masses will now drop their personal chores, pay someone £8 per hour, and get on with their work.

Realistically, many workers are probably quite happy to be doing these things on work time and feel that they're getting one over on the employer, etc.

What's more, some jobs are so mindnumbingly boring that paying the gas bill at work may be the highlight of the day.

I expect there will not be a rush for these services unless you are a) rich, b) stupid, c) both a and b, d) a reporter.

See Rich? Lazy? Try personal assistance at a distance for more details.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

outsourcing maybe in some degree a form of slavery! It depends on your purpose why you avail of the services.

Anonymous said...

I think it depends on the person and their workload. A virtual personal assistant can be really neat to have if you're over your head and need someone to keep you afloat.

arlene,
virtual personal assistant