Of cubicle sex and outsourcing

We've heard reports that business process outsourcing work in India can be a dead-end job replete with long hours and unpaid overtime. But it seems such workplace woes are being offset to some degree with moments of sexual healing.

A story in the India press today reports that BPO workers are smooching and more in office settings, which have transformed into personal spaces in addition to professional domains. "From making friends to cultivating relationships, BPO units are slowly becoming hubs where inter-personal bonding takes place," the story in The Economic Times says. "And it comes as little surprise that many also give vent to their sexual urges in the office space."

The story says that footage from cameras at a leading Mumbai-based BPO unit showed a couple having sex in an office cubicle.

One source quoted in the story suggested that serving Western customers may be changing the behavior of Indian BPO workers. "Most of us have shed a lot of inhibitions when we come into this sector, trying to fall in step with a different time zone and culture that becomes a part of you," said Nicola D'Costa. "Couples walking with their arms around each other's waist/shoulder or grabbing a quick kiss in vacant corridors does happen."