Employee security
This is not a usual blog for me. I generally don't write about my reactions to news but this one made me do so. This is in reaction to a recent crime that happened in bangalore where a lady working in a multinational BPO got raped and killed on her way to office in a company provided transportation. I wrote a letter to the editor of a bangalore newspaper that i read everyday hoping it would get published and start a debate on what more can be done. Here is what i wrote.....
To,
Editor
Deccan herald
Its sad to hear about the crime that happened yesterday, more so in the city I was born and grew up in. My deepest condolences to the family & friends. In a big city, crimes are bound to happen and even more so when so many people are working graveyard shift. What saddened me more is people & companies directly related to the incident shifting the blame or claiming they are doing the best they can. Infact they are doing the cheapest(monetary & effort wise) they can.
Without blaming specific companies, I am saying everyone is to blame here including us (public) for not having a bigger debate on this issue. I am not here to join blame game and I am here to think out loud what more can be done. Why now? without trying to decrease the hurt for people affected here, crimes like this happen everyday mostly involving poor people and I wish things were better but here I felt something can be done because people/companies involved have resources & capabilities to do it.
Screening drivers & guards are good and should be continued but definitely not enough. Some of things I feel could be done and at a minimal cost.
1) I find it ridiculous for a grave yard shift to start at 1am or 2am. It is totally irresponsible for any company to make employees come to work at this unearthly hour irrespective of how much they pay or what kind of transport services they provide.
What can be done ? I am not proposing stopping grave yard shift. Even if the shift starts at 1am, employees... male or female should be picked up at 8pm or 9pm latest. They should be provided resting area till their shift starts. Any employee who refuses to start early should not be allowed to work in that shift ... period.
2) Try as much as possible to have employees work graveyard shift in offices within the city and not in the outskirts. Software engineers should have remote access to work at nights and BPO employees where data security is important should work in more populated areas at night.
3) Employees should be able to check in real time just before they get picked up the following information. Name & photo of the driver, license plate, list of other employees getting picked up, their addresses and the route driver is going to take. I personally don't think that this is a hard task to do for an "IT company".
4) There should a wireless intercom link between the van and a central station from passenger side of the vehicle so if there is any slightest of doubt they have a way to contact right people who can help. There should also be intercom with driver and central station with constant communication happening between the two.Gaurds should travel in driver side and guards & drivers should not have a pattern in shifts and the pair should be decided at the last minute, decreases chances of premeditation.
5) There should be a barrier between driver side and passenger side so the easiest way to enter passenger side should be through the doors... just like the taxis/cabs in US. The locks to doors on passenger side once locked from inside cannot & should not be operable from outside. Only a passenger inside should be able to let anyone else inside. This will give crucial few seconds a person needs to make emergency call when in trouble.
6) A more expensive solution (i would agree not everyone currently can afford) in future should also include GPS system when activated by person in trouble should give the location of the vehicle so right people (police/security) can respond quickly.
Well I can go on with a huge list but here is what we have to understand. No matter what crimes happen but we should try every "possible" way to raise the bar for committing crimes. Some wise man said "we put locks on the doors not to prevent determined thieves from stealing but to prevent common people from thinking about doing it".
Anmol
To,
Editor
Deccan herald
Its sad to hear about the crime that happened yesterday, more so in the city I was born and grew up in. My deepest condolences to the family & friends. In a big city, crimes are bound to happen and even more so when so many people are working graveyard shift. What saddened me more is people & companies directly related to the incident shifting the blame or claiming they are doing the best they can. Infact they are doing the cheapest(monetary & effort wise) they can.
Without blaming specific companies, I am saying everyone is to blame here including us (public) for not having a bigger debate on this issue. I am not here to join blame game and I am here to think out loud what more can be done. Why now? without trying to decrease the hurt for people affected here, crimes like this happen everyday mostly involving poor people and I wish things were better but here I felt something can be done because people/companies involved have resources & capabilities to do it.
Screening drivers & guards are good and should be continued but definitely not enough. Some of things I feel could be done and at a minimal cost.
1) I find it ridiculous for a grave yard shift to start at 1am or 2am. It is totally irresponsible for any company to make employees come to work at this unearthly hour irrespective of how much they pay or what kind of transport services they provide.
What can be done ? I am not proposing stopping grave yard shift. Even if the shift starts at 1am, employees... male or female should be picked up at 8pm or 9pm latest. They should be provided resting area till their shift starts. Any employee who refuses to start early should not be allowed to work in that shift ... period.
2) Try as much as possible to have employees work graveyard shift in offices within the city and not in the outskirts. Software engineers should have remote access to work at nights and BPO employees where data security is important should work in more populated areas at night.
3) Employees should be able to check in real time just before they get picked up the following information. Name & photo of the driver, license plate, list of other employees getting picked up, their addresses and the route driver is going to take. I personally don't think that this is a hard task to do for an "IT company".
4) There should a wireless intercom link between the van and a central station from passenger side of the vehicle so if there is any slightest of doubt they have a way to contact right people who can help. There should also be intercom with driver and central station with constant communication happening between the two.Gaurds should travel in driver side and guards & drivers should not have a pattern in shifts and the pair should be decided at the last minute, decreases chances of premeditation.
5) There should be a barrier between driver side and passenger side so the easiest way to enter passenger side should be through the doors... just like the taxis/cabs in US. The locks to doors on passenger side once locked from inside cannot & should not be operable from outside. Only a passenger inside should be able to let anyone else inside. This will give crucial few seconds a person needs to make emergency call when in trouble.
6) A more expensive solution (i would agree not everyone currently can afford) in future should also include GPS system when activated by person in trouble should give the location of the vehicle so right people (police/security) can respond quickly.
Well I can go on with a huge list but here is what we have to understand. No matter what crimes happen but we should try every "possible" way to raise the bar for committing crimes. Some wise man said "we put locks on the doors not to prevent determined thieves from stealing but to prevent common people from thinking about doing it".
Anmol
posted by anmolnm at 1:54 AM
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