Youth today, as they become more liberal and start working early for some extra pocket money and experience, have been lured to working out late and are presented with lucrative offers. For some youngster in the K-town, work starts after dusk and their life is taking a positive turn, according to them.[break]
Deepa Singh, manager at a call center who started working way back in 2003, works from 7 pm to 7 am.
“I started working with a call center after my graduation because I had a lot of free time and I asked myself, why not use it wisely?” says Deepa, adding, “It’s the perfect spot to build your communication skills beside the fact that you’ll reach home at 8 am every day, if you have a night shift.”
With less experience and less qualification, call centers eventually attracted a lot of youngsters to work and still do. “Working young doesn’t only give one confidence but dealing with people and the much needed communication skills also can be sharpened as you work,” shares Deepa.
Lujala Maharjan, who has been working as a nurse for the past two years after finishing her medical education at the BP Koirala Cancer Hospital in Chitwan, says that she too enjoys her work.
“I chose this field because Kathmandu University had just come out with the new course for nursing and then I took it up because nursing was so much “in” those days and now I really enjoy what I do,” shares Lujala.
Aparna Thapa, a MBBS doctor, too, has been working nightshift as part of her internship and medical officer at Nepal Medical College (NMC) in Kathmandu. “I enjoy my work thoroughly and my parents knew that I would eventually work late nights or nightshift and they’re perfectly cool with it,” says she.
However, with the good comes the bad and working nightshift at a call center or in a hospital, or anywhere else for that matter, will have health repercussions because of the unhealthy lifestyle.
“When I reach home, my parents are usually ready to leave the house for their jobs and I sleep,” shares Deepa, adding that it’s sometimes frustrating and that she misses most of the part at home and with friends too.
Working at night and sleeping during the day, and sometimes not sleeping at all, will only cause insomnia and the odd eating hours will entertain gastritis, according to Deepa.
“After I joined the call center in 2003, I had a difficult time adapting to work at odd hours and I eventually had gastritis but I ignored it only to be bedridden for a week later,” says she. Gastritis and insomnia, according to her, are very common.
Lujala, too, says that she suffers from gastritis along with severe back pains.
“The main problem with nurses are that we have to stand a lot for long hours and that causes back pains but I haven’t had any fatal health issues,” shares Lujala.
However, for Aparna, it was difficult but not to the extent that she had major health problems.
“I could take rest in-between my duty hours and attend patients on-call during emergencies,” shares she.
For 24-year-old Diwas Shrestha, however, life at a call center was too hectic and he chose to leave the job.
“I had night duties and it used to be a chore sometimes because, whether you believe it or not, it was difficult and I had to attend my morning college too,” says Diwas.
After a year of working, he called it quits because he was constantly missing classes in college and was losing interest in studies but more interested in selling more products and reaching his target.
Whatever the case, as globalization takes over and as time never stops, the regular eight-hour job regime might be replaced by some with absurd working hours but no one’s complaining because it’s an opportunity provided.
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