This is particularly true of many youth who are entering the world of work early for pocket money.[break]
In their striving for improved life conditions, many youth have turned to Kathmandu, which prides itself in its atypical modernization and where majority of the country´s schools, colleges and service sectors are concentrated. In doing so, they, however, do not consider health risks, feelings of isolation and depression.
Requiring little or no prior experience or advanced degree, call centers have become the hot spots for many young people.
Deepa Singh, manager at a call center, who started her night shift job back in 2003, says, “I started working for a call center after my graduation for I had a lot of free time and thought I must use it wisely.” Deepa, who works from 7 pm to 7 am, argues that call center is the perfect place to hone communication skills. “Apart from that, I can reach home at 8 am every day if I work night shift.”
Lujala Maharjan, who has been working night shift as a nurse for the past one year after finishing her medical education at the BP Koirala Cancer Hospital in Chitwan, says she is also enjoying her work.
“Kathmandu University had just come out with a 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, who has recently completed her MBBS, also works night shift as part of her internship and is a medical officer at Nepal Medical College in Kathmandu. “I enjoy my work thoroughly and my parents are pretty cool with it,” says Aparna.
However, with the good comes the bad, and working night shift at a call center or in a hospital, or anywhere else for that matter will have severe 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 go to bed,” says 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 invite gastritis.
“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 bed-ridden for a week later,” says Deepa. Gastritis and insomnia, according to her, are very common among people working night shifts.
Lujala, too, says that she suffers from gastritis along with severe back pain. “The main problem with nurses is that we have to stand for long hours and that causes back pain but I haven´t had any serious 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 to patients on-call during emergencies,” shares Aparna.
For 23-year-old Diwas Shrestha, life at a call center was too hectic and so he decided to leave the job. “I had night duties and it used to be a chore sometimes because, believe it or not, it is 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 at college and was more interested in selling more products and reaching his target than in his studies.
Whatever the case, as globalization takes over and as the time never stops, the regular eight-hour job might be replaced for some with absurd working hours, but no one´s complaining despite the health risks and social isolation because it´s good money!
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