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Tuesday, September 3, 2019

GCash and the Nightshift Generation


Before my blog life, I used to be part of the BPO industry several years ago. Back then I remember a lot of my wave mates were either young college undergraduates trying to save up to finish their studies, while some were  already the breadwinners of their families.



I think I was one of the oldest from our training batch, and many of them called me mommy. I didn’t mind since they were actually the same age as my kids. Two decades ago, it would be very difficult for these kids to find decent jobs besides working part time at fast food restaurants or some other clerical jobs. Thankfully the rise of the BPO industry has given them more opportunity to find work and earn better wages.



Many young people already find full-time jobs at call centers straight out of high school. And earning around P24,000 monthly plus benefits is not bad for kids their age. The downside is that they have to work the night shift which is a bit more challenging.  What’s good though, is that the millions of BPO workers who turn nights into days are not deprived of the conveniences available during the day.



Like I mentioned a lot of my former officemates of them work not just to save money so they could eventually go to college, but also to support their families. They send money to their parents or to siblings who are still in school. They lend to their friends. They pay bills and buy load—even at midnight!



I remember there was one time, when we were having lunch (that’s 2am when you’re working the night shift) and one of my officemates got a call from her mom in the province asking her for some money for an emergency. Unfortunately, banks and remittance centers don’t open till the morning and she had to work through her shift worrying about how she could send the money ASAP.



But now with the GCASH app you can send money to anyone, anywhere in just a few minutes without even having to leave your station.



My niece and her friends do all these with their mobile phones. They use the GCash app, which lets them perform financial transactions during breaks at work. Their favorite feature is Send Money because it lets them transfer their siblings’ allowance from their GCash accounts to their siblings’ bank account in Manila.



With GCash’s money transfer feature, they can even remit money to their parents in the province through Palawan Express. In the morning, when the rest of their family wakes up, they are well-provided for. And these young, responsible workers can sleep in peace, ready for the next day—rather, night.



As someone who’s lived the BPO life—I lasted six years; my kids had their college degree by then —I know how hard it is to work at night. Your health could suffer, if you’re not used to the schedule. I also know that while you have the whole day to do bank errands, you’d much prefer to rest. And so, apps like GCash really do make life easier.

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