McKinsey BPO pays Placement Agency
By Bala Shah

McKinsey is among the top brands in the world and a number of Governments and blue chip companies value the advice of this respected management consulting firm.  Earlier this month techgoss had reported on how Visual Graphics, McKinsey’s BPO in Trivandrum, has failed to pay a Placement Agency’s fees.  And despite polite requests from the Placement Agency in Kerala, due payments had stalled.

In October 2007, the Agency had approached McKinsey with a proposal to source their recruitment needs. They were already sourcing for leading BPOs like Genpact and Progeon and have an excellent track record. In January 2008, one candidate from the agency got selected after the several rounds of tests and interviews and joined Visual Graphics in February. Even though a contract was not in place, it was normal for the agency to expect their commission as companies normally pay fees equivalent to a month's salary or some percentage of the candidate’s Basic pay for their services.

The Placement Agency never got their payment.

Techgoss ran an article on July 9, 2008 detailing the predicament of the Placement Agency.   After reading the article a senior McKinsey manager rang techgoss, and on condition of anonymity told us:  “This news report has been seen by our managers in USA and India.  We are investigating this matter.  There seems to be some misunderstanding and we will do our best to resolve it”.

To their credit, McKinsey India has gone out of their way to resolve this misunderstanding. Visual Graphics Trivandrum office has sent a cheque to the office of the Placement Agency in Kerala. Vinod, a partner in the placement agency, told us: "Thanks to Techgoss, the issue has been amicably settled. We look forward to doing more placements with them."

(Techgoss had reported the following on July 9, 2008)

McKinsey BPO fails to pay Placement Agency
By Bala Shah
 
Visual Graphics, the renowned management consulting firm McKinsey’s BPO in Trivandrum, has failed to pay a Placement Agency’s fees. In October 2007, the Agency had approached the firm with a proposal to source their recruitment needs. They were already sourcing for leading BPOs like Genpact and Progeon and have an excellent track record. The HR Manager of Visual Graphics was quite forthcoming during the meeting and they were looking forward to signing a contract.
 
Meanwhile in January 2008, one candidate from the agency got selected after the several rounds of tests and interviews and joined Visual Graphics in February. Even though a contract was not in place, it was normal for the agency to expect their commission as companies normally pay fees equivalent to a month's salary or some percentage of the candidate’s Basic pay for their services.
 
Calls and mails to the HR Manager went unanswered. “We had a feeling he was avoiding the calls and wasn’t replying”, says Manoj, a partner of the agency. After several mails, the Visual Graphics HR team finally replied saying that the agency cannot claim a payment as there is no contract signed for any of their requirement and he had placed that candidate on a friendly basis. “We had sent the candidate after talking to Visual Graphics, and we had sent a covering letter with the resume (including our seal on the CV) stating that the person is our candidate. Now how can they say that it was done on a personal request?” asks Manoj.
 
While most HR teams in India are very professional, there is a small number who are a law unto themselves. But it’s highly unprofessional and unethical for a firm like McKinsey to hold back the payment to a placement agency whose candidate had been working in the company since February.
 
Techgoss note:  McKinsey is considered the leading management consultancy in the world and works with a number of Governments and Fortune 100 companies to improve their performance. Visual Graphics Computing Services India Pvt. Ltd. ("VGCS"), with two offices in South India is McKinsey’s offshore production center.  Their visual aids specialists are engaged in the design and production of visual communication materials like graphics, charts, exhibits, overhead transparencies, onscreen animated presentations, and multi-media products, mostly based on PowerPoint and Thinkcell for offices worldwide. Visual Aids production teams are supported by proofreaders.

The Chennai office, located in Ascendas International Techpark, opened in 1997. In 2003, the office in Thiruvananthapuram’s Technopark opened as a second location. Operations are 24/7, based on a 3-shift system with a total workforce of approximately 470.

In January 2006, VGCS started a new division, the Global Finance & Accounting Shared Service Center (“GFA”). This unit is located in Tidel Park, Chennai, and supports various McKinsey & Company offices in their Finance & Accounting related activities.