Beating The Staffing Blues

T Raghunandana’s company addresses the shortage of blue-collar workers in Indian firms by providing skilled personnel

- Anshul Dhamija

Finding a reliable domestic help, an electrician on time or a plumber at short notice are problems one deals with on a regular basis.

T Raghunandana, 57, and his Updater Services (UDS) address these issues by providing blue-collar workers to Indian companies.

Since its inception in 1985, UDS has professionalised a slew of blue-collar jobs, from plumbing to housekeeping. Its 50,000 employees offer services to 1,000 clients, including IT major Infosys, across industries. They are not only skilled and guaranteed a monthly income but also get access to benefits like insurance services and a provident fund.

Typically, the UDS team is responsible for the management of electrical and air-conditioning operations, water management (supply quality, pressure, RO plant, effluent treatment plants, sewage treatment plants and maintenance), front office, mail room, vending and pantry, and in the overall upkeep of a facility. The company does not provide security services since large corporates mostly prefer a security agency.

Raghunandana may have built a multi-million dollar business today, but things were different when he started UDS over three decades ago. “In those days, there were lots of people without jobs. All you needed to do was pick them up and train them. Today, everybody’s expectations and aspirations have become bigger,” says Raghunandana, managing director, UDS. “It’s tough to find cleaning staff—they just don’t want to wash your bathrooms. You pay a driver more than an engineer,” he adds to reinforce the paucity of such workers.