Women At Work; Creating An Enabling Environment For Women

In India, gender diversity at work has been a concerning issue for years, and even though with time, the ratio of men and women at work has improved considerably, especially in urban cities, a lot more is still desired. Reports suggest that there is a 30 percent representation of women in corporate India, with 31 percent and 26 percent representation within non-technical and technical roles, respectively. However, the majority of the women in the corporate world are restricted to either mid-level or entry-level positions, with just a handful representing the leadership team.

This calls for multiple measures to be adopted and policies to be implemented nationally, to create an all-inclusive environment for women, and encourage more women to step into the boardroom, and contribute effectively to the corporate world.

On its part, the Union Government has taken multiple steps for empowering women, such as providing for compulsory maternity benefits, provision of working women’s hostels, programs such as STEP (Support to Training and Employment Programme for Women) and much more. However, there is a lot more than organizations and individuals can do over and above the existing policies and directives, to bring about this transition.

In order to reduce gender disparity and make women feel motivated and comfortable at work, they should be given equal opportunity to be a part of all major activities and projects at work. Needless to say, they should also be provided with equal opportunities to scale up to leadership positions.

To begin with, the first step is to have a gender-equitable recruitment system where the hiring ratio of men and women is equal. While hiring new people in an organization, the emphasis should be on hiring the most suitable candidate for the role irrespective of their gender.

Organizations should step up and understand that women are equally deserving when it comes to remuneration and compensation, and they should be treated at par with their male counterparts. Women just like their male counterparts should be paid based on their contribution and performance at work. Further, progression and promotion must be based on merit regardless of gender.

In a country like India, maintaining a desirable balance between professional and family life is yet another challenge for a female. Therefore, organizations should work towards providing the required flexibility to women employees, especially working mothers.

To begin with, companies can provide a dedicated workspace with all required amenities for an expecting mother. Additionally, providing daycare facilities with trained professionals for newborn and toddlers, so that mothers do not have to worry about leaving their child with an unknown person while they are at work, is another key enabler. 

Women's safety or sexual harassment is another concerning issue faced by many organizations today. Therefore, organizations should assess the existing safety gaps in their premises and work towards making the workplace a safe and secure environment for all its employees. To enable this, necessary training should be given to all employees on a regular basis including training such as POSH (Prevention of Sexual Harassment). Moreover, small steps such as - cab and escort facilities for women as and when required, will help instill a sense of security in women, encouraging them to fearlessly go to work each day.

Mental and physical welfare is another concern that organizations must address. Having in-house healthcare programs, organizing workshops on female hygiene practices, menstrual health and teaching women to self-examine themselves to detect conditions like breast cancer can help women stay healthy and in turn help them continue with their contribution to the organization's growth. In offices, wellness rooms or restrooms having hot water bags and bunk beds are some additional ways of making female employees feel comfortable while they are at work.

Last but not the least, setting up inter-organization boards to address issues faced by women at work is extremely important. There can be anonymous channels through which women can raise issues without having to worry about the disclosure of their identity. These issues must then be addressed effectively and timely, keeping the senior leadership team in the loop.

At Unacademy, we are constantly working towards motivating and supporting women through their professional journey and help them realize their real potential to achieve greater heights. There are many unique woman-centric HR policies adopted at Unacademy in the quest to be the front-runner in bringing about gender equality, and drive inclusion across levels. The fact that 37% of the total workforce at Unacademy is women as compared to the average industry rate which is nearly 30% is a testimony to the same. To add to this, 38% of the leadership team at Unacademy comprises women whereas the average industry rate is way below. The key emphasis is to make an equal, inclusive and safe environment for the women workforce which encourages them to grow and contribute their fair share to the organization's growth journey.

While statistics suggest that it will take years for organizations at a global level to bridge the gender gap, in the past few years many global, as well as local companies, have adopted multiple measures depending on their scale of operation, striving to strike an optimistic balance of having an ideal ratio of men and women at work.

Things are looking up, undoubtedly, with organizations realizing their responsibilities and adopting several policies that will help bridge this gap. With culture playing a crucial role in making the workplace women-friendly, conducive policies and gauging everything through an equal lens is imperative. The sooner corporates all over the world realize this, the sharper their growth trajectory will be.