CII’s Indian Women Network launches new survey about women at the workplace and extends flagship initiative, ‘100 Hours of Change’, to connect eminent women professionals with students looking to enter the corporate world
The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) deadline for all listed companies to have at least one woman director on the board expires on April 1, 2015 and it is estimated that many companies will not be able to comply with this rule because of the lack of qualified women professionals at the top level. Even though many women enter the workforce, an alarming number drop out even before they get a chance to move up the ladder. To address these ‘drop-out’ concerns, the Indian Women Network (IWN) – launched under the aegis of CII Western Region in 2014 - has begun a flagship initiative called ‘100 Hours of Change’, a mentoring programme that connects some of India’s most successful corporate leaders with women students from colleges and MBA institutes. It plans to reach out to over 10,000 students by the end of the year across four states of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Goa and Madhya Pradesh.
Meanwhile, a special survey on working women has just been commissioned. Commenting on it, Mini Menon, Chairperson, IWN – CII (WR) & Executive Editor, Bloomberg TV India, says, “CII IWN has commissioned the first of its kind study on ‘Women@Work- India’ with AON Hewitt. This study will identify the companies that have done the best job of attracting and retaining women employees and nurturing leaders from among them. The study hopes to highlight the best practices companies adopt to ensure gender diversity. We believe this will also help corporate India address the problem of a ‘leaky pipeline’. It is estimated that 50% of women fall off the workforce between the junior and mid-career levels.”
A panel discussion, moderated by Menon, on ‘Women’s Path to Success: The Best Practices Adopted’ dwelt on the challenges women encounter on their path to success. Starting the discussion, the only male member on the panel, R Mukundan, Past Chairman, CII (WR) & MD, Tata Chemicals Ltd, said that companies need to be “sensitive” and create policies that make the workplace better for women. He added, “You need to make the workplace safe and create the right environment. After that, there’s hardly any difference between productivity and output between both genders.” Recounting her “most vulnerable time” and the guilt of returning to work post her maternity leave, Ashu Suyash, Chief Executive Officer, L&T Investment Management Ltd, said, “Men and women are equal, but we have to recognize that we end up being extra emotional. What’s kept me going through tough times is the fact that my work is my hobby... if you are a fulfilled person, you’ll happily get everything done.”
Advising youngsters on the importance of planning their career, Sangeeta Pendurkar, Managing Director, Kellogg India Pvt Ltd, said, “Make the choice of your field defined very sharply. Second and most important, choose your spouse correctly, someone who understands the demands of the workplace. Create an ecosystem and infrastructure at home and finally, dare to dream big. The glass ceiling is in our minds and women have to have courage and conviction to put up their hand to say, I will do the job.”
Commenting on the skills that helped her succeed in her career, Anjali Raina, Executive Director, Harvard Business School India Research Center said, “Being able to have a network, negotiate and deal with conflict in a pleasant way, these abilities have stood me in good stead. Whenever I have not succeeded, I missed out on one of these.” Raina also advised, “Choose a job you like, but choose a job which has hard measurables so that nobody can deny that you have done a good job.”
Talking about the survey, Radhika Gopalkrishnan, Partner – Leadership Consulting, Aon Hewitt mentioned “wasted opportunities because so many young bright minds drop off mid-way”. The survey will look at organizations to understand how they have managed to attract and retain women in their workforce. Even though many companies have implemented pro-woman policies now, Gopalkrishnan cautioned, “There is only so much that corporates and policies can do. There is a lot that you will have to do individually about changing your mindset.”
