How corporate programs and policies
are overcoming India’s entrenched cultural obstacles
This
article was first published in GARP Risk Intelligence on March 6, 2019;
Co-author: Nitya Bodavala
Research has shown that women make or influence 80% of consumption
decisions and account for (U.S.) $20 trillion of consumption expenditure. It
would make sense for companies to get this fairly large demographic on their
side.
Unfortunately, in India, the participation of women in the workforce has
been declining due to a deep-rooted patriarchal mindset and culture that
results in large gender-based disparities at all levels; pay, availability of
opportunities, and household chores being just a few.
However, there are a few companies in India that are rising above the mindset and adopting innovative ways to make the workplace more inclusive. We discuss a few such initiatives in this article.
However, there are a few companies in India that are rising above the mindset and adopting innovative ways to make the workplace more inclusive. We discuss a few such initiatives in this article.
Leadership Programs
There is a tendency for women with high potential to stray from the
leadership track mid-career. There could be a multitude of reasons, but
companies should be able to recognize this and do what they can to retain these
talented women. A leadership program that aids female employees in developing
competencies that ready them for leadership roles is one way to go about it.
Leadership programs tend to provide networking opportunities, classroom
learning, mentors and coaches for personal development and guidance, etc. This
kind of personalized attention, and the knowledge that the company they are
working for is rooting for their success, acts as a huge motivating factor.
In 2016, the Mahindra Group launched its Women Leaders Programme (WLP).
It aims to bridge the gender gap and help female employees in middle
management. It spans 18 months and “aims to create a pipeline of female leaders
and change agents for the Mahindra Group.
So far, 54 women managers have been trained through the WLP. Tech Mahindra's efforts to be more gender inclusive have been recognized by the 2018 AVTAR and Working Mother Best Companies for Women in India.
So far, 54 women managers have been trained through the WLP. Tech Mahindra's efforts to be more gender inclusive have been recognized by the 2018 AVTAR and Working Mother Best Companies for Women in India.
While Mahindra's WLP targets women in middle management roles, Bank of
America targets those at the vice president level. Of the bank's management and
executive positions, 46% are held by women.
Its “Pathway to Progression” aims to increase retention and engagement and accelerate the women's advancement. In 2016 and 2017, 172 women participated, of whom one-third have been promoted.
Its “Pathway to Progression” aims to increase retention and engagement and accelerate the women's advancement. In 2016 and 2017, 172 women participated, of whom one-third have been promoted.
The bank also has two female-specific insight programs, “Female Futures”
and “Females in Finance.”
All-Women Teams
At first glance, an all-women team seems regressive. However, it makes
it easier for companies to streamline a process that has the best outcome for
women. It also makes it easier to monitor their progress and development.
Dr. Reddy's Laboratories, while taking stock of the ratio of men and
women in each division, found a lack of women in the sales and marketing
divisions. In 2016, they started SHE, or Special Hospital Executive, a sales
force that consists mainly of women looking to re-start their careers.
The company altered the work requirement of a regular medical representative to better suit these women. As opposed to having to visit 10-12 doctors a day at various medical institutes, these women form a lasting relationship with one institute. This also implies shorter working hours and less travel.
The company altered the work requirement of a regular medical representative to better suit these women. As opposed to having to visit 10-12 doctors a day at various medical institutes, these women form a lasting relationship with one institute. This also implies shorter working hours and less travel.
The initiative has been beneficial in that the company now has a
presence in 25 medical institutes that were previously unexplored. The sales
force also allows for penetration into those medical colleges that are
girls-only. While there are currently 100 SHEs spread across three divisions,
the company is hoping to increase these numbers.
Bajaj Allianz General Insurance has introduced all-women branches in 19
cities across India. They also recognize the difficulties associated with women
trying to re-enter the workforce after a break and are seeking to make it as
easy as possible. Women can bring their kids to work, have laundry and
groceries delivered to the workplace, have flexible hours and the option to
work from home.
Women in
Manufacturing
The paucity of women in manufacturing is old news. The steps that some
companies are taking to remedy this, however, are new and innovative.
Bajaj Auto has set up women-only assembly lines at its Pantnagar and
Chakan plants. The number of women working on the shop floor has increased from
148 in 2013-14 to 355 in 2017-18.
At Dr. Reddy's, new roles in warehousing, research and development and
process engineering that were previously unavailable to women, were made
available to them in 2016. In addition, women were hired at all levels – entry,
middle, and senior – and their families were invited for plant visits to
inspire confidence about the safety of working there.
The company found that the number of women in these roles grew, and there were fewer resignations post-maternity. Dr. Reddy's was the only Indian company to feature in Bloomberg's Gender Equality Index for 2018 and topped the list of 200 companies that were a part of the “Diversity in Corporate Asia” report by Carnstone.
The company found that the number of women in these roles grew, and there were fewer resignations post-maternity. Dr. Reddy's was the only Indian company to feature in Bloomberg's Gender Equality Index for 2018 and topped the list of 200 companies that were a part of the “Diversity in Corporate Asia” report by Carnstone.
Aside from WLP, the Mahindra Group also aims to break down barriers in
the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) field through Project
SuryaShakthi. As part of this corporate social responsibility project, women
are trained to be solar technicians who can then install solar panels.
They undergo three months of training, in the classroom and on-site, which includes financial and computer literacy, self-defense classes, and entrepreneurship skills. The growth in the solar industry, coupled with the concept of all-women installation teams, will undoubtedly contribute to change in how working women are perceived.
They undergo three months of training, in the classroom and on-site, which includes financial and computer literacy, self-defense classes, and entrepreneurship skills. The growth in the solar industry, coupled with the concept of all-women installation teams, will undoubtedly contribute to change in how working women are perceived.
Knowing Your
Employees
There can be no blanket policy that works for all companies and all
employees; policies have to be tailor-made. To attempt to understand an
employee's needs, companies could carry out studies and surveys that will help
them with policy-making and ultimately yield satisfied and productive workers.
Every year, Accenture produces a “Getting to Equal” report. The 2018
report surveyed 22,000 working professionals in 32 countries in an attempt to
identify factors that could affect the culture of a workplace, and further
affect gender balance. The report focused on 40 factors that, if put into
common practice, would increase the average number of female managers for every
100 male managers from 34 to 84. There could also be an increase in women's pay
by 51%. Some of these factors are:
- The organization clearly states gender pay-gap goals and ambitions
- Leadership is held accountable for improving gender diversity
- The company has a women's network, which is open to men
- Women are encouraged to take maternity leave
- Leaders take action to get more women into senior roles
Embracing Motherhood
Forty-three percent of mothers choose to leave their jobs after having a
child. Rather than look at motherhood as an inconvenience, companies should
attempt to embrace motherhood and provide a supportive environment for their
employees.
They might also want to consider the cost involved with on-boarding and training new employees, versus spending a little more to keep the ones that they have happy.
They might also want to consider the cost involved with on-boarding and training new employees, versus spending a little more to keep the ones that they have happy.
Nestlé India offers 26 weeks of maternity leave with full benefits and
leaves it to the discretion of the employee as to when she'd like to avail it.
Upon returning, she is assured the same position or one of equal standing. All
permanent female employees are allowed six weeks of adoption leave.
The company also allows for mothers to breastfeed at work. All
facilities that have upward of 50 women are equipped with separate rooms for
breastfeeding in private. The “Start Healthy Stay Healthy” campaign provides
guidance to new and expectant mothers.
Incentivizing
Inclusion
As of 2015, 79% of Pinterest's workforce was male, the majority white or
Asian. The company had found that referrals were the best way to get to new
talent, but employees had a tendency to refer candidates whom they identified
with, that is, people similar to them.
Pinterest challenged its employees to refer people from diverse, under-represented backgrounds. This was good news for women – female referrals increased 24% – as well as those from minority communities.
Pinterest challenged its employees to refer people from diverse, under-represented backgrounds. This was good news for women – female referrals increased 24% – as well as those from minority communities.
In 2017 the company's tech division was 29% women, the business division
62%, and in the workforce overall, women were 45%. For every open leadership
position, the company has mandated that at least one woman be interviewed.
Unconscious-bias training is a priority for employees and managers alike.
Conclusion
Accounting for and implementing policies that maximize the productivity
of women at the workplace is not an impossible task, nor is it one that eats
away at profits. McKinsey and Co.'s recent study on business and diversity
found that companies in the top quartile for gender equality were 21% more
likely to attain above-average profitability.
For a company, the difference between above-average profit and average profit can be quite large, and the cost of inclusive policies fairly small.
For a company, the difference between above-average profit and average profit can be quite large, and the cost of inclusive policies fairly small.
