<ul><li>While the ad industry has a lot of womentoday, many drop out by the time they reach mid-management levels, primarily due to the lack of flexible hours, or the flexibility to work from home.</li><li>The women leaders we spoke to believe organizations need to prioritize training more women, to prepare them for leadership roles, and this should be a part of the company’s culture.</li><li>There is also a need to relook at the way employee’s performances are evaluated, coming up with newer ways of assessing talent in a time where the way of doing business has seen a complete overhaul.</li></ul> In late 2019, a report by Credit Suisse stated that women’s representation in boardrooms in India increased only by 4.3% between 2014 and 2019. The report further stated that the current female representation on boards is only 15.2% which invariably led to dialogues around the conspicuous lack of women leaders in the upper rungs of the corporate world. Having said that, the world of advertising, marketing and media is one industry that has seen a lot of women in roles of leadership. While we are still far from an equal man-woman ratio in the industry, it is heartening to see more and more women take the top spots. Conversations with most women leaders from the industry led us to believe that this is an industry that welcomes women to be a part of the workforce. However, it is during their mid-career levels that a lot of women drop out of the workforce, leading to a dip in women who take up higher positions. We reached out to some of the most influential women in the industry currently, to gauge what are the reasons for these drop-outs, and what needs to be done, as an industry as well at individual organizational levels, to ensure that women are retained, and even if they drop-out, are encouraged to rejoin the workforce. We received an overwhelming response to our queries from across the sector from women who made some really compelling points. These women who feel passionately about the subject laid their hearts bare, telling us ways they think the industry can evolve, to become more inclusive. Here are some of the most prominent voices. Building a culture of inclusivity It is often noticed that while a lot of women are joining the workforce, many of them take the decision of quitting once they decide to get married or decide to have children. Many find it difficult to come back, due to the lack of flexible working hours at their workplaces, or even due to a certain amount of judgment where people look at them a little differently after they come back from a long break. Most of the women leaders we spoke to believe that the work culture needs to evolve a little, to make way for such women, giving them the flexibility that many of them need, once they start a family. <keyword id="4356726" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="srija-chatterjee">Srija Chatterjee</keyword>, Managing Director, Publicis Worldwide, India shared that while a few corporates have started giving some assistance to women, the ad industry hasn’t yet started doing that actively. “As an industry, we have woken up to women leaders and we are trying to make things happen for women, to make sure that they don't jump off from the workforce. However, there's still a long way to go. The biggest reason women stop working is when they get into that life stage of having children. A lot of corporates are today providing strong support, through office crèches or flexi-timing options. That has not yet happened in our industry. From a business perspective, the size of our agencies might not be that big, which makes implementing this a bit of a challenge. But the more and more we get into a group structure, and offices become more centralized, it will enable organizations to look at shared resources to help women pursue their passion. This is something that could be done, but has not been done yet.” A lot of times, there is also a lot of judgement involved when women come back to work after a long break. Delving deeper into the need for a change in attitude, Pallavi Chakravarti, Executive Creative Director, Taproot Dentsu said, “You’ve been out of the scene way too long - you can’t expect the salary that you do after the kind of leave you’ve taken - but won’t your attention be divided now?” These are just some of the things women hear when they are seeking to make their way back into the workforce, post a long gap. Of course, this is not a blanket statement - times are changing, mindsets are changing, as are corporate policies. But if companies truly want to be gender-neutral then statements and questions like the ones I’ve cited above would never be heard again. Additionally, flexible working hours, working from home, working on time-bound projects are all steps that more and more organisations can adopt to ensure equal opportunities. And when I say equal, I mean that these options should be made available to both men and women. Shedding some light on how OLX is working on retaining some of its women, Sapna Arora, Chief Marketing Officer, OLX India said, “Setting the right example of favourable work culture much suited to women, not just in terms of facilities and infrastructure, but also in terms of broadening our thinking within an organization across various levels, is the key to inspire women working population to join the workforce and perform better. OLX, as an organization, is working on taking baby steps in creating empowering workplace for women. A couple of years ago, we at OLX embarked on a journey to evaluate the gender diversity ratio and actively worked to encourage more women in roles such as data scientists, engineers, front line sales and more. This is a conscious choice we have made under our global diversity and inclusion programme which seeks to improve the gender ratio across STEM and leadership roles.” Talking about the need to prioritize diversity in leadership, Emrana Sheikh, Enterprise HR Head for India and South Asia – Johnson &amp; Johnson said, “Today, companies are increasingly equating their C-suite diversity to competitive advantage for their businesses – and rightly so, it leads to robust dialogue, richer decisions and the empathy to design good, and human-centered solutions. For organizations looking for a paradigm shift in their work cultures, C-suite diversity sets an example for the rest of the team. At the basic level, it can be a source of inspiration that resonates down to the front-line staff. This is only possible when diversity in the leadership is prioritized and its long-term implementation is ensured at all levels through intentionality and focused talent management. Internal platforms such as Diversity &amp; Inclusion Council and Employee Resource Groups further drive culture strategies from a variety of lenses, championing inclusivity as a collective goal across levels. An inclusive culture transcends barriers, bias and bureaucracy, and makes the employees truly feel that they belong. All around, women are a critical mass of consumers, influencers, stakeholders and communities. Hence, reflection of the same in organizations is a business imperative.” Sharing a similar sentiment, Neena Dasgupta, CEO and Director, Zirca Digital Solutions added, “Organizations need to ensure that women in the workplace are respected and recognized.For women to thrive in the workplace, organizations need to ensure an environment that is rooted in equal opportunity and a culture that is geared to assist women achieve their goals.” Sharing some tips on a few things that can be done at the organization level to help women continue to be a part of an organization, Ayesha Ghosh, General Manager, Taproot Dentsu added, “Younger women need to see older women in positions of influence. Flexible working hours and working from home might be a challenge in an industry that’s made a virtue of unreasonable working hours but we ought to be non-negotiable about starting early, cutting idle chatter, short lunch breaks and everything else that helps finish work early so that parents (and everyone else, really!) get to spend some time with their families. Ingraining fundamental values will go a much longer way than making token gestures. Enforcing paternity leave, for instance, so that the onus of child-rearing is not on the mother alone. When a parent, regardless of gender is expected to manage time such that they are responsible for their work as well as for their families, everyone will automatically spend less time on idle chatter and work a lot more efficiently.” An organization's culture also needs to have empathy at its foundation, shared Oindrila Roy, Head of Strategy, India, Essence, to make a difference. "As with any type of workforce integration, empathy should be the edifice on which workplaces are designed to integrate and retain both women and men more seamlessly. For women, it starts with stepping into her shoes, evaluating challenges from her point of view and arriving at solutions which are conducive. For example, an online survey conducted by JobsForHer found that 38% of women do not return to the workforce after giving birth, due to the lack of good day care for children. If that is the challenge, companies need to think of solving this problem innovatively - can the organisation collaborate with a nanny service provider to avail reliable childcare options to its employees? Reassured and empowered parents are likely to stay in the workforce longer." Modifying existing performance benchmarks Rubeena Singh, CEO, iProspect India believes that there is a need to relook at the performance benchmarks on which employees are evaluated. “In the middle years, I often see that we are trying to evaluate people on certain benchmarks. The criteria for these performance indicators have been put in place years ago when it was a largely male-dominated workforce. Things like 8 hours of work, or work in office, or if you want a senior position, you should have worked in different geographies etc. But sometimes, for women, it becomes very difficult to be mobile and move to different parts of the country, especially once they get married. As an industry, we really need to re-evaluate the criteria. We should look for quality now, if people are curious, if they are team-players, how innovative and out-of-the-box can they think. If these changes are brought about, a lot of women will find it easier to catch up from where they left, even if they are coming back after a long break.” Treating both men and women as equals at the workplace A lot of women leaders feel that there is an immediate need to start looking at both men and women as equals in the workspace and not differentiate on the basis of gender. Lara Balsara Wajifdar, Executive Director at Madison World said, “We need to look at women leaders as leaders first and not as women leaders. Don’t differentiate us on the basis of our gender, but differentiate us on the basis of our work! Our industry is always hungry for good talent and if the talent is good, the agency will always accommodate personal requests as long as the work is not affected.” Many also feel the starting point is to start a conversation, where both the genders are treated as equal participants. “<keyword id="6372584" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="gender-equality">Gender equality</keyword> is not just a women’s issue, it’s a human rights issue – that extends to all realms, including the workplace. To encourage equality across all lines of command in the workplace and have more women leaders, we need more men to be equal participants in the conversation around gender equality. Having the male workforce as partners can bring empowerment and equal respect among all genders. Global change-making initiatives like the UN’s ‘He for She’ Movement, of which I am a strong advocate, have been setting strong examples for people of all genders to take bold steps in solidarity and are working towards a gender-equal world,” said <keyword id="235731" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Nadia-Chauhan">Nadia Chauhan</keyword>, JMD &amp; CMO, Parle Agro. Pointing out to some things that need to be done at an organizational level, Rishika Lulla Singh, CEO Eros Digital at Eros International said, “There needs to be a cultural shift and change at workplaces to eradicate gender inequality and retain women employees. It is about time that companies consider deserving women for higher level positions and evaluate their performance sans bias. If there are more women leaders out there at the top positions, it gives a sense of confidence to the global sisterhood with strong role models. It is essential that companies organize mentorship programs to break the stereotype of what a man and a woman can or should do. There are several ways to retain a woman employee at work, but we also need to encourage more women to join the workforce. Equal pay, ensuring all voices are heard and feeling valued, creating safe work environment, etc. are all the least we can do.” Pooja Jauhari, CEO, The Glitch put it rather succinctly in her three-point recommendation on how to retain women. She said, “Firstly, treat your entire talent base with gender blindness. Best person for the job. Without over-thinking their family, marital, ‘emotional’ status. Just get the right person for the job. Secondly, allow your talent to align personal and professional goals and build a support system for them to come back to the same position at work after a break (marriage| child birth) and lastly, stop saying a certain gender matters more, prove by example by showing gender balance across functions.” Training young employees to think of themselves as leaders There is also a need for seniors to build an environment of motivating young women while also making them aware of their potential as future managers, shared Sujata Dwibedy, Group Trading Director, Ampilifi India. She said, “This question is asked to mostly senior women but ideally, both senior men, women and the entire team should be equally responsible to motivate the young, efficient women. The entire organisation gains if they can train and then retain competent women leading up to a management role. It is critical to show them advancement opportunities and their growth path. Policies might have to be tweaked but if it benefits all, it should not matter. Building an inclusive workplace, an organisational environment that values diversity not just for the sake of appearances but for the competitive edge that comes with access to multiple perspectives would make a difference.” There are a lot of internal barriers that women have to cross and training them to believe in themselves could help in ensuring they make it to the top. <keyword id="346168" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Lulu-Raghavan">Lulu Raghavan</keyword>, Managing Director, Landor Associates said, “Even before thinking of getting more women leaders, we have to think of how we can create a better working place holistically. Secondly, you have to ensure that women at the top, doing good work get the visibility. It starts with the leadership, company philosophy and culture. You’ve got to find them and put them on the top because deserving women do exist. You can’t give us an excuse that there aren’t any women relevant for the top positions. A lot of training has to be done with women themselves; there are a few external barriers such as company policies, work environment, how other people behave towards you, and there are internal factors, which we women have set up through the years. It is the lack of self-confidence, self-doubt and imposter syndrome. We women have to be trained to be leaders. It should be different from the overall management chain because it is decades of social conditioning that companies have to break when women join them. “ Anita Kotwani, Senior Vice President, New Business, Mindshare added, “The industry needs to first acknowledge that Woman leaders can deliver as well as their male counterparts for senior-level roles. The grooming required should be done for the role and not the gender. If that happens you will see the necessary shift with more woman leaders leading the mantle.” Sharing her optimism about the future where she envisions more and more women to be on the top, Kranti Gada, COO Shemaroo Entertainment said, “A few years ago, I participated in a program called ‘Tanmatra’ organized by IIM Bangalore, to help develop and groom fellow women counterparts for about 9 months and the stories I heard about the differences in opportunities shocked me a little. I was happy to be at Shemaroo, where we have seen women in key roles leading from the front and managing the core business with ease and expertise. While the ratio of women is a little skewed in the industry, the gender gap is narrowing, and we will see more women taking charge in future in every field.”

Making the industry more gender-inclusive: Women leaders show us the way

Believe it or not but gender discrimination is still prevalent at workplaces. As per a survey by staffing services firm TeamLease, <keyword id="46431" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="India-Inc">India Inc</keyword> remains reluctant to integrate women into workforce and over 72 per cent of women feel that gender discrimination is prevalent at workplaces. 
 
The survey stated that the under-representation of women in workforce is due to stereotypical choice of higher education. 
Over 61 per cent of women choose non-professional courses, reducing their chance to get gainful employment opportunities. 
 
"Women are severely under-represented in most well-paying sectors and, at the same time, they are disproportionately well-represented in subsistence-income occupations such as care and agriculture," the survey found out. 
 
From a sectoral perspective, women participation leaves a lot to be desired, though BFSI and software are better-off with 6 per cent and 5 per cent representation at senior management roles, respectively. 
 
Manufacturing, and engineering and auto in particular put up a dismal show. 
 
"Globally, employers are taking quick strides towards diversifying their workforce. We are confident these initiatives will seep into India also where diversity initiatives could potentially have the biggest impact as recent studies suggest (a link) to the economic performance of a country," TeamLease Services Senior Vice-President Rituparna Chakraborty said. 
 
India is estimated to add 16-60 per cent to its national income if women join the labour force in a proportionate measure. 
 The report also punctures the myth surrounding urban <keyword id="6359149" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="working-women">working women</keyword> as the workforce participation of rural women is far higher than urban women. 
 
While only 20 per cent of women from urban areas entered the workforce, women constituted 30 per cent of workers in rural areas, the report said, adding "most urban, educated, women willy-nilly desist from joining the labour force because of patriarchal taboos". 
 
The report said while organisations perceived initiatives like flexi time, leadership training, sexual harassment policies etc to be a game changer, a majority of women employees felt these policies required greater boost.

At least 72% women feel gender bias in workplaces! Is bridging the gap only on papers?

Automation is the new norm across sectors and will affect the bottom of pyramid so much so that four out of every 10 jobs globally would be lost due to this by 2021, according to a PTI news report. 
 
Automation is the new normal in sectors like engineering, manufacturing, automobiles, IT and banking. As automation adoption increases, all high transaction and labour intensive jobs will take a hit. 
 
According to PeopleStrong CEO and Founder Pankaj Bansal, there will be a visible change in the next 3-4 years, first major effects will be seen in the sectors like manufacturing, IT and ITeS and security services and agriculture. 
 
"We predict that by 2021, 4 out of every 10 jobs globally would be lost because of automation. And of these, one in every 4 will be from India. That sums up to 23 per cent of job loss in India," Bansal said. 
 
India produces 5.5 million jobs (across levels) every year, but this number falls short of jobs needed to employ available talent and automation is further increasing the gap. 
 
"If five years ago, there were 1,500 jobs in the assembly line, it has been reduced to 500 jobs now as focus has moved away from skilling to automation," said Francis Padamadan, Country Director KellyOCG India, a talent management solutions provider. 
 
Experts said low skill and high transaction jobs will be affected as automation takes away their jobs. Hiring for short term projects, flexi hiring would be the way forward in these areas for roles that cannot be automated. 
 
To cater to this fallout, government needs to focus on two key areas strengthening the mid-market segment and reskilling the workforce to take up new jobs which will emerge post automation, PeopleStrong's Bansal said. 
 
KellyOCG India's Padamadan believes "automation will not take away all the jobs because you still need someone to build and monitor the robots. So, while jobs mostly at the bottom of pyramid will be affected, new jobs will get added".

Job
loss on the verge: By 2021, 4 out of 10 jobs wouldn’t need human being

Richa Sharma, a 31 year old IT professional, quit her job to spend more time with her family. After 5 years, she decides to give her career a second chance. But she’s worried that returning after a long break will be a challenge. She hasn’t kept in touch with the industry trends for so long. And she has no experience working on some of the newer technologies that have mushroomed all over the IT space. 
 Rejoining the workforce after a long gap can be quite daunting for <keyword id="624" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Women">women</keyword>. Employability can get pretty challenging! However, women today have excelled at the art of maintaining a perfect balance between a successful career and a satisfying personal life. And one of the main reasons is their focus on re-skilling and building new and relevant professional skills that will help them to get back to work. 
 
Today, technology is advancing faster than we can imagine, and there are chances that a lot might have changed during your break. So when you start planning your second innings at work, you must focus on acquiring skills that help you stay relevant and boost your personal brand as well. An online course in your chosen domain will help you achieve this. To pursue a course, women need not be hassled with class schedules and lengthy admission processes. Online courses and Certifications have made this daunting task easy and fast. 
 And once you pick up the necessary skills to add to your portfolio and earn that certification, you can start building <keyword id="3836454" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Professional-contacts">professional contacts</keyword> on social media and update your <keyword id="581174" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="job-skills">job skills</keyword> that will help you land a career of your choice. 
 
What do women look for before joining the workforce 
 
• Flexible timings and work-life balance: Women looking for flexi-working can work for the agreed number of hours, per their convenience. It is an agreement between the employer and the employee. Flexi-working provides a perfect balance between work and personal life. A lot of women prefer to take up careers that provide work from home options. This gives them advantages like less commute and being around their family when they are needed. 
 
• Salary &amp; Perks: Quite often, after a long career break, women are unsure of how much they should be paid. However, you can evaluate the job offer by checking the present market value for your skill sets and expertise. Speak to your peers who have been in this field for quite some time, and the type of job you are looking for. 
 
• Role &amp; Responsibilities: A lot of women prefer to take up roles and responsibilities that allow them to efficiently manage both personal and professional life with ease. 
 
• Proximity to office: Many women choose to work at an office that’s closer to their homes. This saves travel time, and allows them to be productive at office as well as spend quality time with their family. 
 
Skills women acquire before getting back to work 
 
Six skills that benefit women who are looking for a balance between their professional and personal lives are: 
 
• Data Analytics: A career in data analytics is a great choice for working moms who have a keen eye for processing information. Data analytics is the next big thing and organizations, everywhere, are looking for data analysts. You can take up one of the available courses on data analytics to jumpstart your return. Many companies offer attractive salaries and perks, and good opportunities for career growth. 
 
• Blogging/Content Development: With the Internet boom over the last few years, Content Marketing has taken the centre stage. And, this has led to a growing demand for content developers. A graduation degree and an ability to churn out informative articles are prerequisites to take your blogging/content developing career on the path of success. Other benefits on offer are flexible work schedules, good compensation, and work from home option. 
 
• IT &amp; Programming: A career in the IT industry definitely demands a lot of your time and attention. However, quite a few women choose to restart their career in this industry, as many companies provide flexibility along with an attractive salary package and promising career growth options. To restart your career in the IT industry, you might have to upgrade your skills through online courses or certification programs that are easily available. 
 
• <keyword id="107737" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Entrepreneurship">Entrepreneurship</keyword>: There is not much difference between taking care of your family and taking care of your business. So, if you dream of starting your own business, do your research, enhance your skills (there are a lot of courses available for the necessary guidance), launch your business, and watch your dream turn into reality! Entrepreneurs can choose their work hours and can perfectly balance their time between work and family. 
 
• Web Development: Web development is yet another promising option to restart your career with. It involves creating the architecture and design of a website. It would be good if you have a bachelor’s degree in computer science, along with some skills which can be enhanced through online programs and other certification courses. Web developers have the flexibility to work during the preferred hours and not necessarily from the office. A lot of web developers describe it as a “creative” job, where you learn a lot of new things and upgrade your knowledge-base all the time. 
 
• Digital Marketing: With the rapid rise in Internet access, the demand for digital marketing is increasing rapidly. Understanding of content marketing, social media marketing, SEO, and SEM will help you launch your career in digital marketing.This career not only promises enormous growth and compensation but also gives you the flexibility to choose work hours convenient for you and operate as a freelancer from home 
 
Restarting your career might sound challenging, but it really isn’t the case if you have some confidence and enthusiasm to learn new skills and technologies . Get set and up-skill, so that you can be on the right track to grab your dream job and also enjoy a healthy work-life balance. 
 
(This article is contributed by <a href="https://www.simplilearn.com/?abVariation=1&amp;utm_expid=60255365-25.9Mj1h4zwQmaWOgv-ZHG-_A.1&amp;utm_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.co.in%2F">Simplilearn</a>) 
 
(Image Credits: Thinkstock)

Up-skilling - What women on career break should focus on?

<keyword id="3043" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Hillary-Clinton">Hillary Clinton</keyword>’s shocking failure to break the proverbial glass ceiling to the top American presidential post once again turned the world’s collective attention towards the persisting gender skew when it comes to global political leadership. The corporate leadership scene is no different! The 2016 Fortune 500 list shows women holding a meager 4 % of the CEO positions in 500 of the world’s largest companies. In India this ratio is even lower. There are only eight women leaders at the helm of affairs among the BSE 500 firms. The representation of women in Indian corporate boardrooms has increased over the past five years, but it still remains below the global average of 14.7 %. 
 
The problem is not of non-availability of capable and well-qualified women; it is one of lack of conscious efforts on the part of corporate organizations to nurture and groom women for senior management roles. It is essential to highlight here that comparable number of men and women join the corporate workforce in India every year. So the gender imbalance is not prominent on the lower rungs of the corporate ladder. However, more and more women chose to (or are driven to) opt out as they head up the middle management level. In most cases it is family responsibilities that force them out of the corporate ranks, and also the absence of corporate cultural settings that take into account this factor. 
 We consulted <keyword id="1016048" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Rajeev-Bhardwaj">Rajeev Bhardwaj</keyword>, Vice President, Human Resource at <keyword id="155168" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Sun-Life-Financial">Sun Life Financial</keyword> on why organizations must work towards having more women in senior management. 
 
It's economic 
Women’s participation in business is not just a gender equality slogan, it makes much economic sense as well. Business acumen and leadership do not come exclusively to men. For every wasted female talent, there is a corresponding economic loss. 
In 2007 research organization Catalyst conducted a comprehensive study on the economic benefits of gender parity and concluded that the Fortune 500 companies which had more female board directors achieved significantly higher financial performance. On a macroeconomic scale, Catalyst also reported recently that countries can radically increase their GDP by augmenting the role of women in the economy. 
 A survey published in the <keyword id="86058" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Harvard-Business-Review">Harvard Business Review</keyword> in 2011 found that managers and colleagues judged women leaders as being better on honesty and integrity scales, in building relationships as well as in taking initiatives. The same survey also concluded that women leaders were better communicators and built better collaborations as compared to male leaders. A series of other studies have pointed to multifarious other benefits including improved financial performance of the organization, greater tilt towards corporate social responsibility and better organizational climate. If you look at it deeply, the beneficial results accrue as a result of greater diversity of minds at play towards a particular objective. Unfortunately, while most of us talk about the need for improving female representation, we do not fully comprehend the benefits that will result from it. This is why most corporate leaderships in India have so far not been able to align long-term organizational goals to ensure gender parity and diversity. 
 <keyword id="3039" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bhardwaj">Bhardwaj</keyword> advocates four steps to make women lead the ladder. 
 
Have long-term diversity objectives 
The culture has to be consciously created, long-term goals prepared and a conscious effort made towards achieving them through multifarious initiatives. Organizations must evaluate the gender situation in their top management and assiduously think about where they want to be on this front in the next five years. 
 
Create a pipeline of women leadership 
Organizations today must make a conscious effort to nurture the talented women employees who show traits of leadership right from an early stage. This includes spotting them early and giving them ample opportunities to grow and learn, involving them in key strategic projects that can give them greater insights, and equip them with the capability to lead the organization. As they move up the corporate ladder, it is essential to institute re-tooling and re-skilling programs for them at each level to ensure they are abreast with all latest developments in the industry. 
 
Make organizations empathetic to women’s needs There are multiple reasons for this including an institutionalized bias and lack of support for women employees who decide to have children. The consequence is that despite being bright and talented, very few women are able to make the transition to top management positions. It is essential to institute greater flexibility and a more empathetic approach to make the workplace more amenable to women. At <keyword id="4348443" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="sun-life-asia-service-centre-india">Sun Life Asia Service Centre India</keyword>, flexi-timings, work-from-home arrangement, and a more accommodating maternity leave have been institutionalized to allow women workforce the liberty to follow their professional pursuits without ignoring their family needs. 
 
Ensuring Equal Pay for Equal Work 
A series of discouraging reports and studies have in recent years highlighted systematic gender discrimination when it comes to paying women. A recent survey by Monster.com in India found that the median wage earned by women was 27% lower as against their male counterparts. This cannot continue if we want to draw more women in leadership positions. 
 
Not just gender equity but a larger vision to have greater diversity in an organizational workforce can bring unprecedented and un-thought of benefits by having a greater variety of approaches and emotional quotients to find solutions. It is time corporate India takes tangible steps in this direction.

Having more women in senior management
helps an organization grow faster. Here’s how

NEW DELHI: India could introduce a Vocational Training Act on the lines of the one in China, with the ministry of labour and employment working on the contours of the first of its kind initiative in the country to provide legal framework for the Narendra Modi-led NDA government’s Skill India programme that aims to provide quality training to millions of youths over the next seven years to make them employable. 
 As a large number of youths enter the workforce every year, India needs to improve quality of training so it matches international standards, a <keyword id="209888" type="POSITION" weightage="20" keywordseo="senior-ministry-official">senior ministry official</keyword> said. 
 
“We are currently studying the law on vocational education in China and plan to come up with our own legislation that will provide a framework for imparting vocational training in the country,” said the official, who did not wish to be named. 
 Countries such as <keyword id="87" type="COUNTRY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Germany">Germany</keyword> and China have dedicated laws for vocational training and the ministry is studying these to understand how a similar legislation best suited to India can be introduced in the country. “There is an incremental requirement of 347 million skilled manpower in 21 high growth sectors, including manufacturing sector, by the year 2022,” the ministry recently said in a reply to a Parliament question citing a study by the National Skill Development Corporation. 
 
 
 
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 In his <keyword id="117156" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Budget-speech">budget speech</keyword>, <keyword id="6355261" type="POSITION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Finance-minister">Finance Minister</keyword> <keyword id="42575" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Arun-Jaitley">Arun Jaitley</keyword> had announced a new national programme called Skill India to impart employability and entrepreneurship skills to the youth by merging various schemes from across ministries. India has the world’s youngest workforce with over 12 million new entrants in the <keyword id="6357125" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="labour-market">labour market</keyword> every year but it is short on skills as only 2.5per cent of the employees have any certified ability. 
 
As a result, the country’s demographic dividend has not materialised. The industry is unable to find employable workers, a situation that experts say could lead to socio-economic unrest if the youth remain unemployed and have no avenue for training. 
 
The target is to skill 500 million people by 2022 and the government is largely betting on private players for skill development programmes. 
 Recently, the ministry of labour and employment has signed flexi MOUs (memorandums of understanding) with <keyword id="46894" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Tata-Sons">Tata Sons</keyword>, Flipkart, Raymonds and the <keyword id="2470780" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Gujarat-Industrial-Power-Company-Ltd">Gujarat Industrial Power Company Ltd</keyword> (GIPCL) that will give companies the flexibility to design training programmes at Industrial Training Institutes in a manner that the youth are skilled according to the specific needs of the industry.

India's Vocational Training Act To Provide Legal Framework For Skill India Programme

Meet Indian women, the new superhumans! As much as we would want to believe that she has moved away from the shackles of the traditional beliefs, only the reverse is true as going to work is an additional role she plays today, not the sole one, while managing all the other avatars that are expected of her. That of a doting mother, caring daughter, loving wife, humble and abiding daughter-in-law, and the list can go on. 
 
So what if she is subjected to the same pressure or more at work as her husband, the Indian patriarchal mindset puts the primary responsibility of care giving solely on her, whether it is caring for young children, the elderly or running a home. It’s not a surprise then, that especially during pregnancy, an overwhelming number of female employees are dropping out of the workforce every year in India for lack of a support ecosystem. 
 To this effect, the recent move by the government to increase the <keyword id="78369" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="maternity-leave">maternity leave</keyword> of pregnant women working in private companies from 12 to 26 weeks is just the beginning step towards change. But are 6 months of maternity leave just about enough? To put a nursing child in a daycare, knowing he can barely sit, or crawl and is at the mercy of nannies who don’t know him, can rip any mother apart. If you note the World Health Organization recommendations, it suggests exclusive breastfeeding for babies up to six months old, saying it reduces child mortality and has proven health benefits that extend into adulthood. Yet, only 47% of Indian mothers exclusively breastfeed for the first six months, compared with 70% in neighbouring Nepal and 76% in Sri Lanka. Those who are working are left struggling to find a daycare close to office, so that they can hop in during lunch, sneak out for a feed or two. It’s really a shame. 
 
How the government and companies can play a huge role to fill this gap: 
 
Even as Indian companies are yet to fully embrace the culture of flexible work or recognise the cultural challenges that come from operating in a country like India, the government can facilitate it by making it must for companies to set up basic minimum infrastructure at every workplace for pregnant mothers: 
 
-a crèche with trained staff for mothers to be rest assured while they are at work 
-place to express milk so that their kids get breastmilk even when mothers are away from them 
-computers/laptops connected with CCTV footage of crèche area for parents to be able to keep a minute-to-minute watch on their kids while at work 
-work-from-home facilities so that they are able to deliver work as well as manage lactating kids. 
 These measures can keep women away from feeling forced to quit their jobs. The recent stats by World Economic Forum shows India has 24 per cent women in the workforce, one of the few countries in which participation is actually shrinking. At the same time, it is also well known that organisations that create and maintain a well-managed, diverse workforce, on average, outperform those which don’t. In India, a few companies have been quick to realize this. In order to retain talent and maintain gender diversity, <keyword id="6354742" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Flipkart">Flipkart</keyword> offers an extended maternity leave of 24 weeks and also four months of flexi working hours. Accenture has recently announced that it will grant its employees five months maternity leave from three weeks. 
 
What about the role of Indian fathers in child rearing? 
 
India is still far away from East European and Scandinavian countries which have gone just beyond maternity leaves. Even as maternity leave extends beyond six months, it is matched with paternity leaves there. Fathers are considered equally important as mothers when it comes to raising a child. Take for example parents in Britain who have been made eligible to share 12 months of leave after the birth of a child. In Sweden, they have enjoyed that right since 1974. In Asia, Japan offers a year’s unpaid leave to each parent and South Korea allows both parents partially paid parental leave for up to one year. In Europe, new mothers mostly get between 14 and 22 weeks, and new fathers between two days (Greece) and three months (Italy) of paid leave. 
 
Research shows moms and dads bring different strengths and styles as parents, and these roles complement each other. Kids need equal love, support, and involvement from both their parents. Perhaps it’s time we start thinking about paternity leaves as well, so that raising a kid is not the sole responsibility of a mother as it has deemed to be for decades. As a society, we must realize that women are not superhumans. It’s easier said than done, but focus on paternity leaves may help in shifting the mindset and creating a more level playing field where society, government and companies, everyone looks at women and men in the same light.

How govt, private companies can come to the rescue of pregnant women employees

Start ups pay a good salary, have flexi working hours and meals are on the house with an<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Study-reveals-shocking-change-in-the-hiring-trends-of-Indian-start-ups/articleshow/50073782.cms"> open bar </a>on weekends. This is a typical <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Study-reveals-shocking-change-in-the-hiring-trends-of-Indian-start-ups/articleshow/50073782.cms">myth</a> in India about start ups and people were painting colourful pictures of the work culture. In the last few years, employees, mostly young ones, working with MNCs were lured by the perks and made a jump to one of the new start ups in India. With walls full of graffiti, and quirky designations, start up culture in India was quickly gaining throttle until all of a sudden the bubble burst happened and layoffs began. 
 
While layoffs in start ups are quite a common thing that has happened in the US, Indian start ups are entering a similar phase when layoffs are getting massive. Last month <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Study-reveals-shocking-change-in-the-hiring-trends-of-Indian-start-ups/articleshow/50073782.cms">Ola </a>shut down Taxi for Sure and lay off some 250 employees. The major one was <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Study-reveals-shocking-change-in-the-hiring-trends-of-Indian-start-ups/articleshow/50073782.cms">Askme</a>, which got shut because the investor backed off seeing no profits in the business. <keyword id="1720566" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="AskMe">Askme</keyword> closed down recently and almost 4000 employees were left without employment. What’s worse? The ecommerce company hasn’t cleared their salary for the last two months. 
 An interim order of the <keyword id="6354457" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="National-Company-Law-Tribunal">National Company Law Tribunal</keyword> has asked <keyword id="3604720" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="astro-entertainment-networks-ltd">Astro Entertainment Networks Ltd</keyword>, a major investor in Askme not to quit. However, Astro has responded that having invested USD 300 million, they haven’t seen any profit in recent time. 
 
So we investigate what’s causing the damage. 
 
Lure of extra 
Start ups are known to be good in workplace culture. A 30%-50% or even more hike in the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Study-reveals-shocking-change-in-the-hiring-trends-of-Indian-start-ups/articleshow/50073782.cms">current CTC </a>and fancy designations shouldn’t be the one reason to quit. With funds drying up and ventures becoming cost effective, it’s the workforce that is chosen first to be culled. Founders of most of the start ups have begun from <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Study-reveals-shocking-change-in-the-hiring-trends-of-Indian-start-ups/articleshow/50073782.cms">grassroots</a> and know their job very well. 
 
Data by Xeler8 reveals that out of the 2,281 ventures that started since July 2014, at a failure rate of 43.7%, almost a thousand have shut down. 
 
 
Too many employees 
At the time of investments, everything goes well and start ups tend to recruit a lot more than their actual need. This is often because they have bigger plans. However in case the venture shows a decline in profits, they tend to get rid of the extra hires. 
 
A survey by a firm that tracks candidate movements across different hiring stages, Belong, shows that the number of joinees in ecommerce firms dipped by 61% between November 2015 and April 2016 over the May to October 2015 period. 
 
 
Underperformers are the first to get the boot Even <keyword id="6364080" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Binny-Bansal">Binny Bansal</keyword> of <keyword id="6354742" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Flipkart">Flipkart</keyword> has reportedly admitted that he was also removed from the post of CEO because of underperformance. In Flipkart’s list there were many others who had underperformed. But 700 people were forced to resign, while <keyword id="6442005" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bansal">Bansal</keyword> stayed. Now the problem with the employees begin. Once laid off from a start up, they are offered salaries that don’t match their last ones. At 30-40% lesser figures they agree to join because they know the job market is competitive at the moment. 
 
Shifting focus 
In the initial days of start up boom in India, VCs would invest in any project that showed a potential to grow. However, investors are now showing restraint in such decisions. 
 
Start ups, as a result, are changing their focus. They are looking more towards making profit than just the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Study-reveals-shocking-change-in-the-hiring-trends-of-Indian-start-ups/articleshow/50073782.cms">growth factor</a>. 
 <keyword id="646706" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ravi-Gururaj">Ravi Gururaj</keyword> of <keyword id="6372077" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Nasscom">NASSCOM</keyword> believes start ups generally fire employees under three circumstances. They either don’t have the money and need funding, or they have hired more than the need or they have different plans. 
 
Let whatever be the case, hard times like these are essential for employees to evaluate their professional skills. If one can fight the odds and survive, he would be the best fit in any industry under any circumstances. 
 
Start up industry will remain like this and people joining the industry need to be prepared for the same.

Start ups aren’t for the faint hearted. What
leads to massive layoffs in start ups

It’s a situation of double whammy. Women in India are almost at par with their western counterparts when it comes to joining the corporate workforce. It is said nearly 24% women in the corporate houses are between ages 25 and 35 and the number is expected to grow. 
 India boasts of one of the largest young working populations in the world. So when the statistics say India is right below <keyword id="6355311" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Japan">Japan</keyword> (23% <keyword id="6359149" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="working-women">working women</keyword>), it does indicate some progress. In fact, Turkey (26%) and Austria (29%) do better than India. Of course, the west leads as always with the US leading with 52% women workers, followed by Spain (48%) and Canada (46%). 
 
Come back to India, shall we? Women in the corporate sector, make a rather grand entry and fizzle out later. Of the 24% who make it to the boardrooms, only 5% reach the top. 
 
Experts say if women contribute to be equal workforce as men, India’s GDP can increased by 4%. But that isn’t easy because the corporate world somehow creates roadblocks for women and reduces their participation. 
 In a report titled ‘<keyword id="2357704" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="On-Ramps-and-Up-Ramps-India">On Ramps and Up Ramps India</keyword>’ by Hewlett, it has been derived that women don’t follow a vertical career path as men. Reasons for this could range from biological, cultural, social and individual ones. 
 
What’s important to note though, is that 36% women take a career break due to various reasons. This data seems to be the same, more or less, world over. Women in Germany and the US, too, come close to the same percentage. 
 
However, the difference lies in the fact that the Indian women stay away from work only on an average of 11 months as against close to three years in other countries. So the experience and manpower lost when they begin to work again is a disappointing figure. 
 
When Women return to work, the psychological aspects play a major role. They assume they cannot leverage the experience they had built and have to start from scratch. The dynamic technology platforms don’t make it easy either. Though companies offer flexi-work options, women tend to withdraw again and move into a shell. 
 
Reasons are mostly matrimonial, domestic and aspects involving child and elderly care. This kind of a fluid situation can leave women nowhere even after they return to work. 
 
Psychologically, women are assumed to be difficult, emotional and fly-off-the-handle easily to lose composure. A team leader has to be hands-on. This is a popular belief that keeps women down from aiming for the top. 
 
So, is the glass ceiling self-assumed or created by external forces? It’s a bit of both. Popular notions of leadership are mostly masculine and do not define the feminine aspects of it. And when women feel they cannot fulfil those demands, even by a small percentage, they don’t set out to carve the path for themselves. 
 
What stalks them is the fear of being questioned, and judged on the basis of their personal responsibilities and time commitment. Since most women don the masculine aspect of their personality as they move up the ladder of corporate responsibilities, their feminism remains a mere token. 
 
Threat looms large around the time when the women at lower rung have to negotiate on policy matters. The usual hesitation of being rejected stays on top of the mind. Hence, the policies don’t change, as do the notions of leadership. India still lags behind in accommodating women in workspace since it is at crossroads with changing social equations between men and women. 
 
Increase in crimes is another problem. India needs to wage a war against its negative forces, both within and outside the psyche of power houses. It’s a tough fight. The road ahead is miles longer than the road behind.

You Searched For "flexi workforce" and got 9 results

Making the industry more gender-inclusive: Women leaders show us the way

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At least 72% women feel gender bias in workplaces! Is bridging the gap only on papers?

BI India Bureau

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Up-skilling - What women on career break should focus on?

Guest Author

Having more women in senior management helps an organization grow faster. Here’s how

Suchayan Mandal

India's Vocational Training Act To Provide Legal Framework For Skill India Programme

Yogima Seth Sharma

How govt, private companies can come to the rescue of pregnant women employees

Anushree Singh

Start ups aren’t for the faint hearted. What leads to massive layoffs in start ups

BI India Bureau

The Glass Ceiling: Hubris, Hubbub or Reality

Preetam Kaushik