Balance for better: why enabling women at the workplace is imperative
Organizations that invest in developing an inclusive work environment with equal opportunities and supportive policies for women, have shown sustainable and strong growth. Currently, India ranks the fifth lowest in the world in having women at leadership positions, with representations at about 20%. While pondering over the glass ceiling seems like the natural response, it is important to note that work environments that don’t support work-life balance needs and life cycles of women also contribute towards the disbalance.
Most women dropping out of active workforce leave with about 8 to 10 years of experience, drastically reducing the funnel at mid-management level. This is the time in their high-20s, earl y- 30s, when t he burden of responsibilities from family – that usually women tend to shoulder more than men - gets heavier, resulting in a greater need to balance between home and work. 41% of women in the workplace, however, find worklife balance challenging. While the mental load of juggling between the two can add to stress if they choose to stay, on the other hand, the disconnect from workplace-related developments and contemporary skillsets can make it tougher for them to make a comeback.
Enabling line managers can be an important step towards creating a supportive workplace for women.
Despite being equal opportunity providers, organizations sometimes tend to have an unconscious bias towards women employees. Even today, line managers doubt their abilities to go the extra mile in challenging situations compared to their male counterparts. Therefore, with an inherent one-sidedness, organizations often tend to position professional opportunities accordingly. In fact, this is a mindset that requires immediate alteration, in addition to the much-needed upgradation in the kind of enablement provided to line managers.
On the one hand, line managers are asked to be sensitive and create equal job opportunities. But, on the contrary, they are also held responsible for productivity, service delivery, policies, processes, and fringe benefits. Consequently, such a dichotomous demand hampers their decision-making abilities, thereby inadequately equipping them to ensure flexible time management and work options. To be truly effective in empowering women in the workplace, organizations need to look beyond mere compliance to maternity-related policies and focus more on enabling flexible work arrangements.
At the end of the day it all boils down to empowering line managers to enable those benefits on a day-to-day basis. So, the need of the hour is to create an ecosystem that recognizes the unique needs and expectations of the female workforce, and design policies, processes, tools, and systems keeping this uniqueness in mind. Therefore, striving to achieve ‘balance for better’, corporate organizations need to craft learning paths and create opportunities that ensure gend e r b a l a nc e wi t h g r e a t e r accountability.
GREATER FLEXIBILITY CRUCIAL FOR EQUAL OPPORTUNITY
Beyond sensitization about challenges women face in the workplace, organizational support should translate into very real manifestations of greater flexibility. Be it options such as telecommuting, job sharing, consulting assignments, or working off-hours, organizations need to understand that enabling flexibility does not mean a compromise on ‘what work gets done’, but only on ‘how it gets done’.
It doesn’t have to be rocket science, instead, some very basic hygiene actions have the potential to make a great impact. Making it mandatory for establishments employing 50 or more people t o p r o v i d e c hi l d - c a r e facilities can be a promising first step. Additionally, options such as reserving parking lots for expectant employees can also go a long way in fostering flexibility.
Having in-house champions for the cause of equal opportunity is important. It becomes better if the men in the workplace are also empowered to be allies. In a society that inherently recognizes men as the bread-winners, organizations need to incentivize the spouses and create a more balanced framework. Be it paternity benefits, more capability to flex in terms of time management, or the option to work lesser number of hours, organizations need to create equitable policies for men too. Enabling them to share the load at home will ultimately further women on the road to success.
Important measures also need t o be t aken t o help women develop skills to keep abreast of a changing workplace while they are away for extended periods. Technology can be leveraged to build digital platforms that impart new skills while they are take time off for the family. This, however, would need an integrated effort from the administrative and regulatory bodies as well as the organization, to create a policy framework that can be implemented on a broader scale. The key to bridge this gap lies in ensuring greater balance in the socio-economic fabric.
OPTIONS SUCH AS RESERVING PARKING LOTS FOR EXPECTANT EMPLOYEES CAN ALSO GO A LONG WAY IN FOSTERING FLEXIBILITY