Shakshi’s Swiss knife

Shakshi Saxena Sharma carries a Swiss knife with her when she is travelling within the capital city. The 26-year-old, like many working women across the country, is worried about her security, particularly when commuting or going out at night. The tussle with safety is one of the key reasons why many working women quit their jobs.

But carrying that knife just boosts Sharma’s confidence manifold.

Today, she works as a senior analyst with IT services firm Genpact, auditing travel and other related expenses for clients.

This is her second job after graduating from college—she completed a course in business administration (MBA), specializing in marketing and finance. Soon after, she joined a banking and financial services company. But this was early 2020 and the pandemic soon changed lives and how we work.

Sharma’s job as a fund manager for high net-worth individuals did not go as planned. And this tells us about the early work life struggles of many women.

“Few months into the pandemic, we were told to start cross-selling other products. We had to visit client homes,” Sharma said.

“I was uncomfortable. And I could imagine the plight of my other women colleagues who came from other cities— they did not know Delhi very well and had to meet clients whenever they were available,” she added.

This was a task that was a natural advantage for the men in the office. “The boys met their targets. They would seek out more client meetings while the women in the office had to figure out ways of not visiting client homes,” she said.

When a colleague raised this issue, the company’s senior leaders said those who didn’t comply would miss their targets, which would impact their appraisals.

Sharma quit the company in 2021 and was brutal during the exit interview. “The lack of transparency needs to be discussed,” she told her manager, adding that she won’t work in a place that is low on this measure.

Things changed when she joined Genpact in August 2021.

The IT services industry, for decades, has been considered a good place for women to work. The industry is quick to adopt best practices from around the world and sets new benchmarks for other sectors to follow.

Sharma immediately noticed a difference in the working culture. After office gatherings in the evenings, seniors in the office checked if women colleagues reached home safely. The company also gave her more ease of working.

Married in 2022 to an army officer, she informed her boss that she needs flexible working options. The company readily agreed.

Sharma comes across as rather confident. She has a clear vision and goal for what’s next. “I want to become a senior manager in the next five years,” she said.

(Contributed by Devina Sengupta)