Everyday women in India are setting higher benchmarks on the professional front as they make remarkable forays into fields hitherto viewed as out-of-bounds for them. From top notch positions in the banking sector to big corporate houses, women now have a significant presence in almost every field. While a lot remains to be achieved, women-friendly policies at workplaces are now becoming a reality as corporate houses encourage their engagement.
Compared to their male counterparts, it is stiffer for women to cling to their professional responsibilities, given the multiple roles they have to take care of on the home front as well. It is expected of women to sacrifice their ambitions to fulfill household responsibilities, if need be. They also make compromises with jobs during pregnancy or to take care of their growing kids. Often for want of any alternative solution, they have to quit their jobs that they were deftly handling before turning the family way.
Big corporate houses are aware that women make good employees and they are as important to the organisation as the male employees are. Realising that women mostly quit jobs to meet other obligations in life, companies are today devising policies that suit the needs of women and promote their proactive.
There are companies which provide equal opportunities to women and believe in no gender discrimination.
The goal is to encourage and retain women, who leave their jobs to meet other responsibilities. The company invests in employees by way of various training so that their skills help the company to grow. Our policies are pro-women which help them to stick with the company for long innings. It is only and only their performance which is taken into consideration. This helps the women workforce feel secure about their jobs and come back.
While women work as hard as male employees, sometimes they call it a day on professional front when presented with situations where a choice has to be made between home and work. Corporate houses are waking up to the need to have flexible policies for women so that they can play a long haul with the organisations, and do not quit mid-way. This progressive approach is certainly creating a win-win situation for the organisations and the women workforce.
(The writer is Shiney Prasad, MD, Asia Service Centre, Sun life Financial)