Why trust in WFH is good news for women, LGBTQ

Women constitute about 30-35% of the IT and technology industry in India. By global standards, that’s not bad - even in the US and Europe, the percentage is lower. But those numbers should be higher everywhere, including India. And a huge point which that number hides is that women numbers are high at junior levels, and drops dramatically in the mid and senior levels.Marriage, kids, the need to take care of parents and in-laws are the major reasons. Neha Bagaria, founder of JobsForHer, a portal for women to find jobs and mentors, says 70% of women in India relocate after they get married and many of them move to smaller cities, where they might not get the right opportunities. medium76419921Tech companies in India have put a lot of effort on addressing some of these issues. But there’s probably nothing like work-from home (WFH) to deal with it. And the confidence that has emerged from the mass WFH during the pandemic suggests that we could be on the threshold of a new women’s wave. “Earlier, many companies did not see a compelling reason to try out flexible work arrangements (important for women). Now, when they were forced to go into quarantine, with entire workforces working remotely, the realisation dawned on them that this model works,” says Bagaria. medium76420024JobsForHer saw a 30% increase in the number of WFH jobs posted on their platform between March 20 and April 20, compared to the same period last year, and a 50% increase in the number of women candidates applying for the jobs. Dilyara Timerbulatova, remote job product manager at PowerToFly, a global job portal for women, says they saw more remote and flexible roles being posted in the early part of this year, compared to the same time in 2019. medium76423037Sunil C, head of specialised staffing at TeamLease Digital, expects the new confidence in WFH to improve women participation by 3-5%. Chaitanya Sreenivas, HR leader in IBM India, says a lot of women who have inhibitions about migrating to bigger cities for work can now join the workforce. Sarika Naik, chairperson for diversity in Capgemini India, too expects to see more hiring of women with the right and relevant skill sets from tier 2 and tier 3 cities. medium76422995 Sreenivas notes that more women could also consider working night shifts because they do not have to worry about transportation and safety. “You are just rooms away from your workstation,” he says. medium76420058Sangeeta Gupta, senior vice president at IT industry body Nasscom, says it will also address the big issue of women dropping off in the middle of their careers. “The WHF model will not only help tech players hire more women, but also help in retaining them and nurturing them for leadership roles,” she says. Even when a woman takes only a break for a few months – as in the case of pregnancy or looking after the old at home – it often turns into a major disadvantage in a rapidly-changing industry like tech. WFH can enable women to avoid such breaks, partially or wholly. And that could make all the difference to women’s ability to rise up the rank. medium76419938Sameer Soman, MD of ThoughtWorks India, says work flexibility combined with the growing popularity and acceptability of short digital courses (of a few weeks or months, compared to traditional formal degrees that take 2-3 years) will have a dramatic impact on women recruitment and career progress. “These unbundled courses can be self-paced, done whenever you have the time, and you can do multiple such courses,” he says. And they are perfect for the constraints women often face. medium76423005Soman, as also Neelam Jain, founder of PeriFerry, a Chennai-based company that helps transgenders find employment, says WFH could also have a profound impact on LGBTQ. “Many transwomen who work in companies do not reveal their identities and go to their workplaces dressed as men. Because of the lockdown, they are able to breathe easy as they can live the way they want and this has resulted in not just them being much happier in their space but also enhanced their productivity,” Jain says. medium76423064Though many tech companies have trans community friendly policies, the community still faces discrimination and, more often than not, are bullied at the workplace. “Lots more sensitisation about LGBTQ is required in offices,” says Soman. Till that happens, companies will hopefully now more confidently offer them the WFH option.Untitled Carousel 76254031