The number of women working in the IT-BPO sector grew 60 percent in the last two years to 6.7 lakh in 2008, as per a survey on gender inclusivity conducted by HR consulting firm Mercer and IT association Nasscom.
The survey that covered over 45 leading technology companies in the country also revealed that HR practices such as transportation policy of a company besides flexible working hours and leave policy play a major role in attracting women in an organisation. Other practices that women workers appreciate are anti-harassment policy, healthcare and awareness programs, women’s lounge or recreational activities.
"The Indian IT-BPO industry has set high standard in gender inclusivity. Women are a key and vital part of our workforce, and their participation in the workforce is seen as a critical enabling factor for continued growth of the industry," said Nasscom vice president Sangeeta Gupta.
The report also put forth some recommendations for ensuring gender inclusivity at the workplace. It has suggested upgrading the professional skills of women, setting up a mentorship program for women in an organisation, undertaking an internal study to identify where career paths for women reach a block, providing incentives in the form of tax benefits for organisations which fulfill certain criteria in empowerment of women.
The survey said that India has the largest number of working women in any single country in the world, which can be partly attributed to the growth of the IT-BPO industry. "Out of the 400 million worforce in India, around 30-35 percent are female, and only one-fifth of these women work in the urban areas," the survey pointed.
0 comments:
Post a Comment