Dear employers, your female employees deserve these 6 changes at the workplace

Whether it is engineering, hospitality, sports, aviation, entrepreneurship, media or medicine, women today are unstoppable and are marking their presence in every field. It is surely a positive change but the road ahead to women empowerment seems to be a long one. There are many day-to-day issues that female employees face at the workplace, which are silently brushed under the carpet. Employers should realise that an organisation cannot do well until the people working for it are not happy and satisfied. Here are six changes that can make a workplace woman-friendly and in turn, a progressive place.

Instead of asking when do you plan to get married, start a family or even the marital status, ask a female candidate about her ‘professional skills’ and how she would contribute in the team. Also, rejecting a female candidate or terminating an employee just because she would take maternity leave in the coming time is sheer discrimination, violation of her rights and a sign that your thinking might be turning regressive with time.

We live in times where even animals are not safe from being raped. Hence a workplace with reliable and verified security guards and a cab availability (again, with reliable driver and security guard), when she has to work late in office, is not too much to ask for.

According to a study done by Ashoka University, a whopping 73 per cent Indian women resign from their job after having a baby. Another study done by Genpact Centre for Women’s Leadership states 50 per cent working women leave their job at the age of 30 to take care of their child. Does this imply something? Clearly, organisations or workplaces are yet to find a pragmatic option to retain their female employees post pregnancy. Having flexible working hours, work from home option and a crèche for toddlers would be a step in a positive direction.

According to a study done by University College London, period cramping can be as “bad as having a heart attack,” and the Internet is loaded with articles that talk about the menstrual cycle and problems related to it. While some companies in India have introduced menstrual leave policy, it is high time that others acknowledge this issue (without debating about gender equality!) and female employees no longer need to give another excuse when on period. An off a month won’t affect the balance sheet, right?

Sexist jokes, gossips, gender-specific comments, uninvited sexual advances, flirting or anything on similar lines must be considered as intolerable behaviour in every office. Plus, there must be a proper mechanism, as per the POSH Act, where a female employee can safely report such issues.

Whether it is Bollywood or the corporate world, female employees across several fields have reported gender discrimination when it comes to their salary. In fact, according to Monster Salary Index, women in India earn 20 per cent less than men. The logic is simple—equal salary for equal work. Why gender has to come in the scene?

(All images used here are representational)