by Prompt Personnel | Dec 23, 2020 | Human Resources
1. It has been a difficult year not just for working women but also for men, There has been a shift in the workplace and patterns, blurring lines between work hours and home. How have you managed the work-life balance during the pandemic?
Yes, it has been a difficult time for everyone as no one might have thought they would face these days, it was difficult in the beginning as all was new for us and it took time to sink in but gradually we accepted the new norm and sulk into it. Again, there was a challenge as there were no domestic help around where one has to do all the chores related to housework and also at the same time not let your work suffer. But I guess after a weeks’ time things started to settle in and we manage to come out of it with a brave heart and a new routine was set.
2. What role have you played in supporting teams during this time, both men and women?
Yes, as it was difficult to accept and understand how one would survive in this challenging time where there were so much negativity spread across and heart filled with fear, these are the times when being the leader of the team you need to step-up and set an example in front of the team and hold your emotions and come with the solutions for the problems faced by the team and lead the team keeping the sentiments in mind. For eg (in the initial days of complete lockdown it was difficulty for lot of people to manage their daily groceries and essential stuff where some time they need to get down in working hours we understood the situation and allowed them those brakes so that we can maintain work life balance and in return they have clocked extra hours to balance work).
3. What do you think about gender disparity at the workplace today? What steps would you personally take to make a difference here?
I believe in equality, an fortunately my organization thinks on the same line and it has been followed over years, although in recruitments, you will find more females compare to men so we need to maintain that balance across and have an open approach keeping the integrity of the team in intact. Also lot of our clients are looking for gender diversity and often consult us on the same.(Research has found that you can attract more diverse candidates through more carefully worded job postings, offering work schedule flexibility, using assessments, and tapping into novel candidate pipelines also AI-powered software technology is enabling recruiters and talent acquisition professionals to increase diversity through automated screening)
by Prompt Personnel | Dec 16, 2020 | Human Resources
- It has been a difficult year not just for working women but also for men, There has been a shift in the workplace and patterns, blurring lines between work hours and home. How have you managed the work-life balance during the pandemic?
Many people across the country are struggling to maintain their work-life balance because of the pandemic. Workplaces are going fully or partially remote, kids are home from school, businesses are closed, and normal events and gatherings are restricted or canceled. Initially, it was very challenging for me because I had never experienced work from home condition. It was very difficult to manage my daily routine work at home.
Despite the challenges, it’s possible to stay healthy and positive. Here I have learnt few ways to improve my work-life balance while managing the new remote pandemic environment.
- Created working environment at home, which helps me to focus on my day to day activity.
- Created daily schedules which help me to build equal balance between work and personal life.
- Focus on my Mental Health, because it help me to calm during the pandemic by doing meditation and yoga.
2. What role have you played in supporting teams during this time, both men and women?
I have Increased the frequency of virtual meetings, calls with my team in both ways, professionally and personally. It helps me to build good relationships with my team professionally and personally. We usually did Chai pe samvaad with the Team so that they feel relax and energetic.
3. What do you think about gender disparity at the workplace today? What steps would you personally take to make a difference here?
Steps needs to be taken to promote gender equality at workplace.
- Positive company culture. A gender-equal work environment where all employees feel respected and valued creates an overall more positive workplace for all of your employees. When you have a gender-diverse environment, your employees will likely notice that their coworkers have talents and strengths they don’t possess themselves. The appreciation for these differences will help promote an environment of respect among the team.
- More innovation and creativity. People of different genders bring unique talents, strengths and skills into the workplace, which can improve collaboration and result in a stimulating and creative environment. In fact, companies often find that a gender diversity can lead to greater innovation within the workplace.
- Build a great reputation. By being intentional about promoting gender equality in the workplace, you’ll foster a great company reputation with the outside world. People who have similar values will want to work for you, and with happy employees you’ll have a positive and productive workforce.
- Improved conflict resolution. Strong communication skills among employees is essential for company-wide success. People of different genders naturally communicate differently, with some preferring to communicate problems directly and others work as peacemakers. When you combine these different communication styles in one work environment, you can more easily achieve conflict resolution.
by Prompt Personnel | Dec 9, 2020 | Human Resources
Do you still see gender disparity at the workplace today? Please help us understand where and how do you see it happening?
No, I personally don’t see a gender disparity in today’s time. Era has changed and even from the small scale industries to MNCs give a broader thought on Gender diversity. If we talk about the Indian corporate, the ratio has reached to 34% when it comes to having women workforce at different levels of the organization.
However, the commitment to change needs to move beyond an organisational setting and include an ecosystem-wide lens. Enabling maximum career options for young women in all possible gamuts, supporting women-led start-ups, and encouraging other women entrepreneurs are some of the more impactful initiatives that organisations need to actively look at.
What is the role of an HR in promoting gender diversity and inclusion?
The human resource department (HRD) is the glue that holds together the employee structure of an organization. So it is that glue who translates over to creating diversity and inclusion within the workplace.
Diversity is more than race or ethnicity. Diverse workplaces are composed of employees with varying characteristics including, but not limited to, religious and political beliefs, gender, ethnicity, education, socioeconomic background, sexual orientation, and geographic location. Inclusion is defined as having respected and appreciation for the differences in ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, etc., that make up the workplace. Then the role of ‘the glue’ is to ensure that the organization is just that, diverse and inclusive.
HR has to foster an organisational culture that is comfortable with different employees contributing to the overall enterprise in different ways and that actively manages women so they effectively utilise available programs and benefits in the context of their overall career development.
Active involvement of senior leaders in gender equity leads to greater representation of women in executive roles is what we are following as one of our strategy at prompt when it come s to gender diversity.
Remember, People working at companies often see HR as the key agents of change when there’s a problem like a lack of women in leadership and that is where HR can make an impact.
What strategies for gender diversity would you suggest HR’s of today, to incorporate in their hiring plans?
- Align your diversity strategy with your talent strategy. Ensure that your strategy for improving gender diversity doesn’t run counter to your underlying approach to managing talent
- Assess your company’s current gender split before you initiate organisation wide hiring strategy
- Tailor your employer brand to a broad audience to showcase your commitment to diversity
- Consider having a robust flexibility policy in place to attract new talent and to retain them
- Encourage women centric platforms to participate in your job fest.
- Track your outreach and response rates by gender to make meaningful adjustments to your hiring strategy
How has Covid-19 affected women in the workforce?
The impacts of crises are never gender-neutral, and COVID-19 is no exception.
The collapse of the child care sector, drastic reductions in school supervision hours, restrictions to keep servants in the home to look after old age parents, as a result of COVID-19 could drive millions of mothers/women, out of the paid workforce. Inaction could cost undermine family economic security, and set gender equity back a generation.
by Prompt Personnel | Dec 2, 2020 | Human Resources
- Equal Pay for Equal Work; what are your thoughts on this?
According to me, the pay should be based purely on the work the individual is performing, it has nothing to do with gender. I really fail to understand that why and who created this discrimination! Unfortunately, history shows that women have made great strides in the fight for equality and respect in all areas of life, and I am happy that we won this battle. Studies have also proven that women are multi-taskers, sincere, more talented, versatile, and sky is the limit, if given an opportunity.
- How is Prompt Becoming Inclusive? Share an instance!
I would say that Prompt completely believes and follows Gender Diversity. Most of the key rolesare being led by women workforce here. The organisation believes in delegating authority & responsibility, based on the capability & potential of the individual. We are always a part of all major decisions of business and our ideas/thoughts, opinions are being heard and valued. The best thing here is feeling of oneness, we are being valued and respected as an individual. There is a work-life balance. We are Proud of being a Prompt team member.
In 2017, when the amendment was made in The Maternity Act, 1961, about extending the Maternity Leave to 26 weeks, studies showed that many companies were hesitant to hire females. However, at Prompt this did not affect our hiring practices, in fact 50% of our staff is female and most of them are handling KEY ROLES, so this is just a small instance I would like to share.
by Prompt Personnel | Nov 27, 2020 | Human Resources
- Equal Pay for Equal Work; what are your thoughts on this?
I strongly believe that remuneration always depends on the qualification/ experience we take ahead with us. Hence equal pay for equal work must be followed irrespective of gender at all levels of the organisation.
- How is Prompt Becoming Inclusive? Share an instance!
At Prompt, everyone is respected at all levels of the organisation. Every individual is valued and recognized for the efforts they put for the organisation. The organisation truly believes in growing and developing talent internally before they look for talent elsewhere and I experienced the same during my journey at Prompt. If you see my own professional journey at Prompt Personnel, I had joined as an executive, and here I stand today as an Operations Manager with all due respect from Management and colleagues. My opinions are always heard, and I have a voice to stand out. Besides, it is all about the hard work that pays back and how you can bring about innovation in your own area of work.
- Do you feel valued, respected, accepted, and encouraged to fully participate in the organization? Share and instance.
As I mentioned earlier, I am always valued as an individual, always heard out, and always supported in all the decisions I make.Even in terms of hiring related decisions my views are taken into consideration. For Software development, I have been empowered and given full opportunity to develop and take Prompt to the next level in terms of digitization and technology.
