Workplaces should be family-friendly, not just women-friendly, says JobsForHer
The DivHERsity Benchmarking Report 2019 by JobsForHer finds that conversations around diversity and inclusion at the workplace are finally showing results.
Indian companies hire over 30 percent of women at entry level jobs, but only 10-30 percent at management level, and less than 10 percent at the senior leadership level, as per the findings by JobsForHer, an online portal for women’s careers.
Launched today in Bengaluru, the DivHERsity Benchmarking Report 2019 is based on a survey of over 300 Indian companies across sectors. It highlights the need for companies to promote diversity and inclusivity, as well as showcases the work done by many to improve gender diversity in the workplace.
According to the survey, more than half the companies are actively hiring more women returnees – by giving preference to hiring back female alumni of the company and conducting special drives to hire women returnees.
More than half of them also take an effort to sensitise recruiters to provide equal opportunity to women returnees.
Gender sensitisation programmes
The report covered best practices in diversity hiring policies, best practices in diversity programmes, women returnee programmes, and women leadership development programmes. It found that 49 percent of diversity and inclusion programmes have been incorporated since 2015, indicating how the conversation around gender diversity has sparked change in recent years.
In fact, 69 percent of large enterprises run gender sensitisation programmes within their organisations, while only 33 percent of startups and 31 percent of SMEs surveyed did the same.
What is more, 89 percent of companies claimed that training programmes have helped in raising awareness about gender sensitisation in the company. About 81 percent also said that such programmes helped in hiring, and retaining, more women.
Neha Bagaria, Founder and CEO, JobsForHer
Additionally, 42 percent of the surveyed companies had less than 10 percent of their female employees undergo leadership development programmes in the past year.
For the parent workforce
Out of the corporates, startups and SMEs covered in the survey, 10 percent offer more than the stipulated six months of maternity leave.
However, paternity leave is not even provided by 47 percent of the participant companies, while 33 percent offers less than two weeks for male employees and 14 percent offer two to four weeks. Only one percent offers more than three months of paternity leave.
The DivHERsity report states that 56 percent of the companies had more than 30 percent women at entry level jobs, but only less than 10 percent in CXO/senior management levels. Also, only 48 percent of the companies surveyed are recruiting more women returnees, while more 59 percent companies offer flexible work timings and work-from-home options.
Speaking to HerStory, Neha Bagaria, Founder and CEO of JobsForHer, talked about how men are also integral to building gender diversity in the workplace.
Watch the video below to find out more:
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