Women in gender equality leading companies have higher productivity: Deloitte report
As per the fourth edition of Deloitte’s Women @ Work: A Global Outlook survey, women working in gender equality leading organisations are more optimistic about their career prospects.
Women working with organisations leading in gender equality have three times higher loyalty, productivity, motivation and belongingness scores than those working with laggards, as per a report.
The fourth edition of Deloitte’s Women @ Work: A Global Outlook Survey has found that, on a scale of 100, women working for Gender Equality Leaders (GELs) scored their loyalty at 76, productivity at 75, and motivation and sense of belongingness at 71.
The report also pointed out that women professionals working in GELs are far more likely to recommend their organisations to other women, feel far more satisfied with the mental health support extended to them, and feel more comfortable talking about their mental health in the workplace. They are also much more optimistic about their career prospects.
As part of the research, Deloitte identified a group of Gender Equality Leaders. These are organisations that, according to 5,000 women surveyed across 10 countries, including India, have created genuinely inclusive cultures that support their careers and work/life balance, and foster inclusion.
The proportion of women working for GELs is 6% globally and 6% in India. Additionally, the research identified a group of “lagging” organisations. This year, 21% of global respondents and 25% of respondents in India work in organisations lagging gender equality.
As organisations gear up to become GELs, the Women @ Work report outlined some priorities.
The transition to full-time work has resulted in difficult adjustments for many women professionals. It noted that 41% of women workers have asked for a reduction in their hours, 31% say it has negatively impacted their mental well-being, and 36% think less of their employer. These parameters are better for those who are returning to the office in a hybrid setup.
The Deloitte report also examined some critical workplace and societal factors that have a bearing on women’s careers.
As with their global counterparts, nearly all women in India (96%) believe that requesting or taking advantage of flexible working opportunities will affect their career progression. Ninety-one percent of respondents feel they can’t talk with their managers about challenges with work/life balance and 94% don’t think their workload would be adjusted accordingly if they were to take advantage of flexible working opportunities.
In India, 46% of women workers cited personal safety at work or when travelling to/from work as a top concern. A little over a quarter of respondents feel that they could be attacked or harassed due to the location or neighbourhood of their workplace.
“Much has been said about the business case for inclusive practices. These findings corroborate that point of view with hard facts. If an organisation truly wants to grow, all its people need to be able to put their best foot forward," said Saraswathi Kasturirangan, Chief Happiness Officer, Deloitte India.
"When your policies targeted at growing the careers of women professionals translate into action, you will be much better placed to grow, because you’re getting the best perspectives and a driven, gender-diverse workforce,” she added.
Edited by Kanishk Singh