Women working with gender equality-leading organizations have three times higher loyalty, productivity, motivation, and belongingness scores than those working with laggards: Deloitte’s Women @ Work survey
Deloitte has launched Deloitte Women@Work: A Global Outlook a survey report examining some of the critical workplace and societal factors that profoundly impact women’s careers.
Inclusive practices make a concrete difference.
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.
These women professionals 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.
Saraswathi Kasturirangan, Chief Happiness Officer, Deloitte India, said, “If an organization truly wants to grow, all its people need to be able to put their best foot forward.”
“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. Moreover, and importantly, you’re nurturing a nourishing and safe workplace,” Saraswathi Kasturirangan added.
Priority areas for organizations in India
As organizations gear up to become GELs, the Women @ Work report shines the spotlight on the top priorities:
Return-to-work approaches need to factor in unique situations.
The transition to full-time work has resulted in difficult adjustments for many women professionals. The survey has the following findings:
- Forty-one percent have asked for a reduction in their hours.
- 31 percent say it has negatively impacted their mental well-being.
- 36 percent think less of their employer. These parameters are better for those returning to the office in a hybrid, setup.
Organizations need to be more supportive of professionals as they harmonise work with life commitments.
As with their global counterparts, nearly all women in India (96 percent) believe that requesting or taking advantage of flexible working opportunities will affect their career progression.
- Ninety-one percent feel they can’t talk with their managers about challenges with work/life balance.
- 94 percent don’t think their workload would be adjusted accordingly if they were to take advantage of flexible working opportunities.
Male professionals need to be encouraged to share the load at home.
Women in India are still shouldering the bulk of the responsibility when it comes to childcare and caregiving for adults.
The instances where the partner shoulders these responsibilities or where there is an equal split are higher when the woman is the primary breadwinner. Even in such situations, there is a far higher reliance on paid help in India than with global counterparts (31 percent in India vs. 6 percent globally).
Forty-six percent of Indian respondents 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.
Saraswathi emphasises, “It is important for organisations to call out undesirable behaviour such as micro-aggressions and gender-bias.”
“It is also important to focus on areas that may feel like they’re beyond the organisation’s control, which nevertheless need investment of best possible efforts. For example, extending the zero-tolerance policy for bad behaviour by colleagues to vendors / customers as well; a night-time travel policy where there are safeguards for women professionals; and sensitisation training that covers allyship in general, instead of just as a rule at the workplace”, Saraswathi added.
The fourth year, Deloitte’s Women @ Work report examines some of the critical workplace and societal factors that have a profound impact on women’s careers. Representing the views of 5,000 women from organisations across 10 countries, including 500 in India.
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