As we celebrate International Women Day, the ideology is to create an environment for women where they can make decisions on their own, for their personal benefits, as well as for the society.
We at Pavna believe in equality, which is a strong word with different perspectives for different individuals.
That the strength of any organisation is its people is a norm in the world of business. Organisations are constantly innovating on not just keeping their employees happy but also creating a culture for them to thrive. One of the key areas companies across the world are focusing on is gender diversity and equality.
No doubt women have made tremendous progress in the corporate world. Yet, globally, they account for only around 39 per cent of the total workforce with a slow decline. The simple truth is that female professionals continue to face challenges in making great strides in their organisations, with a plethora of issues still restraining their true potential.
What does women empowerment truly mean? The most commonly accepted concept of empowerment is allowing women to have more control over their lives. Participation in decision-making, freedom to make their own schedules, learn new skills and gain self-reliance, etc.; empowerment of women encompasses a myriad of indicators.
To encourage gender diversity and empower women, some of the policies and practices that we follow are:
• Equal opportunity at a workplace and fair treatment to both men and women at all stages of employment life cycle – hiring, training, pay scale, promotions, mistakes and achievements treated equally for both genders, etc.
• Mentoring and coaching to support career growth, encouraging women employees to identify their developmental areas and choose mentors including male mentors
• Safe and secure channels of informal communication and collaboration to seek support with each other
• Connect with senior women leaders to share their success stories
• Policies designed around work from home, flexi working hours, women safety etc.
• Gender-sensitization workshops for all leaders including male supervisors around forward-thinking topics like unconscious bias, leadership and mentoring, diversity and inclusion etc.
• Zero tolerance to abuse and harassment
• Encourage women to showcase their leadership by giving them high-visibility initiatives
• Conscious efforts to bring in gender diversity at the top level management
These policies have resulted in quality and sustainable growth in our product and organisation chain.
My personal feeling is if every woman takes a pledge to support women empowerment in its own bit – at home, office, city; then only this drive will be completed. On this International Women Day, let’s take an oath that we will not tolerate gender inequality and create an ecosystem that helps woman balance the multiple roles she plays in life.
