Most organisations tend to proclaim that they are a fair Organisation. They do not discriminate on the basis of gender. They would cite employee surveys to substantiate their claim that employees are treated fairly regardless of gender.But in the enthusiasm over the response most organisations miss the fact that an overwhelming number of employees in the Organisation are men, This Organisation is not an exception. A CII study of 149 Companies showed the incidence of working women across companies at 6 per cent. If you talk to HR Managers, CEOs and women employees to understand why there are so few women in employment it seems that most Organisations do not consciously discriminate between men and women. Then why are there so few women in most Organisations, particularly in managerial positions?
Look at some numbers At birth the ratio of female to male is 9.3 to 10, according to census of India, 2001. In a population where the women do not face discrimination, Nobel economist Amartya Sen puts the sex ratio at about 10.5 women to 10 men. As the girl child grows up the chances of her education is less than boys. Of the 6 to 11 year-old children not in school, 60% are girls. Also, only 39 % of females (compared to 64% of males) above the age of 7 are literate.
Thus, through a process of continuous elimination through the long years of education when it comes to employment only 18 per cent of the formal sector jobs are filled by women.
However, this is three times higher than what the CII study actually found across 149 Companies. While there would be good reasons for this (more number of BPOs and ITES companies would push the percentage of women employees up) We are left with the disturbing thought:
“Does the process of elimination of women which starts at birth, followed by the education process continues after her entry into employment in the formal sector?” Does that explain why the CII study could find only 6 percent of women (4 per cent in senior management) amongst the surveyed companies?
Almost all of us who started working after doing a professional course .I know of women batch mates who have opted out of a full time job. A frequent reason is taking a break to raise a family. (I am yet to come across any man who gives the same reason). I do not have numbers of such talented
women opting out of full time jobs, but I am convinced that this is a growing number.
Indeed, in HR there are women who are doing part time consulting assignments.When we speak to senior executives from Industry we do sense an appreciation for women employees. In fact, the number of women employees is comparable (and in some cases more) in sectors like BPOs and ITES. Women candidates in new industries like retail (and even older ones like retail banking) are rarely being asked about when they plan to get married or start a family. When an Organisation like ICICI or HSBC announces the
name of a woman as the CEO they encourage many more talented women to apply for jobs. However, acceptability of women in service industries also reflects our subtle biases. The CII study, for example, also measures that in half the organisations, women are not preferred in some functions, such as manufacturing/ production etc. the main reasons behind this being security concerns for women and perceptions that women would “not be competent enough” for these positions. “ Our operations are in far flung locations which are not conducive for women. We have to take cognizance of societal and cultural realities in those places. One untoward incident can ruin their image
feel a few Conglomerates.
This is hopefully changing. In quite a few large Groups in the core sector , the Owners/ Chairmen are driving the affirmative action agenda in gender – with
clear goals and monitoring of career growth of women employees.
In one of the most backward districts in Orissa where a large
plant is being rapidly commissioned by an aggressively growing Organisation. you would be pleasantly surprised to know that amongst the engineers being recruited 30 per cent were women. In a focus group discussion, most, I found joined this site for the core sector/ commissioning experience
which leverages their core engineering skills. Interestingly, most women engineers were from Orissa or had parents in Orissa. The question on what will make them stay in the Organisation elicited the usual response – learning, growth and compensation – not different from responses you would get from male engineers elsewhere. “Why would you leave the Organisation?” if asked. The number one reason by far was “Marriage” None of the male
engineers gives marriage as a reason for changing jobs.
Thus, the reason we have less number of women in the workforce is because lesser number of women are available for employment, and we are not retaining the numbers who do join formal employment

Attracting and retaining women in the workforce is important for a variety of reasons. In spite of our large young population, it is now acknowledged that we are short of critical talent in almost all sectors. By one estimate only about 10% of Indian students with generalist degrees in the arts and humanities are suitable, compared with 25% of all Indian engineering graduates. The graduates' different levels of skill reflect the varying quality among India's universities. While the best Institutes may produce very good
recruits, a vast majority of them are below expectations for most recruiters. Nasscom in a report said the outsourcing industry was expected to face a shortage of 262,000 professionals by 2012. A major part of the requirement is coming from the Services sector which accounted for 57 per cent of real GDP in 2004-5. The demand for women employees will grow with the continued growth of this sector.
Organisations, particularly those who want to build their employer brands (and therefore attract better talent), are taking proactive steps to address this issue. Crèche and playground facilities for employee’s children have been introduced by some organizations (Texas Instruments, Honeywell Technology etc) This is a big help, particularly for women. In US where 62 percent of adult women participate in the workforce, 54 percent of children use day care facilities. In India, day care facilities is almost non-existent and very few Organisations provide crèches.
The Employee Assistance Programmes globally is a multi billion-dollar industry which uses specialized service providers to help Organisations address issues of work life balance, among other things. Some of these service providers are now available in India.
Organisations like Texas Instruments have introduced counseling services for employees,a practice which was limited earlier to manufacturing organizations tackling absenteeism & alcoholism in blue collared employees.
Similarly, flexible timings are a norm in IT industry. Sabbaticals, Paternity Leave, Flexi time, telecommuting, extended maternity leave and concierge services are a norm in most good companies today. Sasken, for example, has a hibernation leave which is a paid leave of 8 weeks for 2 years of service, recognizing the intense work that most employees have to put in. The women engineers in Orissa seem to be reconciled to gender expectations when it comes to marriage and raising a family. But a few of them voice a collective yearning when they sat, “My name should have its own identity,
apart from my father and my husband.” This requires change in mindsets in society, particularly among men.
There is enough evidence to suggest that government, society and organizations start taking the issue of work-family balance seriously, particularly if we want to attract and retain talented women in the workforce. Compared to 46 per cent women managers in US in India it is a dismal 4 per cent. Even in Asian developed economies like Japan, more than 55 per cent of adult women participate in the work force. While the Government has
made a beginning by introducing schemes like free education for the girl child, more women will join and stay in full time employment only if we recognize
the unique needs of women in our society. Organisations like Honeywell Technology Solutions has found our that there are significant business benefits in the form of lower attrition, more loyalty, increased referrals and more mature expectations when you succeed in attracting and retaining more women employees.

As human resources professional professionals worldwide can easily testify, the employment and career industry is growing faster than ever. Employment agencies, or what we call as "third party recruiter", are flooding the market, all offering you "customized solution" and "unparallel service".

But just how good some of these recruiters are? How can you be assured that your recruitment investment goes to the best in the market?
Does the recruiter deliver top quality candidates promptly and within budget? A strong recruiter delivers result consistently and always on schedule, earning the respect from both clients and candidates.

Does your recruiter understand or uses job description and position requirements in the candidate search process? The best job fit is only possible through strong, in-depth understand what you need in your candidates. In fact, your recruiter should know hiring needs as good as your hiring manager, and uses all kind of performance needs knowledge to assess, close and influence everyone involved in the search.

Does your recruiter use at-the-edge sourcing tools to hunt for the best candidates? Your recruiter should always deliver to the bottom line - that is, to use whatever means necessary to build a pool of highly qualified candidates in the shortest time possible. He or she should be extremely proficient in using high-tech tools to deliver you the best candidates possible.

Does your recruiter network to find top candidates, using high-touch direct sourcing technique? Most of us know that the best candidate is, and should be, happily employed and not actively seeking new employment. The best recruiter, in turn, must be in the best networks of people to build a pipeline of top candidates through referral initiatives.

Does your recruiter manage all search activities efficiently? Recruiters in large organizations need to manage many job requests from different hiring managers at any one time. Therefore, the competent recruiter should not only be a great multi-tasker and able to obtain needed resources effectively, he or she should also be competent in using array of tools to manage recruiting work in a fast-paced environment

Does your recruiter use job market expertise to improve results? In-depth market knowledge is the key for optimal result in your recruitment work. Highly regarded recruiters are experts who know every facet of the job market, and proactively learn new trends and emerging best practices. Such recruiters are often seen as a strategic partner and yours should be an advisor to you.

Does your recruiter work closely with your hiring managers? If your recruiter falls short in being as knowledgeable as your hiring managers, he or she should work very closely with them for maximum recruiting efficiency. A great recruiter is often seen as a "coach", helping hiring managers making hiring decisions and able to influence the whole search process.

Does your recruiter manage candidates' needs throughout the process? Overzealous recruiters can be too focused on sales - they tend to "suck-up" to their clients so much that the other party in the process - the candidates - are often neglected. What makes a good recruiter stands out is that he or she not only attend to the clients' need but influence and advises candidates as well. The best recruiters are often seen as career advisor by many top candidates.

Does your recruiter accurately interview and assess candidate competencies? In today's competitive employment market, active job seekers are always a handful and at times it is very difficult to differentiate the good ones from the bad. Therefore, a thorough assessment on your candidates is essential to ensure job fit. A good recruiter is one that initiates and manages effective assessment using a variety of tools. He or she always should be confident that the results are very accurate and insightful.

Does your recruiter work with your team to coordinate all search activities? A strong recruiter is one that is very proactive to initiate team action. Often, he or she supports and even train others in your team to improve your recruitment process results. Many HR professionals look upon the best recruiters as advisor in their search process.

So, does your recruiter live up to the mark? If not, it is time to share your insights with him or her, or perhaps you should start looking somewhere else!

Great Mansi!!!

You could forward a cv to me at parthog@gmail.com with your current CTC details and let me see iof I could help. I dont think there is not much to worry as opportunities are dime a dozen. Pls send me the cv abnd then lets touch base.

Regards
Partho