Analysis of The Work Environment of Women In Corporates

Research report conducted under the subject RESEARCH METHODOLOGY In partial fulfilment for the degree of Master Of Business Administration

By Sumit Kapoor B 43 Souvik Mitra A Saurabh Rai A

Symbiosis Institute Of Management Studies Symbiosis Inetrnational University September 2012

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

We would like to thank the women employees of various corporate who helped us out in our research by giving us their valuable time and input. We would also like to thank Prof. B.R Londhe who guided us through the entire process.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

S. No 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

CHAPTERS Introduction Review Methodology Results Summary Conclusion & Recommendation Bibliography Appendix

PAGE NO.

LIST OF TABLES

S.NO 1

TABLE Age and Income of Respondents Awareness of Work Ethics and guidelines amongst women Equal Opportunities given to males and females Existence of sexual harassment of females Steps taken to curb harassment of females Equal appraisals and compensation Incentives offered for sexual favours Feeling of safety within work environment Approachability of HR department Well defined and accepted protocol for pregnant women Rating of organisational work ethics Special incentives and most common incentives structure

PAGE NO

10

11

12

13

Wrong usage of protocols favouring females Most common HR protocols for female issues Changes needed in the organisation

14

15

LIST OF FIGURES
S. NO
1

FIGURES
Equal opportunities given to males and females Existence of Sexual harassment of women Feeling of safety for females within work environment Approachability of HR department for work related issues

PAGE NO.

ABSTRACT

This study is to analyse and to present perspectives that offer an increased awareness of the challenges and opportunities for women in corporate in India and to study dimensions of the work organization that contribute to a supportive or hostile environment for women. Based on analysis of survey data from 100 respondents working in corporate settings, a scale was developed to measure five dimensions: Dual Standards &Opportunities; Sexist Attitudes &Comments; Informal Socializing; Balancing Work &Personal Obligations; and Remediation Policies &Practices. Women perceived their work environments as significantly more hostile on all five dimensions. Scores on the scale were related to intent to stay with the organization: For both men and women, the friendlier they perceived the work environment for women to be, the longer individuals intended to stay at the company.

INTRODUCTION
Today, India is a force in the global economy, with a high demand for talent. A key source of talent is educated Indian women. While Corporate India has not yet fully recognized or utilized this talent pool, the growing gender diversity in Indian managerial ranks offers a pathway for change for Indian women. Cultural and societal change means a shift from traditional views and stereotypes. Traditionally, women have been under-represented in organizations and the argument for equal opportunity employment has not borne sufficient results in India. As organizations struggle with a scarcity for talent, smarter companies are beginning to recognize the opportunity in grooming and retaining women. Over the years, the participation of women in the management world has also increased especially in India. India has the worlds largest number of professionally qualified women. But it is also very crucial to understand how welcoming has the Corporate India been towards them. When talking about the corporate world, though it has opened its doors for women, it has not been successful in placing them in the top level management. Women are often observed to be working in the administrative departments. Very few of them get to climb the ladder and enjoy the post of CEO or Managing Director. Women have to juggle between work and life. They have to take care of their parents, children, in-laws which make them think twice before resuming work after marriage. A recent survey found that women want a corporate environment that recognizes that their strengths and skills are different from male colleagues but equally intrinsic to the organizations success. It is time everyone stops referring women as the secondary species in the world just a home maker. For years together, they have been assigned temporary positions or part time work. Considering the conditions in which women have to work, they can be designated with proper working conditions like crches for their children, easy commuting facilities With increasing number of women climbing the competitive corporate ladder, companies seem to be leaving no stone unturned to lure them and are even offering existing employees an additional bonus as much as 25 per cent for referring a female employee. Since a long time, women have been trying to prove their worth whether it is in the field of politics, sports, agriculture, aviation, navy, military or even management. They have also sought support from the government on key issues like sexual harassment and working in the night shifts. It is not the case that they are incapable or under-qualified for specific positions. However, they have not been able to get the right support from them to carve good career.

Women too for these and many other reasons need to adopt a robust system and keep working hard. They need to exude confidence, smartness, dedication, ethical sense of work, commitment and the drive to achieve the given targets while working. One has to push oneself a little more on the edge and prove her capability This research provides a glimpse into the status of women in management in India based on interviews with Indian professional women and findings from Indian research studies. In light of this the aim of this research is following Aim: To present perspectives that offer an increased awareness of the challenges and opportunities for women in corporate in India.

REVIEW OF SELECTED LITERATURE

21 Century Women in Corporate World by Ms. Sraboni Ganguly, Faculty Human Resource Management, International School of Business, Kolkata During the past decade, the environment for multinational corporations has been quite volatile, with numerous challenges for the firms operating in this arena. However, throughout this period there have emerged a number of executive leaders who have been recognized for their contributions to organizational excellence and leadership despite the environmental fluctuations. But invariably even few years back women power was not so welcome to hold & glorify the top positions of different corporate houses. Several myths were there & so women employees used to face barriers while climbing up the corporate ladder. But time and again women power have proved them, succeeded over those imposed barriers & made major contribution towards organizational excellence. The study deals with those barriers which a woman faces while climbing up the corporate ladder. The perceived notion is women are ruled by heart and not head, they personal life gats priority over professional life. These restrict the species called "women" from being accepted whole heartedly in any organization and from getting due recognition for her contribution towards organizational success. Can the qualification of being male & not a female employee of an organization ensure organizational excellence? If the answer is "no", then why the corporate world is putting barriers only for its women employee? Now a days organizations in the way of achieving excellence are working towards removing any sort of discrimination from their work procedure, they believe in the women competence for achieving organizational excellence. Gender Inclusion In India a Tata Consultancy Services Survey Conducted By People Matters Traditionally, women have been under-represented in organizations and the argument for equal opportunity employment has not borne sufficient results in India. It seems, however, that pure economics is out to correct this. As organizations struggle with a scarcity for talent, smarter companies are beginning to recognize the opportunity in grooming and retaining women. There is a rare commitment among CEOs today towards gender inclusion. In a survey commissioned by Tata Consultancy Services, People Matters engaged leaders from the HR community to share gender-related information from their companies. This report is a compilation of the information obtained from 116 companies and gives an insight into the practices, policies and metrics regarding gender inclusion in Corporate India

KEY FINDINGS
Women are under-represented in organizations, especially in senior management roles and corporate boards. Women continue to face many barriers on their way to the top that are unique to their gender. Most CEOs and Top Management realize the benefits of gender diversity and are committed to the mandate of gender inclusion. This commitment is, however, not translated into actions. CEO commitment, womens individual development and practices that allow a flexible work environment are at the centre of a conducive environment for women to succeed. The term glass ceiling was first coined by Wall Street Journal 25 years back. And unfortunately even today, the number of women in top management and leadership roles are not representative of the workforce population. Time alone is not the answer for gender inclusion. This so called glass ceiling is today a metaphor that describes an environment in organizations that does not create an ecosystem for women to grow into those leadership roles.

METHODOLOGY

The research tries to ascertain the work environment that women are presented with today,the problems they face, HR policies in place regarding women issues, comfort level of women in corporates, cases of harassment and ways in which such cases can be handled to prevent such instances from recurring. Selection of Target: Considering most of the working population today is getting younger and younger at a very fast pace, we decided to focus on the younger generation of working women more. However, we did manage to get a reasonable number of inputs from women above the age of 35 as well. In order to gain a reasonably accurate understanding of the work environment of women today, we collected relevant data from 100 respondents which included women roughly from the age of 18 to 50 years of age. Pilot Study: The research tries to understand exactly what factors go into making women feel comfortable in their work environments today in corporates. We selected questions which would indicate the same, by means of understanding whether they were given equal opportunities as compared to men, whether the sex ratio in the organizations was skewed or reasonably balanced. We also tried to understand what are the harassment issues faced by women today and the HR policies governing the action to be taken under such instances and so on. We included questions on compensation as well to determine whether there was any bias as far as giving compensation to men and women was concerned. Although most of our questions were objective and required the respondents to answer with a simple Yes or No, we also included a few subjective questions in order

to allow them to voice their own opinion incase it differed from the options and questions available within the survey. Data Collection: We prepared a list of questions encircling our objective of trying to understand the working environment of women today. Based on explanation of pilot study the draft questionnaire was edited. Copy of final questionnaire is presented in the appendix. Primary research: The primary research for us was the questionnaire using which we collected data from 100 respondents. We travelled to places around Pune where working women would usually be seen like e-Square multiplex, Pune Central Mall, etc. We also visited a few organizations and collected information from working women who could contribute a few minutes for the same. This information gave us an accurate and contemporary picture of how women perceive their working environment in todays corporates to be.

Secondary Research: The main aim of the secondary research was to gather information on work environment of women today with respect to what women look for when they enter an organization, to be able to deliver to their best performance without much obstruction. This secondary research was also used to look for any existing research on the same topic. Most of the secondary data was collected from the internet. Extensive research was made through search engine Google and BSCO.

Data Analysis: The statistical tool used for data analysis and consolidation was Microsoft Excel wherein a data sheet was prepared to feed the answers of the respondents in a structured andorganized manner so as to make the analysis easier and efficient. Data gathered has been analysed and presented in tables, figures in chapter 4, namely Research.

ELICIT INFORMATION ON THE WORK ENVIRONMENT OF WOMEN IN CORPORATES

Table 1: Age and income of the Respondents Sr.No. 1 2 3 4 5 Sr.No. 1 2 3 4 18-20 21-25 26-35 36-45 Above 46 Monthly Income (Rs) Less than 25000 25000-50000 50000-100000 Above 100000 Age (years) 17 46 23 12 2 Percentage 61 37 2 0 Percentage

Majority of the respondents were in the age group 21-25 whereas it was found a moderate number of respondents belonging to other age groups. Very few working women above the 45 year bracket were available for the survey. This shows that majority of the working population among women is young. Majority of women being from the young age group and being freshers in the corporate world fell into the Less than 25000 income bracket whereas the percentage fell considerably as we go higher towards the Above 50000 bracket.

Table 2: Awareness of work ethics and guidelines amongst women Sr.No. 1 2 Aware Not aware Options 87 13 Percentage

Majority of the women surveyed were aware of the ethics and guidelines revolving around women issues with the help of HR mails. Others were either freshers in the industry or simply unaware.

Table 3: Equal opportunities given to males and females Sr.No. 1 2 Equal Unequal Options 41 59 Percentage

In terms of opportunities given to men and women in organizations, the difference of opinion was fairly low, although tending towards the higher side for Unequal work opportunities.

Table 4: Existence of sexual Harassment of females Sr.No. 1 2 Yes No Options 21 79 Percentage

Most of the women felt that sexual harassment was not a major concern in their organisation whereas a few felt otherwise.

Yes

No

Figure 1: Existence of sexual Harassment of females

Table 5: Steps taken to curb harassment of females Sr.No. 1 2 Yes No Options 83 17 Percentage

Majority of the women felt that there have been steps implemented in their organisation to curb any kind of instances of sexual harassment, whereas very few experienced the lack of such initiatives at their workplace.

Table 6: Equal Appraisals and Compensations given to males and females in organizations.

Sr.No. 1 2 Sr.No. 1 2 Equal Unequal

Appraisals 65 35

Percentage

Compensations Yes No

Percentage 91 9

Most of the females felt that there were equal opportunities given to men and women in their organisation whereas there was a sizeable number that felt inequality prevailed. With respect to compensation given to women, it was seen that a surprisingly large number of organisations awarded various compensations specific to women.

Table 7: Incentive offered for sexual favours Sr.No. 1 2 Yes No Options 29 71 Percentage

Although a large number of women disagreed to the fact that incentives were offered in return for sexual favours at their workplace, a surprising 29% agreed and had directly or indirectly experienced the same.

Table 8: Feeling of safety for females within work environment Sr.No. 1 2 3 4 Very safe Moderately safe Not safe Threatened Options 29 57 12 2 Percentage

As far as safety of women in their organizations is concerned, it was seen that majority of the organizations made their female employees feel safe whereas 14% fell into the unsafe category.

Very Safe Moderately Safe Not Safe Threatened

Figure 2: Feeling of safety for females within work environment

Table 9: Approachability of HR department for women related issues Sr.No. 1 2 3 Options Very approachable Moderately approachable Not approachable Percentage 51 37 12

In todays organizations the HR department seems to be promoting approachability and transparency for problem-solving issues, whereas on the contrary our statistics showed otherwise. A very meagre 51% of the women felt their organizations HR departments were approachable for women related issues.

Very Appproachable

Moderately Appproachable

Not Approachable

Figure 3: Approachability of HR department for women related issues

Table 10: Well-defined and acceptable protocol for pregnant women Sr No. 1 2 Options Acceptable Not acceptable 94 6 Percentage

It was observed that a very clear majority of companies had a well-defined and acceptable protocol to handle issues concerning pregnant women.

Table 11: Rating of organizational work ethics Sr.No. 1 2 3 4 5 Very poor Poor Fair Good Excellent Options 2 9 24 55 8 Percentage

Sales

Very poor Poor Fair Good Excellent

Most women were satisfied with the ethics governing their workplace although a small number felt the need of some major changes to be brought in place.

Table 12a: Special incentive for women Sr.No. 1 2 Yes No Options 77 23 Percentage

It was observed that a lot of organizations today want to be seen as womenfriendly and this is reflected in the statistical data collected by us.

Table 12b: Most common incentive structures Sr.No. 1 2 3 Options Maternity Leave Flexible leave on request Special Night Drop-to-Home 71 19 10 Percentage

In todays organizations, the most common incentive that women are privileged with, was Maternity Leave followed far behind by Flexible leaves and Night-Drop to home

Table 13a: Wrong usage of protocols favouring females Sr.No. 1 2 Yes No Options 46 54 Percentage

A good number of women admitted to using protocols meant for females, like flexible leaves, sexual harassment claims, etc. to their advantage.

Table 13b: Instances of taking advantage of protocols favouring females Sr.No. 1 2 Options Blackmailing using sexual harassment Over-friendliness to gain advantage 16 84 Percentage

Majority of women felt that one of the major ways in which women use their sexuality to their advantage was Being over-friendly with colleagues and managers

Table 14: Most common HR protocol for female issues Sr.No. 1 2 3 Options Report to HR Manager Report to Immediate Manager Report to appointed Female HR in-charge 40 53 7 Percentage

It was found that the most common protocol prevailing today for women to address their concerns was to report such issues to their immediate managers, followed closely by taking such issues directly to the HR department. A very few organizations today have a specific womens division handling women related issues.

Table 15: Changes needed in the organization

Sr.No. 1 2 3

Options Flexible Timings needed Travelling arrangements Forming a womens cell 49 13 38

Percentage

Of all the women surveyed, a sizable number felt they needed a change in their organization with regards to policies governing women, in one way or another. Majority of them felt that timings should be more flexible, followed closely by realising the need for a special cell to handle womens issues. Travel arrangements for women made up another considerable change desired by women in their workplace.

SUMMARY

As per the research conducted under the survey THE WORK ENVIRONMENT OF WOMEN IN CORPORATES the respondets were majorly in the age group of 21-25 (46%), 26-35(23%), 18-20(17%), 36-45(12%), and 2% were above 46. This research was gender specific we only took women into the account so all are respondents were women. Income of respondents varied as 61% of them were piad less than Rs. 25 K , 37% were paid between 25-50 K, only 2% were paid 50 K to 1 lakh. The results which came into light in the research are as follows; 87% of the respondents were aware of the work ethics at the workplace and only 13% were unaware. 74% of them accepted that there is fair male to female ratio at the work but remaining 26% denied to this fact. As far as equal opportunities are concerned only 41% of females think affirmative to the fact that equal opportunities exist whereas 59% females denied. 21% women think that there is sexual harassment at the work place and 79% think otherwise but at the same time 83% think that there are steps taken to curb the harassment but 17% think that there are no steps taken. If we talk about appraisals and compensations 65% women think equal appraisals and given and 91% think equal compensations are also given and remaining percentage think otherwise. A very interesting fact also came out of research that 29% of women were offered sexual favours. Safety-57% females think that they are moderately safe, 29% are very safe, 12% think that they arent safe and 2% think that they are threatened. Approachability to HR dept. 51% think they are very approachable, 37% think they are moderately approachable, 12% think they arent really approachable. 94% females think that pregnancy protocol is followed. 26% females feel inferior to males at the workplace. 55% females think that organizational work ethics are good, 24% think they are fair, and reaining think other way round. 77% holds an opinion that there are special incentives for women and also 46% females think that there is wrong usage of protocols favouring females. There were certain changes needed as per the females working in different corporate 49% wanted to have flexible work timings and 13% seek transport facilities and 38% women wants that there should be a women cell in the offices.

CONCLUSION

Under the light of findings with previous studies we came to the following conclusion:

Women are under-represented in organizations, especially in senior management roles and corporate boards. Women continue to face many barriers on their way to the top that are unique to their gender. Most CEOs and Top Management realize the benefits of gender diversity and are committed to the mandate of gender inclusion. This commitment is, however, not translated into actions. CEO commitment, womens individual development and practices that allow a flexible work environment are at the centre of a conducive environment for women to succeed. The term glass ceiling was first coined by Wall Street Journal 25 years back. And unfortunately even today, the number of women in top management and leadership roles are not representative of the workforce population. Time alone is not the answer for gender inclusion. This so called glass ceiling is today a metaphor that describes an environment in organizations that does not create an ecosystem for women to grow into those leadership roles.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

http://www.indianmba.com/Faculty_Column/FC862/fc862.html

http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Corporate-India-lures-womenemployees/293583/

http://www.articlesbase.com/careers-articles/attitude-of-corporate-india-towards-workingwomen-1621984.html

http://www.igrc.info/index.php/General/gender-inclusion-in-india-a-tata-consultancyservices-survey-conducted-by-people-matters.html

APPENDIX

QUESTIONNAIRE TO ELICIT INFORMATION ON THE WORK ENVIRONMENT OF WOMEN IN CORPORATES

Dear respondent, We the students of Symbiosis International University are carrying out research on Womens Work Environment in corporates today. The aim of this research is to understand the work environment of women and what is their experience relative to the work culture and climate prevailing at their company. We seek your sincere cooperation in filling the same. *Note : Please put a tick mark against the appropriate answer. **Note : Please be assured that all information collected will remain private and confidential.

GENERAL INFORMATION : 1. Name of Organisation : 2. Location : 3. Industry : 4. Age : (a) 18 20 (b) 20-25 (c) 25-35 (d) 35-45 (e) Above 45 5. Monthly Income : (a) Less than 25,000 (b) 25,000 50,000 (c) 50,000 1,00,000 (d) Above 1,00,000

6. Designation :

SPECIFIC INFORMATION : 1. Have guidelines about work ethics been shared with you in your organization ? (a) Yes (b) No

2. According to you is there a fair mix of male and female population in your organization ? (a) Yes (b) No

3. Is equal opportunity given to male and female employees, in terms of roles, projects or tasks ? (a) Yes (b) No

4. Have there been cases of sexual harassment in your organization ? (a) Yes (b) No

5. If you answered Yes for the above question, have the necessary steps been taken to ensure such cases are not repeated ? (a) Yes (b) No

6. Have you personally experienced a case of sexual harassment ? (a) Yes (b) No

7. Are equal appraisals given to males and females in your organization ? (a) Yes (b) No

8. Are equal compensations in terms of salary and benefits given to males and females in your organization ? (a) Yes (b) No

9. Have you ever been offered a promotion, raise or any other incentive in return for sexual favours ? (a) Yes (b) No

10. How safe do you feel in your work environment ? (a) Very Safe (b) Moderately Safe (c) Not safe (d) Threatened

11. How approachable is your HR department with respect to women related issues ? (a) Very Approachable (b) Moderately Approachable (c) Not Approachable

12. Is there a well-defined protocol to be followed for pregnant women, that is acceptable ? (a) Yes (b) No

13. Have you ever been made to feel inferior to male counterparts in your organization ? (a) Yes (b) No

14. Rate your organization on a scale of 1-5, 1=Very Poor & 5=Excellent on work ethics. (a) 1 (b) 2 (c) 3 (d) 4 (e)5

15. What is the protocol followed in your organization in case of woman issues ?

16. Are there special incentives for women in your organization ? (a) Yes (b) No

17. If you answered Yes for the above question, please describe the incentive structure.

18. To the best of your knowledge, have there ever been cases of women taking advantage of protocols which favour them ? (a) Yes (b) No