How Workplaces can Help India’s Working Women Tide Over the Pandemic
India bravely fought the COVID-19 pandemic by imposing a nationwide lockdown to help curb the rising number of cases across the country. However, that led to the economy screeching to a halt. Industries and corporates had to cut down their staff and several others imposed work from home measures to keep the momentum going.
While work from home looked like a convenient option, we suddenly realised how the lines between work and home began to blur. This came as a major setback for the entire workforce, men and women alike, however, a considerable load of this dreadful situation has affected women and their careers.
With their office, work, and domestic chores clashing with each other, we believe we speak for every working woman out there when we say that organisations need to lay down specific guidelines to make their life a little easier.
Here are a few things we’d like to suggest:
Flexible work hours
Women constitute a significant part of the corporate workforce, so it inevitably becomes important for them to have a choice of working on a flexible model while they work from home.
Doing housework and office work at the same time, they now have to handle both the responsibilities, which become exceedingly challenging. The least their workplace can do is provide them with some flexibility in their working hours.
Workplaces should realise that it is okay to give them that additional 30 minutes of lunchtime and it is okay if they log in an hour late. As long as they are completing the task at hand and are being productive at work, give them the freedom and help them balance their career and family needs.
Deadline extensions
Missing a deadline or two because of genuine reason at home should not be an overblown issue. Social conventions require women to care for children, cook, do the laundry, and the list goes on. The behind-the-scene drama gets overlooked and women are forced into a maze of deadlines and schedules.
Take it easy on them. They are struggling more than what one can see on a video conference call. If they miss a deadline or two then their organisations should not make it a big deal.
These small gestures go a long way in reassuring them that everything will be alright.
Time off the clock
The pandemic has changed workplace norms everywhere, and the one thing that makes it hit home is the leave policies. Since the majority of the workforce has started working remotely, organisations have started taking their time for granted, which has led to a catastrophic impact on the work-life balance.
That being said, a little time off from work is not only something a woman wants, but something she needs. Organisations must realise it and give her that much-needed break. Let her collect her thoughts, relax a little, spend some time alone without the hassle of work calls, deadlines, time management, and you’ll see how well they work once they are back.
Clarity
Pandemic has given rise to both insecurity and anxiety, and people all over the globe – not just India – are worried about their jobs. For working parents, these anxieties are going through the roof. No matter how progressive we say the times are, we cannot deny that the stress invariably shifts to the mother.
Shuffling between motherhood and office can be tedious and amidst these tough times, when work from home has been implemented across industries, it becomes all the more important that organisations are clear with their instructions. Tasks should be assigned properly; employers should be precise with what they want, and daily KRA sheets should be maintained. This, in turn, reduces the clutter and confusion, and gives clarity of thought.
Support and understanding
Our society is essentially patriarchal, and women are nevertheless weighed down with home responsibilities. All they need is a little support and understanding from their workplace.
Ask them how their day is going, be proactive and take an initiative to help them out with their office work. Keep them motivated and most importantly, tell them that they are doing a great job. Every woman knows that she is tired and exhausted, but tell her that she is handling everything perfectly, and she might feel better.
(Edited by Kanishk Singh)
