With growing consciousness around challenges faced by women, companies are now adopting women-friendly HR policies to provide them a level playing ground, make workplaces more inclusive and support remote working through innovative ways.

Realising that women participation in the workforce is crucial for India’s economic resilience, companies today are going an extra-mile to adopt women-friendly HR policies to boost their engagement, increase participation and make the overall ecosystem conducive for them. As per various reports, the participation of women in India’s workforce is between 20-25%, and companies believe that women-centric endeavours can greatly contribute in addressing their woes, and make them a part of the mainstream by empowering them.

“There are many factors behind the low participation of women in India’s workforce. They essay greater responsibilities like taking care of their children and families. Also, safety-related challenges, unavailability of facilities make it difficult for them to continue working and maintain a proper balance between work and life. Ever since the pandemic has hit, they are looking for a way out to find a balance in the hybrid work model. Staying indoors, taking care of the home and essaying job responsibilities have emerged as key factors that are acting as roadblocks, making it difficult for them to maintain continuity in their career,” said Huma Asgar, Director, Doodle Collection
With growing consciousness around challenges faced by women, companies are taking proactive steps to drive their participation. They are now adopting women-friendly HR policies to provide them a level playing ground, make workplaces more inclusive and support remote working through innovative ways. For instance, taking a step in this direction, Maharashtra based company Doodle Collection has adopted HR policies to empower women. The company currently has 60% women in its workforce at its head office.

Huma Asgar, Director, Doodle Collection said,” Being a responsible organisation, we understand the challenges faced by women, their realities and importance at the workplaces. Women are endowed with great life skills such as communication abilities, problem solving, multitasking, negotiation, time management, patience and leadership and decision-making. By adopting women-friendly policies, companies can greatly leverage their talent for benefits like making a conducive environment for women workforce and providing a space where they can contribute their abilities for inclusive growth. For instance, giving them extended maternity benefits, flexible remote working options, medical health cover for their family, nurturing kid-friendly culture, menstrual policy and supportive managers and supervisors can encourage them to be a proactive member of companies without any fear or hesitation.”
Apart from attracting talent, framing women-friendly policies is helping companies to retain existing employees as well. Flexible work schedules, mentoring programmes, mental health support, and others are some of the noteworthy practices companies have adopted for building inclusive, diverse and safe workplaces for women.

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