Parity and possibilities

Earlier this week I chaired a workshop on Gender Parity at the NASSCOM D&I Summit in Bangalore. The thoughts shared by my fellow panelists, the passionately engaged audience, and my own experiences all weighed in squarely behind the pledge to push parity at the workplace.

That brings us to the question of, what makes such a clear mandate complex on ground?

Gender parity at the workplace has taken leaps over the last few decades, but when we look at the workplace – emotively or statistically - the gaps and inequities persist, at times glaringly so. Today, as individuals and organizations consciously commit to promoting parity, what are the things we need to factor in to make this pledge meaningful, relatable and sustainable.

 The strength of numbers.

It’s almost fundamental. You need more women at the workplace to create a more gender balanced workforce. When women are represented in decision making it is bound to have a butterfly effect. While getting more women into the workstream is part of the challenge, the key to me is getting women across hierarchy, and across functions.

 One of the things we are implementing right away at EY GDS is the usage of gender-neutral job descriptions, to consciously create an equitable resource pipeline. This takes some bit of unlearning as we battle some deep-rooted unconscious biases.

 Cultural acceptance and ecosystem.

Now that we have got women on board, how do we retain them? First we need to stop equating parity with uniformity. We need to build a culture where every individual feels comfortable and safe to be their authentic self. What we need is perspective and awareness as decision makers. Listen to diverse thoughts and people.

 If we take flexibility as a case in point, we need to promote it for men as much as women. It goes beyond creating remote working policies; It is about enabling a work culture where we empower every individual to own their work and career. This, in the longer run, will create a deep sense of belonging, coupled with - trust, respect and empathy, as we build a workplace that matters.

 Policy and leadership commitment

While most of the steps seem simple, it becomes critical that we show the organizational intent by crafting policies. This goes a long way in having a uniform interpretation of the stand across the organization. And consistency is key to every exceptional experience. It is the predictive belief in positive outcome. 

Parity in pay

All stats show inequities in pay and this is largely true across geographies. While there is no magic bullet that can herald pay parity at work. There are junctures when you have a possibility do drive a bold measure and take a stand. It’s often argued, compellingly so, that pushing pay parity for women can be discriminatory against men. I have often pondered, and truly believe - parity is conceivable on a level playing field. In a world where stacks are unevenly lined up, we need to adopt the paradox of adopting measures to consciously pushing women forward to balance the larger ecosystem. Many organizations are in various stages of adopting it. Some have introduced it in phases and few as a single program, some have defined it by skills and some by ranks – what’s most important is the fact that we are consciously discussing it. And, that is a great start.

 So, if you are in a decision making role, champion parity to normalize it. It could be anything pay, promotions, opportunities, wellness, flexibility. Believe in it. Advocate it. Be visible.

As complex as it may seem, parity for women in the workforce still is first of the steps. As we evolve we would like to create a workplace that is inclusive to all dimensions of diversity – gender, thought, sexuality, identity and more. Today we have access to technology which can give you more precise data and insights - leverage it. Take a stand. Make a start. But acknowledge in inequities.

 This is my pledge for parity.

 Thank you to my fellow panellists Nitika Bose, Anil Joseph, Magesh M S and Suvro Raychaudhuri.