IT cos have soft corner for fairer sex
While scouring resumes, all qualifications deemed equal, most IT companies prefer womenfolk.
By Amanpreet Singh & Bhanu Pande, TNN |
NEW DELHI: IT’S women unlimited! IT companies are heralding a sea change in the workplace by showing a penchant for women talent. While scouring resumes, all qualifications deemed equal, most IT companies prefer womenfolk. The global phenomenon, ushered in by MNCs, is now becoming an IT industry best practice in India.
While women-friendly policies such as flexi-hours and gender diversity are par for the course, IT companies are now going one step further. Companies such as IBM are actually encouraging their placement agencies to zero in more on resumes of women. Headhunters confirm that they are being rewarded for this.
While Adobe Systems aids women by helping create their own communities and networks, TCS has established work policies for them. This has resulted in 8 out of 10 women resuming work after their maternity leave, says TCS. Sapient, meanwhile, points to role models in high positions to highlight the absence of a glass ceiling. Further, IT companies like
Accenture, TCS and IBM woo women by either tying up with academia or training them from science streams to become software engineers. All this has led to Nasscom estimating that the proportion of women in IT will touch 35% in 2007, up from 24% in 2005. The majority of them are still at the bottom of the pyramid - this too is in for change.
Adobe’s ‘Women Unlimited’ initiative makes women employees’ lives easy and even gives a sense of assurance. “We encourage women to come together and learn from each others’ experiences whether it entails managing their career or their personal lives. We have found the creation of a community extremely beneficial,” says Adobe Systems human resources SVP Peg Wynn.
Adds IBM India diversity leader Anita Guha: “We have a very active advancement of women initiative wherein we encourage more women to apply and help in their career development.”
While women-friendly policies such as flexi-hours and gender diversity are par for the course, IT companies are now going one step further. Companies such as IBM are actually encouraging their placement agencies to zero in more on resumes of women. Headhunters confirm that they are being rewarded for this.
While Adobe Systems aids women by helping create their own communities and networks, TCS has established work policies for them. This has resulted in 8 out of 10 women resuming work after their maternity leave, says TCS. Sapient, meanwhile, points to role models in high positions to highlight the absence of a glass ceiling. Further, IT companies like
Accenture, TCS and IBM woo women by either tying up with academia or training them from science streams to become software engineers. All this has led to Nasscom estimating that the proportion of women in IT will touch 35% in 2007, up from 24% in 2005. The majority of them are still at the bottom of the pyramid - this too is in for change.
Adobe’s ‘Women Unlimited’ initiative makes women employees’ lives easy and even gives a sense of assurance. “We encourage women to come together and learn from each others’ experiences whether it entails managing their career or their personal lives. We have found the creation of a community extremely beneficial,” says Adobe Systems human resources SVP Peg Wynn.
Adds IBM India diversity leader Anita Guha: “We have a very active advancement of women initiative wherein we encourage more women to apply and help in their career development.”
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