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| Indiwo, India’s leading women-oriented portal, interviews Vice President of Human Resources, PepsiCo on Diversity & Inclusion initiative by Jobstreet India & PepsiCo |
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Imagine this: Instead of you hurrying to office in the rush hour, the office comes to you.
No, there is no need to drop your children to the crèche any more.
Because your boss just told you - you can schedule all your conference calls, when the kids take afternoon nap.
Thinking of leaving work because your hubby is shifting cities? No worries. Just as you call up the movers & packers, a small office is being set up for you in the city you are moving to!
Sounds like a dream scenario we are tempting you with?
Well, the dream is all set to come true now - and not just in a single corporate organisation, but through the industry.
The employers increasingly realise the value of trained human resource, especially women in India, who have to compromise on their work for a bundle of reasons.
Some organisations tried to change their HR policies to stick with their valuable employees through thick and thin - but the effort was limited, up until now.
Fortunately for the Indian women, global FMCG biggie and equal-opportunities employer PepsiCo and India's leading online job search portal Jobstreet, have come up with a solution.
It's called: The Diversity Initiative.
An effort to spread the change in HR policies industry-wide, the Diversity Initiative will not only facilitate the female workforce of India to join back and adjust better, but also create a platform for them to search for flexi-time, part-time, home-office and freelance opportunities - with a simple click of the mouse!
We chatted up with Pavan Bhatia, the Vice President of Human Resources at PepsiCo, to know more.
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| Pavan Bhatia, VP – Human Resources |
What is Diversity Initiative?
It is a concept, whose time has come!
I think in India, the women in the workforce need special consideration.
Situations like pregnancy, maternity, family emergencies and shifting bases hamper the career path of women way more than men. Despite their capabilities and willingness, they can't continue working in the corporate offices.
This results in the loss of very valuable human resource - not just for an organisation, but for the industry.
That's why, we decided to take initiative and bring the much-needed attention to this problem.
Basically, we want to team up with Jobstreet and some other like-minded corporate organisations to bring the women back - the women the industry has lost, due to the stringent workplace rules and timing constraints.
It all started with..:
There were a few cases where female employees at PepsiCo had to end their career because of spouse relocation/ pregnancy and kids related issues.
That got us at PepsiCo thinking of a solution - what could we do to retain such employees?
Finally, we relooked at some of our policies. The main aim was to provide flexibility so that female employees at various life stages could leverage these policies like working from a different city, sabbatical from corporate life, extended maternity leave etc.
The best thing is: the solution worked out way better than we thought. Because we stuck through with them during their tough times, they became ever more dedicated.
It was a new beginning for us – now similar consideration and care is extended to all the employees.
Fortunately, Jobstreet.com shared this vision and Diversity Initiative was born.
Reaching across to women:
We plan to start small - join hands with some more corporate players and let the Initiative take off.
I think this is where Jobstreet comes in - they will create a special platform, an exchange of a sort, where women looking for part-time, flexi-time and freelance options of work can meet, look for enlisted jobs, get career guidance.
Dealing with corporate skepticism:
I do realise there are certain roadblocks involved. Especially working from home and freelancing are considered less than desirable options in the Indian corporate scenario.
The underlying problems they site are lack of commitment, out-of-date skills and inconvinient timings.
I personally don't look at these issues as roadblocks - precisely because, for us, the experience has been fantastic.
By allowing sabbaticals, at-home office options and freelancing opportunities, the employers are creating new arena of possibilities and opportunities. They will be met with more dedication and committment, not less.
All we need, is more time and a better, more effective management, to make these options viable for even smaller organisations.
Open your mind, change your life!:
I am very happy about the Generation Y entering workforce. The couples in this generation are much more understanding and solution-oriented.
The men in this generation respect their wives' careers as their own. They don't expect their partners to 'compromise' on work for family needs.
I think the initiative can extend even to men, especially for the younger employees. The key is to help the employee cope with her/his problem and find a workable solution to keep working! |
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