The women of today are all set to carve a niche for themselves in the IT sector. Data and statistics show that despite the not-so-conducive social structuring and natural problems that life throws at them, women have shown enough grit to shoulder the responsibility of taking the IT ecosystem to the next level alongside men. Further, this trend is only on the upward move which is good news for Indian IT.

Women in the IT Industry

In the Indian IT industry, women now account for close to 30 per cent of the total workforce and this is expected to go up to 45 per cent by 2010. According to a survey in select IT companies conducted in October 2007, women represent 13.4% of total managerial workforce.

More and more educated young women are joining the industry IT industry not only because it does not require any specific skills that are gender dependent but also due to its progressive and flexible HR policies. The increase in the overall percentage of women graduates also has contributed significantly to this trend.

Apart from bringing a spirit of joie de vivre to the workplace, women are interactive, cooperative, emotionally connected, have a strong sense of intuition, establish relationships and nurture a team spirit.

At TCS, women are a valued part of its lakh plus workforce for precisely these reasons. About 28% of TCS’ current workforce (and close to 18% of its managerial workforce) comprises women. Says V. Rajanna, General Manager & Head, AP Region, TCS, “We have observed that women bring some special attributes to the workplace in addition to competence which they imbibe from their social conditioning. They are dedicated, stable, patient and innovative.”

Policies for Women

Companies agree unanimously that they need to provide an atmosphere conducive to the special needs of women associates, if they are to retain this pool of talent. Says Dr. Sharmila Mande, Head of the Life Sciences R&D Division at TCS, “The biggest challenge for most women in this field is to strike a balance between home and career. It is also imperative for women to have a support system to be able to rise to the top levels.”

How has TCS contributed to this support structure? TCS offers its women associates the option of long leave for medical reasons, as an extension of maternity leave and for other family commitments. The Human Resource policies at TCS are governed by the Tata Code of Conduct and promote diversity and equity in the workplace. TCS also has in place an Ethics Management System to handle ethical violation such as sexual harassment at work and other issues that women associates may face.

Initiatives by Women at TCS

The First Lady of TCS, Mrs. Mala Ramadorai has made a huge impact at TCS by forming Maitree, an initiative that helps associates connect with others and with themselves in a world that is becoming impersonal.

Mala, who holds a Masters degree in Hindustani Classical Music and also a Bachelors degree in Education has spearheaded several initiatives for women. She keeps the women associates at TCS as well as women spouses of TCS male associates abreast of lifestyle related developments and issues which they can deal with proactively.

This progressive mindset at TCS has spawned several bright women managers, who have successfully managed challenging assignments in the organisation.

Here are thumbnail sketches of some of the key women Vice Presidents at TCS:

Vijaya Deepti, who has been with TCS for a quarter of a century, heads the Industry Solutions Unit in the organisation. She has also headed initiatives like the business excellence council that aligns branches with corporate initiatives, and reviews strategic accounts and delivery center performance. She heads the Quality Council-Six Sigma initiative at TCS-Bangalore.

Anita has a degree in Electrical Engineering from VJTI, Bombay University. She was vested with the responsibility of setting up high-tech Industry practices for TCS focusing on technology services segments like hardware, computer and services companies, storage and peripherals companies, and semiconductor and electronic companies that yield high growth.

In her 24 years with TCS, she has held various leadership positions in program management and product development. She also led several development teams for software solutions for both national and international customers.

Rajani is a trained SEI-CMM, SEI-People-CMM Assessor, Certified Quality Analyst and Project Management Professional. Over a career of 20 years, Rajani has successfully led several offshore development centres, and is also involved in the implementation of Tata Business Excellence Model in TCS.

Dr. Anand has been responsible for introducing competency and performance driven pay structures and the Economic Value Added model at TCS. With 16 years of experience in TCS, she has successfully driven TCS towards achieving PCMM Level 5.

This doctorate holder in psychology has actively been involved in professional bodies like the Conference Board, International Council of Psychology, All India Management Association, and the Bombay Management Association.

Hema Gopal has done her masters in Computer Science from IIT Chennai, and started her career at TCS way back in 1985.

Subsequently, she has led several large transformation and outsourcing engagements for TCS Banking and Financial services customers. She has worked in various roles - relationship management, delivery management, pre-sales and taken up several corporate responsibilities too.

With this kind of contribution, it is small wonder that the IT industry considers women a key talent pool that requires tapping!

The influx of IT & ITES has helped evolve the socio-economic status of the traditional woman into the career woman of today. A decade ago, this was a rare phenomenon. Women have come a long way from graduating in different streams and those who can afford it, pursue degrees in ‘higher education’, which may translate to fancy jobs abroad, however its the IT & ITES sector made that a reality for the rest of them.

The IT & ITES sector today has changed the structure of the economy. Today, there are multiple job openings irrespective of gender & age. Competence and performance are the only criteria for success. What is laudable is that the industry provides amenities equally for men and women and a sustained track record and intelligence is all it takes to gain entry into any of the corporate boardrooms / climb up the success ladder.

With the advent of multinational companies launching their ventures in India and the Indian Corporates (Captives), there have been and are ample opportunities available for women, who lacked the platform to build powerful careers in the traditional phase. Suddenly there were opportunities and loads of avenues to explore for housewives / widows / retired personnel / ex – service men who thought that they were ill equipped ‘to go out and work’. The industry today has the demand and is willing to tap into all possible human resources available and is ready to invest in high quality training if required to fulfill its requirements. This has a twin pronged effect, good salaries and better lifestyles for the people and healthy recurring revenue for the company.

The sector provides employment to various strata of society who previously, were not considered for employment with other government or private based companies due to lack of skills, not suited to the nature of work. Indian women seem to have not only successfully broken a number of barriers to achieve their full potential in the workforce, but are found to be more focused in their careers than their peers in Europe and the US. Making inroads into a sector long established by statistics as a men's bastion, MNC’s have been quick to identify intrinsic qualities in women, who bring top of the notch interpersonal skills to every task undertaken and thus in the long run, boost the profitability of the MNC’s. The acquired skills, ranging from so-called soft skills like communication, listening and interpersonal skills to product knowledge and technical competency, have given the women a sense of confidence in dealing, both with their customers and with society at large.

On the positive side, akin to a double-edged sword, it has elevated the standard of living and given many women (homemakers) in particular an income to sustain their source of revenue and provide more than just the basic amenities to their children, which would not be possible in any other field of employment given their skill set. It has rendered women a sense of autonomy and freedom in what was typically a male dominated society.

In the Indian IT industry, women now account for close to 30 per cent of the total workforce and this is expected to go up to 45 per cent by 2010. What is noteworthy is the steady rise of the figures. The figure, according to the Registrar General of India, as in 1981 was 19.7 per cent, which rose to 22.7 per cent in 1991, further rising to 25.7 per cent in 2001. Sangeeta Gupta, Vice President, Nasscom, says, "In the Indian software industry, the male to female ratio is 76:24. The trend is likely to continue and in fact gain momentum." The role of women as a working class has metamorphosed into a cornerstone, which sustains the foundation of the global economy.

Another commendable feat of the industry is that it is not weaning away ‘the woman of today’ from the natural and traditional responsibilities of raising homes and children – the industry makes room with perks like maternity leave, option to work from home, etc. All companies today provide the basic hygiene factors viz, the security guards for women working in different shifts, transport facilities, some companies are also exploring the option of hiring woman cab drivers. Nobody today is willing to make any compromises and the industry has been so far able to sustain the firm grip is the handshake the career woman makes.

The writers spoke to a cross - section of women at Broadridge and some excerpts below clearly echo the views that they themselves experience:

New members of the Broadridge family feel that “Broadridge highlights the opportunity given to women hailing from various backgrounds, with different qualifications for them to earn their livelihood while developing skills, which instill self-confidence and mobility in taking decisions. Broadridge identifies the innate talent in women and supports them in the technology industry to climb the corporate ladder and rise to the top. Facilities are being provided in the form of flexible timings, extended maternity leaves and provide alternative channels for growth to make sure that quality women talent is recognized and duly valued. We are proud to be an equal opportunity company, which reflects our true spirit in providing an opportunity to make an impact on a level playing field for all employees irrespective of their gender”.

Senior members who have been with Broadridge for almost a decade, “believe that they have grown with the industry and this has translated their dreams into a reality. They affirm that Broadridge continues to give all its members an opportunity to excel & make their careers in streams of their choice”.

- Crystal Carr & Satminder Kaur

The Convergys Global Women’s Network at Hyderabad came into existence four years ago with the vision to empower women employees and promote professional excellence among them. GWN has empowered women, in the changing times, to shore up their competitiveness and enhance their global reach.

It provides a platform for women to get together, share and exchange views on a wide range of women-oriented subjects. During these interactive sessions, eminent women personalities from various social, educational and professional fields are invited to share their experiences with women members of the Convergys team at Hyderabad. These sessions are designed to encourage our women team members to harness their genius to the fullest and carve a niche in the professional world, while managing greater work-life balance.

As women comprise of around 25 percent of the team strength, utilizing their skills and talents go a long way in contributing towards the success of the organization. It is a matter of great pride for us that many of our women employees are among our 'Star Achievers’, ‘key innovators‘and prize winning sportspersons. They have won laurels for Convergys at various inter-corporate competitions and are at the vanguard of all of Convergys' CSR initiatives. Their contributions to the organization have been very significant and varied.

Most of the IT companies are going back to school to encourage students, especially women to ensure that generation next is empowered with the ambition and educational skills to make the crossover into professions of the future.

Sonal Saxena
PR & Corporate Communication Convergys IM India Ltd., Hyderabad