International Women’s Day is symbolic of all the hurdles women had to cross over the years to get to where they are today, and even in 2024 we are far from where we want to be and what we want to achieve.
Technology, a sector that the industry and even global leaders are bullish about more than ever, still has a long way to go. Women’s representation in tech companies is less than 30% worldwide, especially in Big Tech, and even lower when it comes to leadership positions. However, after speaking to several global tech giants, CNBC-TV18 found that these companies are making sure that their women workforce does not just survive but thrive.
“Despite the growing presence of women in the tech industry today, the disparity in technology leadership is evident. It isn’t just about inviting women into the workforce; it’s about proactively creating pathways and investing in their leadership development,” said Soruja Mazumdar, Senior Director, Program Management, Publicis Sapient.
Benefits such as flexible work hours and parental leave have become a norm in several organisations. Workplaces are going above and beyond to make sure they are actively recruiting more women, uplifting them, giving them more opportunities and more to invest in their women workforce.
Prachi Rastogi, Diversity & Inclusion Leader, IBM Asia Pacific, shares that while most companies started their affirmative action programmes in the 1970s, IBM hired its first female employee in 1899 and has been supporting the female staff ever since.
Salesforce has also introduced a new multi-year global gender goal to reach 40% women-identifying and non-binary employees globally by the end of 2026.
Semiconductor manufacturing giant Micron’s female workforce increased globally for the fourth year in a row, representing 31% of the global workforce, which according to Sharmila Khan, Director, Country HR Business Partner, Micron Technology, is trending ahead of the industry average.
Additionally, tech giant Dell has set a goal to ensure that 50% of its global workforce and 40% of global people leaders are women by 2030.
HCLTech saw gender diversity improve to 29.2% during FY23 and gender diversity at the senior leadership level (E6+) grew by 24% in the past five years, a spokesperson told CNBC-TV18. The company also has 30% women on its board of directors.
Sriram Natarajan, COO of IT management service company Prodapt, said 49% of the total hires at Prodapt are women, 30% of executives are women, and 44% of promotions went to deserving women employees.
Companies are also actively hiring and investing in young women to prepare them for a long and successful career in technology.
“The programme followed a phased approach of student engagement that included mentor-led boot camps, an internship with Dell Technologies, product development & testing, patent/copywriting filing support, and guidance for product launch,” TK added.
Lenovo has designed the Campus to Industrial Careers Program for ITI and vocational women engineers, hence the higher ratio in the company’s manufacturing department.
Farouk believes that tapping into a wider talent pool and actively hiring more women staff across all levels of expertise help drive the company’s progress while also designing cutting-edge products and solutions for the customers.
Financial services company Fiserv said its associates volunteer to teach digital literacy and entrepreneurial skills to women from underserved communities. “We have also sponsored STEM in government schools to provide experiential learning to female students,” Sachin Kulkarni, Senior Vice President, Delivery, Global Services, Fiserv, and Executive Sponsor for Women Impact Network (WIN) Employee Resource Group, added.
The company actively collaborates with academic institutions and diversity partners like HerKey and Hirist.Com to engage and identify talented women in STEM fields.
“The EvE (Employment via Education) programme underscores our dedication to enhancing the skills of girls from disadvantaged backgrounds, promoting swift employability through comprehensive skill development,” Bhageria added.
Cybersecurity firm Noventiq sees investing in its female workforce as essential to driving innovation and growth. “We aim to attract the best talent by emphasising the importance of a diverse team that reflects a variety of backgrounds, cultures, nationalities, ages, and genders. Our approach involves looking at the whole person, not just their CV, focusing on their unique personality and how they fit into our organisational culture,” said Rocio Herraiz, Global Head of Communications at Noventiq.
“By actively recruiting and retaining women, companies can access a larger and more skilled talent pool, which can have a positive impact on the communities in which they operate by promoting equality and inclusion both internally and externally,” Rastogi from IBM said.
A major challenge for women is to rejoin the workforce after a career break. Various reasons such as caregiving, marriage or having a child can lead to such breaks. In an ever-growing sector like technology, it becomes difficult to catch up with your colleagues and get back to work. Organisations are now becoming more aware of this and are actively helping women resume their professional journeys.
To address this, Salesforce launched its ‘return to work’ programme. “Since its launch, the programme has empowered over 100 women, with a remarkable 75% securing full-time positions. By expanding this initiative to cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, and Hyderabad, we’re not just fostering gender equality but also contributing to India’s economic growth,” Atal told CNBC-TV18.
HCLTech said ts Momtastic programme resulted in 98.7% of women returning to work post-maternity. Micron has its Our New Beginnings programme to help women re-enter the workforce.
“Our REIGNITE programme, designed to reintegrate skilled resources promptly, has played a pivotal role in meeting our staffing needs and providing a competitive advantage. This programme not only addresses immediate requirements but positions us attractively in the talent market,” said Bhageria from Tata Technologies.
“Research consistently underscores the advantages of gender-balanced teams: Improved financial performance, enhanced innovation, and better risk management. To achieve this, we’ve embedded Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) principles into our policies and practices, empowering individuals regardless of gender or background to achieve their highest potential,” Chandrani Sen, Head of HR, India Tech Hub at Mastercard, said.
Apart from this, companies have also launched several initiatives to make sure that leadership positions are not limited to male candidates. For example, IBM’s Tanmatra programme developed in partnership with IIM-B and several other active BRGs in India, including Unnati, Pragathi, Shakti, Women in Finance & Operations, and ASIMA Women in Tech, where the focus is on fostering women’s growth, leadership, and promoting allyship.
“Capability building in women is the need of the hour. There are specific programmes that our women undergo to enable skill-building on new-age technologies as well as develop leadership competencies through interventions like mentoring, training, role rotations and sponsorship,” Jillella from Bosch added.
As we commemorate International Women’s Day in 2024, let us remain steadfast in our commitment to creating a future where every woman has the opportunity to succeed, thrive, and lead in the dynamic world of technology. The journey towards gender parity may be ongoing, but with dedication, collaboration, and determination, we can pave the way for a brighter, more inclusive tomorrow.
(Edited by : Shoma Bhattacharjee)
