PUBLIC SECTOR UNITS

INTRODUCTIONPSU represents the single largest organized

sector spread over the entire length and breadth of the country touching and influencing the lives of the entire population in the country and of all categories.

Though the Public Sector as a whole is undergoing structural changes in as much as the rest of the economy in India for the past one decade, it still occupies the center stage impacting the economy.

WOMEN IN PSU

As on February, 2011, there were in all 15-35 women work force as compared to 89877 as on 31st March 1991.

Women in PSU constituted 4.5% of the total Work Force as on February, 2011 as compared to 4% as on March 1991.

The sectors where there has been pronounced changes for the better in the profiles of women employees in the Managerial& Supervisory categories during the same period are Power, Petroleum, Fertilizers ,Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals, Consumer Goods, Textiles, Trading & Marketing Services, Contract and Construction Services, Financial Services, Coal & Lignite.

Remarkable and outstanding improvements in women moving into Managerial & Supervisory positions have been seen in Transport Services & Tourist Services during the same period.

FORUM OF WOMEN IN PUBLIC SECTOR

Forum of Women in Public Sector (WIPS) was created under the aegis of SCOPE on 12th February, 1990 having a Central Apex Forum in Delhi and four regional Forums in Bombay (Western Region), Bangalore(Southern Region), Calcutta (Eastern Region) and Delhi (Northern Region) respectively.

The formation of WIPS represents the first ever initiative made by the single largest organized sector in focusing the issues related to advancement of women.

While on the one hand women have to take initiatives themselves to meet the job challenges and sustain career growth, managements of the enterprises also need to recognize the changing profile of the work force in enterprises and provide appropriate environment for their advancement and growth.

WIPS : AIMS & OBJECTIVES

The main objectives of this forum were:A) To promote the growth and development of

Women in Public Sector.B) To assist the Public Undertakings in optimizing

the full potential in women Employees and,C) To play a catalytic role in improving the status

of women in and around Public Undertakings.

RECOMMENDATIONS ADOPTED BY THE COMMISSION ON WOMEN IN GOVERNANCE

Equal opportunity policy. Commitment of top executives to gender equality, making middle managers aware and accountable and adopting a range for measures vital for ensuring the success of equal opportunities policies at the enterprise level.

Recognition of best practice through awards at the national level can be important incentives to enterprises in promoting women.

Recruitment and promotion procedures, to be transparent. The selection panels should have women representatives. If the women are not there at senior positions, the enterprise must induct them from outside and outsource them.

It is essential that clearly defined job descriptions are established free of gender bias and that there is an objective system of job evaluation, and a well structured management performance appraisal system.

It is good for enterprises, institutions, organization and governments to set targets and goals and to monitor progress.

Women should be given opportunities for strategic assignments and job rotation to improve their promotion prospects to higher echelons of management.

Upward mobility and career progression should be more flexible to allow women more opportunities, based on their ability and competence.

Career and succession planning and the tracking of women in enterprises and organizations, help them gain visibility and experience, as well as provide a mechanism for monitoring their progress.

Adopting objective policies of internal recruitment combined with the necessary job and coping skills training can give more opportunities to women to advance in their career.

The development and dissemination of guidelines, as well as publication of success stories and awards on best practices are important for encouraging interest of women in management issues.

In order to allow more women to enter managerial positions, support structures need to be established where there are none, and strengthened where they are weak.

Support systems, such as day care centres, care of older persons etc. need to be initiated.

Mentoring of women not only by other women but also by men.Women should not be ignored for vital training and foreign training. The PSU should work out gender ratio statistics in their

employment, training and foreign training.

BCCL(BHARAT COKING COAL LIMITED)HRD PRACTICES

Female Literacy Drive:Female Literacy Drive was undertaken for illiterate female employees

of BCCL in three phases. In Phase-I 218 female employees were nominated in which 173

appeared in exams, out of which 137 passed the exam All the successful candidates were issued a Literacy Certificate by “Central Board for Workers Education”(Ministry of Labour & Employment)

Govt. of India. In phase-II 380, female employees were nominated in which 241 appeared for exams, out of which 152 passed the exam.

Phase-III is under progress in which 491female employees have been nominated.

 

Training programs:

Various training programs are conducted by the company. In Nov 2010 training program on women empowerment was

conducted were 53 participant took part.

MINERAL EXPLORATION CORPORATION LIMITED(MECL)

Employment of WomenThe category wise employment position including General/SC/ST/OBC/Minorities/Women (As on 31.12.2010) in the company is given in Table .

HRD PRACTICES

MECL stand for raising and improving the Socio-economic status of women and weaker section of employees.

For the purpose it provides training to acquire new skills for the career development.

MECL gives equal status to its women employees and the Service Rules, etc. are uniformly made applicable.

HINDUSTHAN COPPER LIMITEDEmployment of Women Group wise strength of Male/Female

employees in HCL as on 31.12.2010

HRD PRACTICES

Training and Development of all levels of employees including women is given due priority by the Company to increase effectiveness.

Special emphasis is given to organization building and shaping right attitudes, team building and work culture.

Preparing employees both male and female to understand the trends in fast changing technology/switching over to latest technology for achieving higher results in production, productivity and profitability.

NATIONAL ALUMINIUM COMPANY LIMITEDThe Company has adopted the principle of equal opportunity to the

women employees in the matter of employment and the Company has 317 Numbers of women employees at different levels and categories.

Need based developmental and functional training programmes are provided to the women employees.

As a mark of development in their individual leadership, women executives of the company have got a place as Coordinator/member of National Organizations like Women in Public Sector (WIPS).

The ladies clubs are extended necessary assistance for carrying out their various activities, which in turn enhances their leadership, and organizing capabilities.

INDIAN OIL CORPORATIONHRD PRACTICES

1) Recruitment: Indian Oil believes in offering equal opportunity to all. Recruitment is facilitated to include persons from weaker sections of

the society classified under Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe, Physically handicapped, women, etc.

2) Gender mainstreaming: Indian Oil is one of the largest employer of women

employees amongst the PSUs in India. As on 31st March, 2010 there were 2,624 women

employees comprising 7.64% of the total workforce. Out of this, 1,147 (about 44%) of the women employees

are in the executive cadre at various levels.

The Corporation encourages women employees to compete and excel at their work.

They are encouraged to author and present papers at National and International level

3) Workforce diversity and opportunities: Indian Oil is an equal opportunity organisation and makes no

distinction on the basis of gender . Indian Oil is also committed towards affirmative action to bring the

‘historically disadvantaged’ into the mainstream of life i.e. the women by giving the “break” they need to earn a living and

achieve their dreams. Indian Oil has been providing equal opportunity to women employees

and minorities at all levels ever since its inception.

BPO/ ITES SECTOR

INTRODUCTION

Today women play a vital role in Indian BPO sector. According to survey out of 400 million of workforce in India, around 30-40 percent are females. They are one of the driving forces behind the success of call center industry in India.The Indian BPO industry accounts for a revenue US$ 39.6 billion and has emerged as one of the largest private industry providing direct employment to 1.6 million professionals.The participation of women in BPO industry has been seen as a critical enabling factor for continued growth of the industry. Today BPO companies are recognizing women on board at all levels and this helps the organization to make good business sense. Therefore BPO companies are trying to develop and involve women for higher roles and functions.

There is no doubt that technology itself is gendered and is strongly shaped by the patriarchal yardstick of class and gender. Despite all these the most important issue is to restore and carry forward the empowered participation of women in the development of technology and enhance the participation of women through skills, education and creative knowledge. The Indian BPO industry has set high standards in gender inclusivity. It has been suggested that the professional skills of women needs to upgrade therefore a number of mentorship programs are being organized.These programs help women working in BPO to have a definite career path and fulfill a certain criteria in the empowerment of women. India has the largest number of women working in BPO's than any other single country in the world.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ivana_Lewis

INFOSYS

Infosys Women's Inclusivity Network (IWIN) was initiated in 2003 to assist women unleash their potential by providing opportunities for professional and personal development and critiquing management policies and procedures to ensure that the Infosys workplace is inclusive, equitable, and open to the innovative ideas and approaches that women can contribute. At Infosys, women are employed in all possible roles both in technical as well as in support functions at all Infosys locations. IWIN launched a special mentoring programme for women. They have also partnered with major gender networks and forums across the globe to benchmark our practices in inclusivity and publish research papers. concentrate on breaking the stereotypes and mindsets that exist in a work place to facilitate an inclusive work environment. Which means we are open to dialoguing with our colleagues, question the norms and arrive at what may be good for individuals and the companies in the long run for creating an inclusive community.

TATA CONSULTANCY SERVICES

The company attributes the increase to its equal opportunity employment policies.10 percent of their senior management includes women. In FY09 we launched a new initiative called DAWN (Diversity and Women's Network) to encourage diversity and inclusion in the workforce, particularly for women.“TCS appoints women as board members, TCS announced its Second Career Internship Program (SCIP) on the International Women's Day last year, aimed to recruit women professionals who took long breaks to address their domestic front. It allow them to take that break during the most important time of their lives typically from after the first child is born to she is 5-6 years old and then getting them back when they are ready mentally to get to work again.

GENPACT• Approximately 40 percent of Genpact’s global headcount constitutes women but we are committed to increasing it at the leadership levels too. •They provide our people with multiple opportunities to enroll for world-class leadership development programs and also encourage cross-functional movement to gain meaningful experience and exposure. • Performance management is a critical area for Genpact and we invest in planning each employee’s career and aligning their goals with larger organizational goals.• To promote this, we have instituted a number of initiatives, including a global affinity group for women—Genpact Women’s International Network (GenWIN)—whose mission is to foster the professional development of our women workforce.• a formal mentoring program—WeMentor—that pairs high-potential middle-management women with experienced leaders in the company to assist and guide them on various professional fronts.

•They have set a target for themselves to bring gender diversity at the top level to 25% and have undertaken a number of measures to achieve this, broadly in the areas of hiring, developing and retaining our women employees. In terms of hiring, our target is to ensure that 50% of all AVP+ hires are to be women.• As several flexi-practices such as Work From Home, Flexi Timing, Extended Maternity Leave, Sabbatical Option, Health Camps, et al, to support the well being of our employees and help them achieve a healthy work life balance.• of the work Genpact does in the area of Gender Diversity and Inclusive Employment opportunities, honored with the WILL Recognition Award, under the WILL Womens' Choice segment.

ACCENTURE

They strongly believe that attracting, retaining and promoting women is critical to the success of our company. It’s why we have more than 60,000 women contributing to an environment that’s rich in diversity, acknowledges each individual's uniqueness and promotes respect, personal achievement and stewardship.

• Flexible Work Arrangements: supports the unique needs of professionals in the workplace, encouraging a balance between work and personal priorities.• Maternity Returners Program: helps ease the transition for new parents back into the workforce by providing career guidance and support for finding ideal re-entry roles.

•Women's Mentoring Programs: pairs female executives with senior executive mentors, includes virtual workshops and provides networking tips to help ensure the advancement of women at Accenture.• Accenture Women’s Network: A global internal website connects women across the company with one another and provides access to resources available both at Accenture and externally. The online forum offers women a place to share experiences, advice and insights.• International Women’s Day: Participants enjoy exchanging ideas about women, inclusion and their impact on the global economy and Accenture's business, and join in on local events. This global celebration provides a venue for networking, building vital skills, and addressing issues that face women in the workplace and beyond.• Accenture regularly conducts research studies on various topics that have an impact on women in business.

• They also provide training for diversity awareness, as well as courses directed toward developing their women leaders. In the Developing High-Performing Women course, for example, female role models help managers evaluate requirements to reach the next stage in their careers.

• In their local offices, employee resource groups drive initiatives and programs to support women at the location and help them build strong networks, both within Accenture and with the broader community.

WIPRO

Wipro talent engagement and development program:

Being true to diversity and inclusiveness in all spheres, they are conscious of the importance of engaging women in their workforce and providing them a platform to hear their voice.

We try and give them overseas assignments too, as a motivation to stay back.

Women of Wipro (WoW) was an initiative launched, as part of the Wipro Diversity Council, in 2008. WoW aims to bring together women executives across business units and locations in Wipro who have the passion for extraordinary personal and social transformation, working together for better causes and common goals.

The Women of Wipro (WOW) council launched various initiatives to facilitate, enable and empower women employees. Panel discussions with internal women leaders, mentoring programs for high potential women, workshops and development programs and a Women of Wipro website enable women to grow in their careers.

These initiatives have ensured a consistent increase in women representation in various levels in the company over the last few years. Representation of women in Wipro has increased from 19% in 2004 to 29% in 2010.WoW will also work towards creating visibility for its female leadership, both internally and externally. Building sustainable and growing networks that contribute to the success of business, the community and self-development would be the other highlight of initiative.

Some of the major initiatives undertaken by WoW include:

• WoW microsite - Channel W, that includes a forum for women employees to blog, chat, and post relevant comments on discussion boards along with articles.• Speaker series/networking sessions with women leaders across the global industry .

• Health and safety - self defense workshops and 'Fit for Life' sessions.• Flexible policies to enable work life balance including crèches across locations.• Mentoring for success - high performing women mentored by top management .

HCL Tech

From a dedicated Web site to mentoring programmes aimed at engaging women employees, HCL Technologies has been rolling out initiatives to recruit and retain women.Mentoring within the organisation to move more women to senior roles. They have opened creches at our large campuses. Have introduced “pick and drop facilities” or free transportation services for women. These office cabs are operated by recognized drivers. If a female employee is worried about taking a break because she is starting a family, then somewhere she is also comparing herself to peers. She is asking herself whether she will be assigned the same project once she returns, what happens to her position, her aspirations. HCL has programs that reaches out to such women and talks about how to think this through.

BANKING SECTOR

INTRODUCTION

India is a country with diverse traditions and customs. In all the religions, women hold a respectable position.

Unfortunately, since ages, the role of women was limited to household activities and confined to domestic issues. In the male-dominated Indian society, women suffered to extreme levels of exploitation.

However the economic reforms ushered in 1990s, have transformed their status.

With changing times, women in the society started participating in the formal Indian labour force.

. In the male-dominated banking and insurancesector, women executives like Chanda Kochhar, Shikha Sharma and

various efficient women executives proved their mantle to be better managers/leaders as compared to men.

Role of woman in ICICI

In mid-1980s the chairman and managing director of ICICI, Suresh S. Nadkarni exhorted Lalita Gupte, trainee (at that time), to prove her potential in the organisation. His advise: “If you do not succeed, there will be no other woman in this organisation.”

It was the chairman and managing director of ICICI bank, Suresh S. Nadkarni who promoted women executives to hold top positions.

The company started creating opportunities to its employees based on their merit and performance.

In ICICI Employees are ranked, promoted and penalised considering their work performance ignoring gender discrimination.

ICICIThe company motivates entrepreneurial initiatives. It encourages

in executing individually developed strategies and supports in undertaking prospective projects.

The company’s key focus is to hire talented candidates, irrespective of any bias, based on sound academic performance, key skill sets and personality traits.

The culture at ICICI is amicable and considers the requirements of employees at each stage. For instance, “An employee can even ask a director to postpone an office meeting because he/she has to attend a parent-teacher association at his/her child’s school,” commented Madhavi Puri Buch,MD & CEO, ICICI Securities

It enables enhancement of woman’s knowledge and ability to organize for their rights, improved health, security and mobility of woman.

The organization provides practical guidelines and support to its female staff workers in terms of child care, sexual harrasment of female staff.

The organization creates opportunities to its employees based on their merit and performance.

Employees are ranked, promoted and penalised considering their work performance ignoring gender discrimination.

IT SECTOR

INFOSYSAs part of its inclusive HR policy, Infosys will throw open a

satellite centre in the heart of the city to enable employees (particularly new and to-be mothers) to cut down on travel time to work.

The company has also initiated a pilot project for employees giving them an opportunity to opt for a one-year sabbatical at any point in their careers. This could be used for childcare, eldercare, higher studies or for health reasons

Infosys has set up an Infosys Women's Inclusivity Network (IWIN), which looks into issues women face in the organization. Similarly, even ADP has a common mail id only for women associates, where they can talk about issues that cannot not be discussed with their male counterparts.

CSCCSC India has launched the Diversity initiative, a program to support

gender diversity and attract and retain their women employees. The underlying principle of the initiative is that gender diversity leads

to a more creative, flexible and innovative organisation that is in tune with the society and the market.

CSC believe that by recognising the strengths of each gender, working relationships become more productive, increasing the mutual understanding, respect and trust.

As part of the diversity initiative, a diversity council has been set up at each CSC location in India, which is supported by an HR representative.

A helpline called “Helpline@Planet W” has also been launched to support communication between our women employees and council members.

Another supporting program that has been launched is the mentoring program, which focuses exclusively on skill and career development of women employees; this is in addition to the regular workshops and training at CSC India.

CSC India has also held, for the first time, a training program on wellness and self-defence as well as a free health camp for our women employees.

CSC India’s multifaceted diversity initiatives have been recognized by the industry — in 2005, the Madras Management Association honored us with the Best Women-Friendly Company award.

IBMTraining-In-house Learning and Development (L&D)

divisions. Performance AppraisalEmphasis on Potential developmentCommunication Interpersonal Relation

ACCENTUREWomen's Mentoring Programs- which pair female executives

with senior executive mentors, include virtual workshops and provide networking tips to help ensure the advancement of women at Accenture.

Accenture Women’s Network, a global internal website that connects women across the company with one another

Training for diversity awareness, as well as courses directed toward development of women leaders.

In our local offices, employee resource groups drive initiatives and programs to support women at the location and help them build strong networks, both within Accenture and with the broader community.

There are local women’s networking groups in Austria/Switzerland/Germany, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, India, Italy, Ireland, Japan, Latin America, Norway, the United Kingdom and the United States.

DELOITTEInternational Women's Day (IWD) 2011 takes place 8 March

and is a global day celebrating the economic, political, and social achievements of women past, present, and future.

Deloitte “ The Women’s Initiative program”.Bridging the Gender Gap Through Women's Programs Helping

Men.Leading to WIN Leading EdgeEllen Gabriel Fellowship ProgramWISMAC & WIMAC Local Professional Development And

Mentoring Activities

Mahindra Satyam Starting Over’, a lateral recruiting initiative that taps into a

highly talented pool of mid-career women seeking to restart their careers at Mahindra Satyam after having taken a break for personal reasons.

 Various training programmes are also provided for them to re-orient them to corporate processes.

CONCLUSION

PSUProvides equal opportunities to both male and female employees in

recruitment, training and promotion.Concerned more on career development of women employees.Emphasized more on female employee literacy for illiterate female

employees Training and development.

BPO/ITES Trying to break the stereotyping prevailing in the sector. Special mentoring programs for women employees. National & International networks for women so as to develop

women employees.

REFERENCES

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/info-tech/article2583003.ece http://www.indianewsblast.com/2011/03/wipro-celebrated-100th-international.html http://dqindia.ciol.com/content/dqtop20_09/IndustryAnalyses/2009/109081702.asp http://www.genpact.com/home/careers/ourpeople.aspx http://peoplematters.in/articles/here_and_now/genpact-leading-through-uncertain-times http://timesfoundation.indiatimes.com/Resources/Interviews/articleshow/4317803.cms http://www.tecoloco.com.gt/empresas-destacadas/trabajos-en-genpact_1189.aspx http://careers.accenture.com/us-en/working/overview/diversity/women/Pages/index.aspx : http://www.accenture.com/us-en/company/people/women/Pages/womens-programs-initiatives.aspx http://www.wipro.org/sustainability/gender.htm http://www.andhranews.net/India/2008/March/8-Wipro-launches-36475.asp#ixzz1culcgSio http://ezinearticles.com/?Women-Employees-in-BPO&id=3441119