Industry
Highlights
- India is at the 140th position on the Global Gender Gap Index 2021, published by the World Economic Forum.
- TCS is one of the largest employers of women globally.
- Rebegin is TCS’ special initiative that focuses on women who have a career gap and are looking to return to the corporate space.
In this article
Women in IT
Challenges will never be scarce for women anywhere, especially for those who choose to or have to be employed. And yet, in the spirit of counting one’s blessings, I can safely say there’s never been a better time to be a woman in the Indian IT space. The industry has done considerably well on diversity by walking the talk and taking proactively thoughtful measures.
According to a NASSCOM study, among all non-agricultural sectors in the country, women’s participation in the IT workforce is the third highest at 34%, after e-commerce and retail. With a figure of 35.7%, TCS is on the better side of the national statistic and is, in fact, one of the largest employers of women globally.
The scenario
I would like to share my perspective of what a TCS career means, and I believe my opinion may be reasonably representative of several women like me.
But first, let’s start by looking at the larger picture.
India is at the 140th position on the Global Gender Gap Index 2021, published by the World Economic Forum. The gap is pretty much global in nature, though. According to the report, at the current rate, it will take 267.6 years to close the gender gap in economic participation and opportunity worldwide! A major factor behind this projection is income disparity.
The COVID-19 pandemic hasn’t helped—a study by the International Labour Organization suggests that 5% of all employed women lost their jobs compared to 3.9% of employed men. Furthermore, LinkedIn data shows a noticeable decline in women hiring for leadership roles. Hopefully, things will only look up from here on. In fact, my optimism has found a solid basis in something TCS recently did to fix an anomaly in the gender equation.
A fresh start
A significant yet easily overlooked phenomenon impacting workplace diversity is the difficulty faced by women who were once employed but had to take an extended break for unavoidable personal reasons and now want to get their careers back on track. Simply put, domestic duties compel more women than men to give up working—for months and years.
And when such a woman tries to re-enter the job market, her profile often falls short compared to an equally qualified candidate who was not on a break. The challenge may be magnified by a lack of skills and self-confidence on the individual’s part, in addition to unfavorable employment offers such as shift jobs. As a result, a female professional wanting to return to the workplace after a break must brace herself or be realistic that she may face rejection by most big recruiters.
The fact that this has an unfortunately high occurrence should be enough for the industry to take corrective action. Even as an outsider, I had always heard good things about TCS, such as the organization’s employee-friendly policies and work culture—not to mention the unique additional avenues for learning and sharing skills.
Rebegin at TCS
I was familiar with the business ethics that the Tata group is known for globally, which I now formally know as the Tata Code of Conduct. What really struck a chord with me, though, was TCS’ ability to offer a diverse array of roles and its considerate and empowering approach to the challenges faced by the female workforce. This strongly resonated with what I wanted, and I was fortunate enough to turn my aspirations into reality.
Hence, I was not surprised but immensely pleased when TCS introduced Rebegin. This special initiative focuses on women who have a career gap and are looking to return to the corporate space. All you need is at least two years of uninterrupted past work experience to be eligible for consideration as a full-time employee with as much of a shot as anybody else, without worrying about how long the gap has been! And all that matters is your talent.
A new, high-powered program called Leadership and Diversity (LeaD) at TCS, currently headed by Dr Ritu Anand—one of the most acclaimed HR veterans in the industry—is worth getting familiar with. Dr Anand is one of the many powerful women leaders at TCS whose inspiring stories I have read about. I remember an article she was featured in, where she says, “We want to provide an equitable workplace. The thought I want to leave you with is equality versus equity. We don’t want to be equal; we want to provide an equitable workspace.” That’s a crucial distinction, I think.
Women in TCS constitute 13% of the workforce at the senior level, 30% at the middle level, and 45% at the junior level. While one may rightfully say we still have a long way to go, I look at the glass as half full because the numbers and related trends are encouraging in terms of making the workplace more accessible for women. I can confidently say that TCS remains committed to balancing the scales for women in the IT scene.
A change leader
The road to gender equity in the corporate workspace may be long and bumpy, but we are getting there—one step at a time. I would like to list some formal recognitions that were recently conferred upon TCS—these reaffirm our position as a change leader, especially in workplace diversity and inclusivity:
-Achievement in Diversity and Inclusion at the 2020 Great Employers Awards Silver Stevie (TCS North America).
-Top Women Award for Corporate Citizenship in South Africa in 2020 for our role in advancing women to the forefront of the South African economy.
-Innovations in Diversity Awards of Excellence in 2020 for co-creating Million Women Mentors, a global movement to address gender inequalities through the unique vision of women supporting women in education, the workplace, and beyond.
These accolades underline the employee-centricity I have experienced first-hand at TCS, something the organization constantly seeks to enhance through initiatives like Rebegin. I could go on and on about how this is an organization with a difference, but I would sincerely like for you to see it for yourself! Whether you wish to begin or rebegin your career, rest assured that you have come to the right place. Come, explore a career opportunity with TCS.
