Indian IT industry adopting more steps to support mothers returning to their careers: Nasscom

The IT industry are taking steps to improve the poor infrastructure provided to mothers returning to work. IT organisations in the sector are striving to provide a conducive environment to returning mothers, either through extending maternity leave benefit, onsite crèches or shared services facilities and flexi timings, said a report by the National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) in partnership with Mercer.

The report also states that the industry is already trying to offer maternity leave benefit which are much above the Indian Statutory requirements of 12 weeks, showcasing that companies are more proactive in parental support by not waiting for the act to change.

Also, significant research has been done over the past two decades linking higher female representation in the workplace with a variety of business performance measures, including better financial performance; higher return on sales, equity and invested capital; higher operating results and better stock growth.

The report was curated based on a survey and discussions with 100+ companies who have child care practices.

Underutilisation of female talent is a critical business issue and research reveals that organisations with diverse management teams make better decisions, as they are less prone to “group think” and able to see issues from many angles, it added.

It suggested that better utilisation of women in the workforce they should act upon six points, ie passionate leadership, perseverance, proof, processes, personal commitment and special programs for women.

Ashok Pamidi, Senior Director, Diversity & Inclusion Initiatives, Nasscom said, “We often see women employees leaving after the birth of a child due to lack of a supportive environment, where balancing professional development and childcare becomes strenuous. Recognising the importance of maternity policies and facilities to help mothers return to work, we have partnered with Mercer to do an in-depth study of Infrastructure support needed for returning mothers within the IT-BPM industry. With this report, we aim to analyze and address the drivers of female participation, that should be used to maximize the engagement and productivity of all diverse segments of workforce.”

Mansee Singhal, Principal, Talent, MERCER, said, “The study is aimed at providing insights into international Legal Frameworks, prevalence and details of policies and processes and best practices in employer-sponsored child care. We believe that it is the need of the hour and bring back some of the best employees who otherwise choose to stay at home due to personal commitments. We aim to further enhance the tremendous interest and commitment generated into an ongoing dialogue among stakeholders that accelerates the advancement towards employer-sponsored child care and contribute towards a progressive work environment and a happy society.”