So, the weekend was washed away in the deluge of arguments in
favour of & against the First Day of Period (FOP) policy in the workplace.
The starting point in this latest Twitter debate was when digital content
agency Culture Machine announced the
launch of its FOP policy in early June. This was followed by the company
starting a Change.org petition to the Ministry of Child Development to
introduce this policy across all organisations. Predictably, this was followed
by arguments both lucid & banal in favour of and against the policy. While
many have made the case that this is a step towards shaping the workplace in a
way that accommodates women’s unique needs, others have argued that such a move
will be construed as a sign of weakness, also inhibiting the cause of women’s
recruitment even further.
I’m looking at this issue from the prism of a working woman and
one who employs women in her team and household.
As a woman employee, I’ve realised that we will always have
‘special needs’ and anybody who thinks those needs will taper off as the child
grows up, is fooling herself. These needs are as much about our unique
biological functions (menstruation, childbirth, breast-feeding, menopause) as
our social roles (mother, home manager, daughter-in-law). I could shout myself
hoarse asking why it is so, but the fact is it has largely been my
responsibility to ensure my kid’s vaccinations were on time, that her diet
meets certain standards, that her school work is up to date. Her teachers,
coach, our neighbours and our maids, unfailingly contact me whenever there is
an issue concerning the household or our daughter. I am not the exception – 8
out of 10 working women I know, lead similar lives.
My current workplace has fantastic HR policies which strive to
offer employees excellent work-life balance. We have a work-from-home policy,
we have remote access-enabled workstations, and my manager has never asked me ‘why’
whenever I’ve applied for leave. Nevertheless, there have been instances when a
pressing requirement at home has clashed with a commitment at work, and the
former has taken a backseat. Nobody forced me to, it simply had to be done. The
reality today is that companies are hiring increasingly lean teams which means
there really isn’t much scope to transfer or share your workload with another.
In such a scenario, companies will prefer the more dependable, the safer bet,
when it comes to hiring.
Speaking as a woman who has managed all-women teams and employs women
at her home, I’d like to share an incident that took place in 2015. We were
living in Abu Dhabi then where it’s fairly common to employ men for domestic
chores. Frankly, the degree of professionalism I observed in those men was far
better than any ‘maid’ I’ve ever had – no gossip, no demands for ‘extra
clothes’ or ‘salary advance’, minimal fuss and far quicker service. When
Rajendra, my domestic help, had to return to India as his visa had expired and
I was looking for a replacement, I had a distinct preference for a male helper.
They just suited me better. Till I met Laxmi, who I learnt would
be deported back to India if she couldn’t supplement her income to meet her
basic visa requirements. I don’t think I chose Laxmi as much as I gave in to
her brother’s entreaties. Was I very happy with my choice? No.
Much later, after I’d returned to India and re-joined work, I
realised that my mindset was a reflection of how HR works. It is about putting
my money on the headcount that serves me best.
As a part of the Diversity & Inclusion CoE in my organisation,
I know how difficult it is to get the ‘right’ women candidates for many of the
senior-level recruitments we do. Added to this is the problem of a steep drop
in women employees as they advance from the Assistant Manager to Manager roles
– most of them get married and are either forced by circumstances or choose to
quit. Then comes maternity and the guilt
associated with long hours, not being able to breast-feed your child, lack of a
support system, is enormous. I am not sure introducing different kinds of leave
policy for each of these situations which women tackle is the answer. Why then
I’d argue, we must also introduce some sort of leave for employees whose
children are appearing for their Board exams, or for those whose children
qualify for school or state level sports competitions! I know of a female
colleague whose son has to travel alone for his chess competitions as her
manager has refused to grant her leave so frequently (3-4 days every few months.)
The answer in my view, doesn’t lie in Policy making, instead must
be seen from the prism of Culture Building. Yes, I know that while the former
is binding, the other is subjective and may not ensure a uniform employee
experience. But Policy Making alone won’t suffice – make FOP mandatory and you
will still have women swallowing pain killers and turning up at work because
that’s what their role or manager demands. I’d much rather go with manager
sensitization and a focused and continuous thrust on making the workplace as
employee friendly as possible. Trust me, all it takes is an understanding
manager. Replace and reward people, not policies, is what I’d stress on.
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