Analysis: Finding Your Way Home

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><root available-locales="en_US," default-locale="en_US"><static-content language-id="en_US"><![CDATA[<p><p align="justify"><em><span class='dropthecap'>D</span>on't let someone else define who you are… (because they'll put you into a box of stereotypes)… My advice is, do what you love and forget the rest of it"<br /></em>— Condoleezza Rice<br /><br />Let us face it. No one has prepared the working woman of today to negotiate her way in a corporate world, predominantly defined by men. With gender roles within the family changing all too slowly, and demands at the workplace increasing manifold, she has to walk the tightrope balancing workplace with family.<br /><br />"There is no book… no formula exists on how to make these trade offs right," says Indra Nooyi, chairman and CEO of Pepsico, and a source of inspiration for me. In most cases, attending the PTA meeting or looking after the sick child will be the responsibility of the working mother and not the father. This friction can cause a role conflict, and force women such as Anuradha to leave in anger, or even influence a high potential employee such as Shipra to take a break.<br /><br />Which prompts the question: is the woman any less brilliant if she decides to leave? Is it her personal circumstances or is it the lack of a viable alternative that prompts the decision? Unfortunately, too many organisations shake their heads in resignation at seeing yet another woman call it quits, without working to provide scope for workplace flexibility. With rising attrition rates, these strategies are becoming more relevant from an organisational perspective.  <br /><br />Despite this, there will be women like Shipra who will leave on their own accord — and they should not be ostracised for doing so. Senior leaders at Carre Hindustan seem to be undoing all the goodwill and commitment for Carre that Shipra had. Lack of women representation within organisations makes ‘women-friendly' policy changes difficult to implement. With only 5-6 per cent of women in the payroll on an average, and less than one in 20 women in senior positions in companies across India, this seems unlikely to change in the near future.<br /><br />As an increasing number of women join management institutes (IIM-A has 16 per cent women in their current batch as against 6 per cent earlier) and companies professing to be "equal opportunity" employers in more sectors, the issue is not so much about inducting women into the workforce as it is about retaining them. <br /><br />Refocusing of priorities and a demanding workplace prompt many women to take a break, and most women do not re-enter the workforce later. Taking a break early in the career in order to have children poses a challenge to young women like Sangati, who may not have enough work experience or family support to make a successful comeback later in their lives. Most young mothers leave at the prime of their career-building years, only to find it increasingly difficult to return. This is where organisations have an active role to play by facilitating an easy comeback for women who would like to return to full-time careers.<br /><br />Take my example. I took a career break after almost nine years of working. It was a deliberate decision influenced by the relocation of my husband overseas. I took that opportunity to have my second child, pursue my hobbies, travel and even learn a new language. The career break was like my personal adventure camp, to explore and to embrace new experiences. However, through it all, I made an effort to stay in touch with my previous organisation, and also updated myself professionally through an e-learning course until I rejoined work. When I returned to India after working abroad for a few years, I was welcomed back into my previous organisation, albeit in a new role. Did I lose out professionally? Did I compare myself with ex-colleagues? These are the demons that I had to exorcise before my decision to return. But it was made easier by my company which was fair to recognise and value my total work experience.<br /><br />Women who are passionate about their work, yet choose to put a brake to their careers for personal reasons should work at keeping professional connections alive. A life-stage challenge for women could well be an opportunity in disguise. Who knows Sangati may actually learn and grow much more as a professional working for the equity blogger two hours a day, than she was in a full-time job, and she would presumably be happier doing that. It is ultimately about the woman taking control and responsibility of her life and doing what she truly wants to. So while organisations need to offer choices, it is for the woman to ‘find her way home'.<br /><br />Organisations must actively prospect the female talent that is waiting to re-enter the corporate world with renewed interest and commitment. It won't be long before we admit that women are the managers and leaders of the future given their unique skills to multitask, handle ambiguity and change, and build support networks within and outside the workplace.<br /><br /><span><em>Alpana Kapur Titus is executive vice-presidentmarketing, Pepsico India. The views expressed here are her own</em></span></p> <script type="text/javascript"> var intro = jQuery.trim(jQuery('#commenth4').text()) var page = jQuery.trim(jQuery('#storyPage').text()) if (page.indexOf(intro) < 0) { jQuery('#commenth4').attr('style', 'display:block;') } </script> (This story was published in Businessworld Issue Dated 20-07-2009)