The Interaction Between Diversity and Inclusion Mandates and WFH

Written by: Aahil Sheikh

With Covid-19 forcing companies to move their operations online, there has been a celebration of the ‘Work From Home’ culture. Avoiding long commutes and maintaining a healthy work-life balance have been cited as just a few reasons why WFH may be the future of work.

But there are downsides to this culture that overwhelmingly target women. While it may seem like WFH will be an equalizer for women, it is far from it. According to a survey by Deloitte, around 41 percent of women feel a WFH system robs them of a proper work/life balance, which adversely affects their wellbeing. 70 percent reported changes to their daily routine that affects their productivity and career growth. If WFH remains a mainstay post-pandemic, then corporates need to take cognizance of what makes this future a difficult one for women, and how they can tackle it. This article will dive into some existing studies about how to rectify any problems that arise due to WFH

The Gap Between the Work Experiences of Men and Women

Even before the pandemic hit, women had comparatively different experiences in their work settings. A 2018 report reiterated the wage gap that still prevails in work settings. Before the pandemic, employment rates for urban women were tanking in India. From a high of 11.2 percent in August 2016, the employment rate for urban women had dropped to 6.9 percent in December 2019. 

Once the pandemic hit, the gap only widened. According to a study by the US’s National Women’s Law Centre, women accounted for 55 percent of the total job losses in February 2020. According to ‘Down and Out? The Gendered Impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic on India’s Labour Market’, a paper by Azim Premji University’s senior fellows, women were 7 times more likely to lose jobs during the lockdown compared to men. It also reveals how married women were less likely to return to the workforce compared to married men. Moreover, while men had a ‘fallback’ option (by ways of self-employment), women lacked such an option. Additionally, the study reports on how religion and gender play a role in exacerbating the already-disproportionate impact. Muslim women were more likely to not return to work, whereas for Muslim men, the study found religion having no significant impact on their employment status prospects.

 

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According to the data, before the pandemic, about 70 percent of working-age men found themselves employed. By August-September 2020, around 88 percent of the same demographic returned to work once the initial lockdown was relaxed. On the flip side, of the 10 percent working-age women who were employed pre-pandemic, only 53 percent returned or even retained employment during August-September 2020. 

Work From Home and the Myth of Ease for Women

Anjana (name changed on conditions of anonymity) wakes up every day at 6 AM. Her job as a junior data analyst for a famous e-commerce website requires her to report to duty (on Microsoft Teams) at 9 AM. I ask her why she wakes up three hours early, and she tells me that because the lockdown is still prevalent in some states, outside help is not an option. As such, the burden of cleaning the house, preparing food, and taking care of her elderly mother falls upon her. She finds it easier to resolve household chores before her husband and son wake up. Her manager, she tells me, is not big on giving breaks during her work hours, and the possibility of taking a break for doing housework is slim. 

Anjana isn’t the only one who finds herself confronting the Double Burden that many working women face. Deloitte’s 2020 survey titled ‘Understanding the pandemic’s impact on working women’, which accounts for nearly 400 working women across nine countries, reveals some telling facts. 65 percent of women stated that they now have more responsibility for household chores, while 53 percent of working mothers reported increased education/home-schooling responsibilities. Ashwini Deshpande’s 2020 article titled ‘What Does Work-From-Home Mean for Women?’ backs up the statistics regarding homeschooling. 

There is a distinction drawn between the impact WFH has on caregivers (like Anjana) vs non-caregivers. Caregivers (around 46 percent) felt the pressure to be available even during their off-hours. Some effects, however, cut across such distinctions, as a quarter of the women surveyed reported ‘heightened demands on their personal time and daily routines report having less time to prioritize their health and wellbeing’. Around 54 percent of those adversely impacted believe their male colleagues have not been affected to the same degree by the pandemic.

The Need to ‘Perform’ During a Pandemic and Lack of Mentorship

WFH brings with it the assumption that a remote setting allows employees to be available all the time. However, data suggests that it hampers employees’ headspace. Women, who already have other household responsibilities, draw the short stick here. 29 percent of the women surveyed by Deloitte felt that if they did not deliver in an on-demand work environment, their unavailability can impact their career progression.

When asked about what is required to move up in their organization, and what causes them to question whether they want to progress at all, one of the factors that women mentioned was a lack of formal mentorship programs (26 percent attested to this). It is already documented how a lack of sponsorship keeps women from leadership roles, and it seems the phenomenon has resurfaced for the WFH ethos as well.

The Path Forward: Recognizing Problems and Working on Them

The WFH culture shows promise in the ways of potentially opening up access to women in terms of job opportunities. An example is how because of the remote nature of work, one needn’t relocate to a distant geographic location – possibly away from their families. However, such potential can only be realized if negative factors are removed from the equation and the entire WFH ethos becomes more equitable. 

Here are some ways organizations can achieve this balance – 

• • Flexible Work/Life Balance – 45 percent of the women surveyed by Deloitte stated that their organizations could provide better benefits, be it byways of parental leaves or sick leaves. It’s evident that WFH doesn’t necessarily always mean ‘more time’ or ‘more comfort’, as women have to grapple with other responsibilities as well, leaving essentially little to no time for themselves. Flexible work culture is one that is supportive of what may come up during the proceedings of the day, and providing the benefit of rest and recuperation to avoid burnout during a lockdown.
  • Cognizance of Diversity and Inclusion – Around 30 percent of the surveyed women reported that a non-inclusive environment supporting microaggressions is a big deterrent for their job longevity. A WFH culture must not detract HR bodies from enforcing D&I policies. Pallavi (Founder, Ungender) says,                                                                                     

“Companies need to look at DEI as an experiential element instead of the gender ratios. The day companies recognise that diversity is intersectional, inclusion is to be experienced and equity is to be created as a strategy, it will not matter whether employees are working from home or from a physical office space.”                                                                                         

They can learn more about microaggressions, how they affect the experience of women and the ABCs of Diversity and Inclusion. Around 55 percent of the respondents also stated that a pay raise/ promotion can help them work better. While treading down this path, organizations need to ensure that unconscious bias doesn’t factor into evaluating output, results, etc.

• Adaptive Leadership and Mentorship – Resources like Zoom and MS Teams are only powerful if they can be integrated into the work ecosystem a company fosters. Moreover, 37 percent of the respondents from the Deloitte survey stated that networking and mentorship can be beneficial to their career paths, and such opportunities should take into account the situations women face. For example – a mentorship meeting that takes place during breakfast hours could potentially exclude women who need to prepare breakfast for their families. Alisha (Business Growth Manager, Ungender) says,

“In times like these where the only thing uniting teams is communication, workplaces need to double up on building conversations around D&I and discussing different D&I issues with their employees. It could be through weekly emails, slack channels or even invest in technology solutions that allow employees to understand D&I mandates better.”

In addition to these, companies can consult Diversity and Inclusion firms o improve their D&I standing in the corporate world. WFH opens up new avenues and opportunities for firms to be more inclusive, and specialized training programs can go a long way in ensuring their workplace becomes more equitable. 

How POSH Policies Affect WFH 

The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act of 2013, or PoSH, has an elaborate, yet non-exhaustive definition that goes beyond a simplistic notion of the workplace. It applies to a WFH setting as well, and because of its broad scope, the online setting also comes under ‘workplace’. For example – laws against sexual harassment apply even during the WFH phase, and interns receive the same protection. For further foolproofing, HR bodies can go ahead and make sure their offices are PoSH compliant. 

Most employees don’t know their rights or how the POSH policy covers their grievances. Organizations today need efficient systems that bring their culture of care to their employees. ✔

— Ungender (@UngenderTalks) July 21, 2021

Conclusion

Women have been practicing Work From Home for generations, and most of the time their efforts have been underpaid (if not unpaid), and their work undervalued. The lockdown provides us a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to re-evaluate the way we value work and the WFH culture gives corporates an opportunity to mould a work culture, whether in-office, WFH, or even hybrid, that pays attention to the issues women face, recognizing the ways in which it could affect their productivity, and then taking steps to make the work environment a more equitable one.

About the author: Aahil is a second year student of political science at Delhi University. He’s interested in politics and pop culture and everything in between.

Ungender Insights is the product of our learning from advisory work at Ungender. Our team specializes in advising workplaces on workplace diversity and inclusion. Write to us at contact@ungender.in to understand how we can partner with your organization to build a more inclusive workplace.