A recent research study shows that the number of women members on the Corporate Boards of organizations in India is a mere 4%. (Source: Review of the balance sheets of 175 companies). The study throws up another interesting fact - 50% of women Board members are related to the Chairman or CEO either as mother, sister, wife or daughter. This means that just 2% of the members have attained the top position in organizations.

The National Census conducted across the country every 10 years shows that close to 50% of the overall population in India is women. In the last couple of decades, there has been a steady and significant increase in the number of women joining the workforce. This has been catapulted by the emergence and rapid growth of the services sector, that has provided a better working environment for women and leveraged their natural talents, that the factories and manufacturing facilities could not, unless it was say a high-technology/pharmaceutical plant.

Another important thing to note is that in India, there have been exclusive women’s colleges in existence for decades. In fact, some of them have been established even before India attained its freedom from British rule. To quote a few examples, Women’s Christian College in Chennai (founded in 1915), Women’s Christian College, Kolkata (1945), St. .Xaviers, Mumbai (1868), Women’s College, Kolkata (1937), Mount Caramel Bangalore (1948). Several colleges celebrated their Golden Jubilee years in the last few years, e.g. the Lady Shri Ram in 2005. Such colleges have been a lighthouse of learning and significantly for the nation, have been successfully producing a large number of women graduates and post graduates. Besides these prestigious institutes which continue to be held with great esteem, a large number of medical, engineering and management schools have come up, which have a good proportion of girl students.

So if there’s such a rich woman talent pool and there are industries that provide a better enabling environment for women employees, the million dollar question is – where are all these well educated women, and why are they not among the top positions in organizations?

An obvious response – which definitely has more than a grain of truth at least in the Indian context – is that the majority of them have preferred to become home makers at some stage in their career, and only a few really focused on building their careers as a long term commitment, like men do.

Is it because women experience the pain of a ‘glass ceiling’ to reach senior levels – something that is never talked about or blatantly visible, but only to be felt, experienced, and that too only by women employees. Several Western countries have been having debates on whether such a glass ceiling indeed exists…do such discussions happen in India? Is it high time such a dialog started in India?

Let’s look at India a little more closely. Traditionally in India, educated women  have been employed as nurses, teachers, secretaries, and bank employees. The new economy sectors such as IT and ITES have provided employment opportunities for women like none before. At ‘skilled category’ level, a small percentage of women work in facilities like precision component assembly units, where the dexterity with which they use their fingers make them a perfect fit for the role. Then, of course there are industries like apparel, fashion, jewelry, advertising, etc, that play to the creative talents in women.

Over the last decade, realizing the benefits of having a diverse workforce for business performance, several global organizations have started Diversity programs. One common initiative is to make conscious efforts to increase the percentage of women at various levels in their organizations – in other words, diversity metrics like % women in the workforce.

However, it must be said that through all these efforts, we are only scratching at the surface as the corporate world is missing out on a large productive population out there who’s still not part of the labor force.

Here’s where I’d like to ask - Can we as HR professionals, revisit some of the moth-balled excuses and prejudices that still exist for not recruiting women, e.g. “The moment she gets married, she’d leave her job’, ‘she takes leave often to attend to her family needs, ‘she can’t work late in case of urgent deadlines’, ‘Maternity leave is expensive and it means I will not have a team member for 90 days or more, ‘she can’t go on tours’, ‘a majority of women are not REALLY serious about their careers”…and so on.

Wearing the hat of a pragmatist, in today’s context, dual household income has almost become a must due to factors like increasing consumerism, high cost of living, a strong desire to ‘do the best’ for our children, e.g. providing best possible schooling and facilities to our children, etc…In such a situation, can women from middle class families afford not to consider having a working  career and be content just being a homemaker?

Can we then be aware and reflect upon our own biases, prejudices and fears as HR professionals and human beings? Before we convince the line managers and the top management, it’s important that we have a strong conviction that having a greater representation of women in our organization will lead to improved business performance and foster harmony at the workplace.

So, when we are next hiring for a position, let’s ask ourselves: Can this responsibilities of this position be carried out well by both a competent man or woman?

Uncategorized Dr. PVR Murthy

I recently attended a debate in an MBA College on, “Responding to Economic Slow down”.

Speaker after speaker was stressing that Indian companies should not hesitate to lay off /retrench/down size/rationalise manpower.

They also went on saying that HR in India can only add numbers but is not trained to reduce manpower in times of need.Some even went to the extent of arguing that HR is too scared to handle any backlash.Some speakers opined that HR in India is too soft and in their heart of hearts would not like to send any one home.The “Pink Slippers”expressed that the HR in India should learn from western HR practices where the manpower can be  chopped on a weekend.

The opposite camp vehemently opposed them by saying that in India , there is no proper social security system or unemployment insurance. They added that those employees losing jobs will be on the roads with families as they can not get alternate jobs easily during these days….

Some of them quoted figures of labour cost in percentage terms as very low in India and hence energy should be spent on reducing other costs than employee costs alone.

Quoting example of aviation industry , a speaker opined that instead of stopping salaries , management and government should focus on cost of aviation fuel as it accounts for much higher cost.

As a moderator of the discussion,I got confused as I could see merits in both the sides of argument….

As I was wondering what to say, the tea break was announced to my great solace.rescuing me……

Uncategorized Dr. PVR Murthy

I recently attended a marriage in the family of a HR professional, a friend for decades, where I was pleasantly surprised to watch an incident on the dais. A batch of union leaders from the company he left ten years back were hugging him with joy written all over their faces and wishing him and his family.

I couldn’t believe it as during these days we hardly come across any farewell parties even when the person is leaving the company and here are these persons coming all the way to wish him even ten years after he left them. I couldn’t imagine how he was able to earn and sustain such a long lasting personal credibility and popularity.

I pulled my friend aside and asked him how it is happening… He smiled and said, “Well , to tell you the truth ,I also don’t know it but come to think of it I was just myself…”

His simple reply triggered a few thoughts…

Personal credibility is a building block for trust,Personal Credibility is a quality or a power and capability to elicit belief and make others rally around. Classic example that comes to my mind as to how personal credibility helps is the case from scripture Mahabharat, where Dharmaraj got credibility as a person who never lies and speaks truth only. Hence with that credibility, even when he lied that Aswathama died, every one believed him including Aswathama’s father.

Results of a research study flashed in my mind - -a research by  University of Michigan Business School (HRCS Study) which concluded that among the five factors essential for success of HR professionals of today , their personal credibility is the top most rated competence.

Needless to mention, a HR person with credibility can sell ideas faster, manage changes, respond to crisis quickly and manage it successfully.Personal Credibility enables any HR professional to become intimately involved with the organisation at a strategic level. A HR person not so trusted would invariably be left out of Strategic HR interventions.. Thus it makes him effective or ineffective in his role.

I was also reminded of a book by Sandy Allgeier titled , “The Personal Credibility Factor: How to Get It, Keep It, and Get It Back (If You’ve Lost It)   (Amazon) where the author presents how does one build personal credibility through simple steps like : Forget Power,Position,Status and other Nonsense; Honor commitments and Avoid Gossip ; Know yourself -Good ,Bad and Ugly…; Respect Others as they are ; .Ask More and Listen More…

All these simple sounding but practical mantras sound good but who is the real internal customer of HR, who can build or dismantle credibility of HR folks ?.

Is it the top management?

or is it the Union Leaders ? or Employees at large ?

or fellow management team? Or fellow HR Team?

Or is the immediate boss ?

And if none of them who else??.

A satisfied and happy internal customer may or may not convey his happiness to his/her friends but a discontented internal customer invariably shares the anger with a lot of his friends. And if all or some of the above cited members are HR’s internal customers, how does a HR Professional balance conflicting interests and expectations from these different internal customers as often they build or dismantle the credibility or image of HR folks.

In absolute terms, probably, HR Fraternity has to set self-defined standards and compete with the same to enhance value through innovative HR interventions as Dr.Santrupt Mishra said in some context (2002) .

While the HR function’s credibility is impacted by its internal customers, may be the HR professional’s personal credibility gets carried along with him/her to which ever company he goes. Where ever he/she moves, his /her personal credibility follows like a shadow or  the Hutch Dog in the ad and some times even the image foreruns before he/she joins the new company.

Hence every HR professional in one’s own interest, build , nurture one’s credibility and guard it by one,s actions.

The HR professional has to

· look at long term interests rather than short term excitements,

· walk the talk, through leading by example,operate not by one’s own power or position but by his expertise as also in this knowledge era only knowledge gets respected not the        position he /she holds

· authentic while meeting the conflicting expectations

· cater to internal customers with genuine service orientation.

My friend’s simple reply, “I was my self” made profound sense.

But the challenge seems to be to establish personal rapport with employees in an environment with increasing out sourcing of HR services ?

-How does any HR professional , avoid alienation from his/her internal customers while attaining benefits of HR Out sourcing like enhanced bottom-line and efficiency in service ?

The author Dr.PVR Murthy,is founder CEO of a leading Search Firm –Exclusive Search Recruitment Consultants  and can be reached at pvrmurthy@exclusivesearch.com

Personal Credibility Dr. PVR Murthy