“Professional space must accommodate my personal traumas instead of aggravating them” said a Professor from a reputed University, in a workshop “Wellbeing of Women at Work” on May 13^th at the American Center, Kolkata. It was a five hours long interactive and engaging workshop that was conducted with professionals from India and Nepal, as part of a project named “Women Wielding Workplace”, an initiative of Contact Base and US Consulate General Kolkata.

We are living in an age where the meaning and definition of work and workplace is going through huge change. This change accelerated during the pandemic when individuals had to work from home blurring the distinction of public and private space. Many organisations are now choosing to make location of work flexible for their employees. Thus, work is no longer associated with a particular geographical space. In this changed scenario, many women find it difficult to manage handling household chores and professional work at the same time.

According to the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report 2021, although women constitute about 48% of India’s population, their representation in the workforce is a mere 22%. For Bangladesh, women constitute 49% of the population and only 38% of them participate in the labour force. For Nepal, 85% of women are active in the labour force in comparison to 86% men.

South Asia does not show increase in trend of women participation in workforce. It is a ground reality that low trends in female work force participation leads to loss in GDP. According to the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report 2021, although women constitute about 48% of India’s population, their representation in the workforce is a mere 22%. For Bangladesh, women constitute 49% of the population and only 38% of them participate in the labour force. For Nepal, 85% of women are active in the labour force in comparison to 86% men. Causal factors behind this low economic participation of women need to be addressed through multipronged and multi level action by government, educational and skill development institutions, private sectors, civil society, media, law enforcement agencies and others to bring about a positive shift in gender norms, strengthen career preparedness and access to decent work, ensuring gender friendly workspaces and employment policies, and achieve gender diversity and gender parity in workplace. COVID 19 has brought in new challenges. According to UNDESA and Department of Economic and Social Affairs, UN, data from India indicates that in the first lockdown in 2020, only 7 percent of men lost their jobs, compared to 47 per cent of women.

Mr James Moore, Public Diplomacy Officer, US Consulate General opened the workshop with the remark that for a nation to flourish we must ensure maintaining the wellbeing and mental health of our women. It is time we give maximum priority to mental health conditions of women especially at work, keeping in mind the ground realities of the burden of managing both home and office. Organizations need to ensure equal pay at work. Families need to ensure equal share of domestic work and there must be an end to domestic violence and any kind of violence against women.

The burden of repetitive, time consuming, and often physically demanding domestic tasks which make up considerable share of women’s total unpaid work burden, often causes substantial fatigue and stress affecting their wellbeing. International Labour Organisation (ILO) Report 2018 mentions that women from Asia and the Pacific spend 4.1 times more time in unpaid care work than men. The unequal distribution of unpaid care work between women and men represents an infringement of women’s rights (UN, 2013) and also a brake on their economic empowerment.

Wellbeing and mental health are the two associated components that need maximum consideration in today’s age. The starting point of the workshop was exploring different perspectives of wellbeing of women at work. One of the professionals in the finance sector mentioned that many organisations refrain from employing women as employees as the work entails long hours and site visits which become extremely unviable for many women employees. Problem of finding a proper hygienic washroom in extreme locations, odd hour of returning home is few of the many problems that are faced by women. One needs to ensure safe, secured and separate accommodation for women when they have to go for on-site office visits. This increases the cost to be borne by the employers. The problem of having adequate lodging for women employees was shared in the light that it is easier to share accommodations if all are male. One of the participants asked why the option of having all women at site was not considered. Going back to the point made by the Professor, the effort must be how to bring one’s self and experiences in the workplace and address them in an empathetic manner. Several women participants shared their experiences on impositions faced regarding attire and demeanor.

Participants discussed how the idea of a “woman-professional” itself is problematic. Our societal structure and mind-sets have been designed in such a way that we often forget that a ‘woman-professional’ is an individual and therefore must not be evaluated for job-entry for the sake of her gender. In a workspace a woman has to raise her voice or even fight to get access to the resources that are necessary for her to continue work. For example, a separate toilet with dustbins to dispose of sanitary napkins is often not available. Unlike men, a woman has to ensure that her children and her immediate family are taken care of. Further social norms dictate that women should invalidate her needs.

A HR Manager of a reputed Hospital in Kolkata shared about the challenging lives of the women front line workers such as the emergency personnel in ambulance. These women work in adverse working conditions. It often becomes difficult for them to change their clothes when they are on the go. The sanitation facilities, absence of clean toilets are issues they have to deal with on a regular basis. Apart from infrastructural issues, the women have to face trust issues too. People are often seen questioning the credibility of women emergency health workers from the point of view of physical strength. This again leads to low employment of women in such professions.

These discussions bring us to an important point that needs to be taken into notice. The workshop facilitator, renowned psychologist and mental health activist, Ms. Ratnabali Ray raised the question “ Are workplaces not yet ready to accommodate women employees?”. She urged all HR professionals and managers across organisations to approach gender from an intersectional view point. It is difficult to generalize all women and their problems under one category of “women employees”. There must be a general consensus regarding the fact that women across race, culture, socio-economies, caste, and class are varied; their experiences are different. In this regard, organisations (organised or unorganised sector) need to develop a framework with regard to women employees. Policies must be drafted in such a manner that it accommodates women from all caste/class/socio-economic categories. Most importantly, organisations despite their sectoral classifications must initiate dialogues around safeguarding wellbeing and mental health conditions of women. Organisations must think of architecting a larger ecosystem incorporating both the society and family together to provide a better and peaceful working environment for women. This framework must include proper need assessment of problems faced by women employees and alsoaccess to better and appropriate infrastructure and space.

The discussion next focused on women who are from under privileged backgrounds. One of the participants who have been working with the vulnerable communities of Sundarbans quickly reflected on how lives of women in those areas are difficult and very different from women in the urban areas. Women living in remote rural areas, unlike their urban counterparts’, face problems that are very basic such as challenges in mobility during evening or night. The challenges of women sex workers were also highlighted.

Five case studies were shared, each reflecting on situation of women from different socio-economic backgrounds. Participants had to put themselves into the shoes of HR Managers of a company and evaluate the circumstances. Through these case studies the participants analysed their situations and came up with some insights. When it comes to making a decision by an HR, she/he must take into consideration a holistic view point; both from the angle of the organization and also from the perspective of the employee. Safeguarding both the wellbeing of an organization and its employee are crucial.

As discussion on wellbeing of women at work deepened, participants in the workshop mentioned toxicity of social and audio visual media and how media being the reflection of society at large often negatively affects women and eventually corners them. At one point, the facilitator mentioned how stigma and discriminations are contributors in hampering the wellbeing of women at work. Mental wellbeing of employees in workplace gets affected by time structure, social contact, collective effort and purpose, social identity, physical security and equitable pay. Employers need to promote good mental health for its workers especially the women for better wellbeing and productivity. Organisations need to upgrade their efficiency by encouraging employers to seek ways of enhancing performances of employees and avoid losses associated with health or safety.

In this context, there is a need to adopt a framework wherein organisations are able to create an environment that does not question the credibility of a woman employee on the basis of her gender affiliation, rather caters to her basic needs, by making her feel comfortable. Every professional in a leadership role must understand that ensuring wellbeing means bringing in the dimensions of physical, mental, emotional and financial wellbeing into consideration. A workplace should be such, where a woman must not feel threatened, rather feel comfortable and be able to express ones’ authentic self. The question that must be raised among the women employees is pertaining to what kind of feeling is generated within them when we speak of work. Employee wellbeing does not mean the organization only takes care of her/his physical and financial wellbeing. Rather, it should also imply mental/ emotional fabric of health and how can we look at productivity from that lens. Employers must relook and explore the definitions of productivity at work. Organisations must also explore mechanisms to enhance wellbeing of its employees. Incentivizing employees in the form of simple appreciation of work or rewarding or financial increment or promotions can be a leveraging factor. The leadership team must focus on strategies to increase productivity, involvement recognition and positivity of employees. Thus, the catalysts of wellbeing in work-place are incentivizing, belonging and connectedness.

The framework to ensure wellbeing of women employees at work must entail:

1. Incentivizing: it is important to increase interests of the employees and this could be done through appreciation, monetary incentives or promotions
2. Belonging: to ensure wellbeing, it is necessary to gain trust of the employees and that could be done through the feeling of belongingness
3. Connectedness: Employees must be able to connect with the office environment, the activities and also with their colleagues

The HR Managers of companies must refrain from labelling their employees across hierarchies. Every organization must revisit the definition of ‘productivity’. Productivity does not always mean ‘doing it’. Employers must push their colleagues to take a pause between work and reflect or think about their activities. The need for right to leisure at work and access to leisure and pleasure for improved quality of work was highlighted. Example of team lunch for facilitating leisure break was shared. It is important that an employee irrespective of their gender realise the rationale of performing any activity. Women, who are managing both household chores and the workplace at the sametime, often fail to pause their activities. She keeps on continuing doing both the jobs and does not want to take help. This worsens their mental wellbeing, resulting into toxic positivity. Dr. Anuttama Banerjee here mentions “If you are not feeling well, it’s absolutely okay”. We are often asked to be professional in the office space. But what we do not realise is that the definition of professional is desensitization and unemotional, forcing an individual not to bring her/his sense of ‘self’ at the workplace. One must question, why do we have to always to switch on our employee mode and internalize the idea of ‘duty’. Women here are the worst victims of this ‘duty’ wherein she not only believes her office space to be her duty but also her home. It is the responsibility of the society at large to focus on the ‘Quality work life” in order to ensure enhanced wellbeing.

Some recommendations and best practices were shared during this workshop with regard to formulation and implementation of all-inclusive wellbeing policies especially for women workers:

1. Awareness workshops on factors affecting health and wellbeing,
2. Screening programmes to detect risk factors or early signs of disease,
3. Presence of meditation centers/fitness areas, counselling sessions and support groups.
4. Incorporating need to have work-life balance
5. Importance of sabbatical and giving opportunity for safe career breaks
6. Ensuring dignity of employees and making efforts to reduce impact of stress on employees.
7. Having “Empathy Circle” wherein employees can share their problems, situations with one another without being opinionated or getting judgmental.
8. Leave options to support care giving or menstrual health concerns
9. Flexible work hours
10. Choice of working at home

Policies must include providing enabling factors at the government level and at the corporate level. These policies must be made in such a manner that the rules are flexible and allows employers to be empathetic towards their employees. Policies at organsational level needs to be intolerant towards violation of a woman’s rights. Maternity leave is a major concern. We need more women in leadership roles not only to advocate policies but also to create more role models and influencers of change. If infrastructure cost is considered uneconomical (for created resources for women); the organization needs to employ more women. So, in other words policy needs to be more inclusive towards women. These discussions were free-flowing and allowed lot of participation. Maximum response came in when the facilitators asked them to share their experiences. Most of them realized that this is an issue that must be considered seriously by every organization that is aiming towards huge growth and actual impact.