Megha Kurup is a dynamic business leader with diverse experience across finance, healthcare, and technology sectors. Known for her visionary leadership, she excels in navigating complex challenges and achieving outstanding outcomes.
In a recent conversation with Women Entrepreneurs Review magazine, Megha discusses adapting gender equality initiatives to evolving landscapes and the role of technology in fostering inclusive workplaces in APAC. She highlights unique cultural challenges and strategies for organizations to navigate them, emphasizing executive leadership's pivotal role in driving societal change.
By the rapidly evolving nature of work and the increasing importance of remote and flexible arrangements, how do you see gender equality initiatives adapting to these changes? What role can technology play in facilitating gender-inclusive workplaces in APAC?
The remote and flexible working design has proven to be a win-win as this is a good retention benefit for companies and also the employees are happy with more time to focus on their personal interests that passionate them.
The evolving trend of fostering an inclusive ‘remote-first’ culture is proving to be lucrative as it not only empowers all employees equally to optimize their productivity but also brings in significant changes in company’s growth progress. This also works as a fantastic tool to eliminate the feeling of discrimination that feminine gender has more flexibilities than rest of the working peers.
The remote-first culture demands for a work environment that gives equal focus to People and Information empowered by productivity tools and process setup effectively to ensure asynchronous communication, strong documentation/ records of all the key discussion, ideas, changes in a centralized portal.
Remote-first tools including remote working software and platforms that enable people with chat tools, digital workspaces, file sharing and storage, videoconference and other virtual meeting tools.
With Generative AI being the unignorable tool moving forward, the predictions are that the skillset required for the jobs globally will change upto 68% in next five years. There will be stronger need to fulfill the gaps of what AI cannot offer which will result in more focus towards soft and interpersonal skills that will help to work in collaboration.
On the flip side, these provisions may rise to a different set of concerns as female professionals are said to witness maximum burnout while managing work and family at 100% efficiency and effectiveness both from home.
Research has shown that when there is diversity in the demographics of the workforce, it has always resulted inpositive impact from business perspective.
The earlier trending ‘remote-friendly’ approach had seen similar highs but gradually giving rise to deceptions like ‘Presenteeism’ because it is difficult for Manager to unlearn the ‘in-person culture’which equates people in office to productivity.
In your experience, what are some unique cultural or societal challenges faced in different APAC countries when it comes to achieving gender equality in the workplace? How can organizations effectively navigate these challenges to foster inclusivity and drive success?
Gender equality in workplace is achieved when professionals feel they are respected and treated fairly at workplace in various aspects like equal compensation, rewards, resources and flexibility.
Some countries in APAC have made advancements in gender equity with their increased female workforce participation. However, they have a long way to go in terms of its share of women in leadership.
On gender equality in society, many Asian countries have been significantly ahead of the rest in providing essential services such as education, reproductive and overall health. However, where they lack behind isfinancial and digital inclusion and significantly concerning are legal protection and political voice. Physical security and independence remains a concern in many parts of the APAC region—and globally.
Though there is a paradigm shift in the mindset of the society for woman advancement, gender inequality remains high in sharing unpaid care responsibilitieslike managing home, family, running household chores and in turn affecting their career advancement.
To achieve this significant boost in growth of gender inclusivity, companies need toencourage different working provisions for woman (part-time versus full time mix jobs). This approach needs to be equally accompanied byfacilities to ensure timely education and vocational training systems to keep pace with rapid technological changes that are altering jobs and creating new types of job.
You will also witness few highly capable female leadership who have opted themselves out of the competition for certain leadership roles as it is not aligned to their personal belief of deriving meaning in whatever they do.
A lot of positive changes in this mindset can be attained through organizational and individual coaching.
Companies need to have initiatives like setting general forums within the organization which will focus on counselling employees to introspect themselves and understand the difference between their personal aspirations and the socially constructed aspirations.
Another important dimension that companies need to keep a close watch is the cultural and demographic shifts about gender - this discrimination is generally experienced by transgender. Many companies are coping up by ensuring fair and effective policies but this topic is still in a long way towards acceptance. This calls for increased awareness of workforce on the equal rights and capabilities of workforce irrespective of your gender.
Another key factor contributing to gender wage gaps is parenthood: the fact that mothers earn less than their childless female peers which is often referred as the ‘motherhood penalty’, while fathers earn more than their childless male peers.
All these factors callout for an equal or rather stronger focus by companies to ensure that Gender Equality concept is adopted not only at workplace but understood and implemented in their personal lives.
Additionally, companies should have policies that accommodate the legal specifications for maternity leave and also have similar focus on paternity leave so that fathers can bond with the new born and share equal or more responsibilities at home during such life events.
We also encounter some level of reluctance from male employees towards mentoring female employees due to growing strictness and case studies with the harassment rules. Companies need to hold awareness and counselling sessions to ensure a right mindset towards working together for the common goal which will yield mutual growth.
In your opinion, what are the key metrics or indicators that organizations should track to measure the effectiveness of their gender equality initiatives in the APAC region, and how can these insights inform strategic decision-making at both regional and global levels?
Majority of the organizations today use the metrices of overall gender balance in terms of headcount, gender representation in C suite, Sr Managers and Manager levels and ensuring equal career development opportunities are available. Companies have pay-equity tools to ensure the principle of ‘equal pay for equal work’.
Performance evaluation should be based on the quantified goals of productivity and completion of mandatory training sessions which should be specially designed ensure there is no gap in the classroom sessions versus remotely held ones.
With the increasing focus on sustainability and corporate social responsibility, how can organizations in APAC leverage their commitment to gender equality as a competitive advantage, both in terms of attracting customers and investors, and fostering long-term organizational resilience?
Companies need to continue broadcasting their talent attraction and retention strategies with a focus on highlighting gender-inclusive policies and flexible work arrangements. Many companies offer second career opportunities for women returning to the workforceafter a career break.
Have more employee awareness sessions on topics on how Gender diversity gives boost to company’s creativity and innovation.
Such practices make you a stronger employer brand as customers and investors increasingly value companies with strong ethical practices.
In your experience, what role do executive leaders play in championing gender equality within organizations, and how can their active involvement and advocacy influence broader societal change beyond the workplace in the APAC region?
Leaders are the Influencers in workplace who play vital role in fostering an inclusive work environment which actively challenge the gender stereotypes and bias. Their every move creates impact and creates trends. ‘Lead with Example’ is always a successful mantra when it comes to bringing in championing any change in society. Also, leaders should embed the gender equity in the company’s vision and strategic goals, promote policies for pay equity, equal opportunities and work-life balance to all employees. They should invest in initiatives which support women led business and ensure your male staff are the ones who support and help to plan such initiatives.
One of the unique ways to bring up some innovative friendly workplace policies is to have an inclusive approach where male employees help to formulate policies for woman staff.
This could enable some new ways to look at the situation and also they have a sense of ownership and accountability to support the cause and will address the unconscious biasness.
What do you envision as the future of gender equality in the workplace in APAC, and what actionable steps can organizations take today to stay ahead of the curve and drive meaningful progress towards a more inclusive and successful future?
- Companies should continue focusing on female workforce participationand increase awareness of the Boardwhich will open up opportunities to raise economic participation resulting in potentially improving gender equality in society which is a significant CSR.To effective utilize these benefits, women need to be able to free up some of their time invested in unpaid home/careactivities and focus ontheir professional career.
The government and companies need to have the same goals and facilitate to ensure affordable childcare, improving household and transport infrastructure.
There should be continued awareness spread in the society about sharing unpaidhome/care more equally between men and women.
Companies can reinforce that with policies promoting parental leave and flexible working.
- Most countries have similar barriers to women rising to leadership roles in business, namely cultural expectations that women should prioritize childcare over their careers, a lack of suitable or affordable childcare, unconscious bias in the workplace, a lack of role models and sponsors, and, perhaps critically, a failure by many companies to offer flexible working options.
- Governments can influence the talent pipeline through education and training, legislation, fiscal measures, and political leadership. They can also improve diversity in public services in their capacity as employers. Companies need to embed gender diversity into their operations from top to bottom, with clear managerial commitment to equality in the workplace, processes to back up that standard, the provision of flexible working to ensure that employees can achieve work–life balance, and programs that explicitly provide mentorship, skills building, and networking for women.Managers to ensure mandatory trainings for the digital technologies for their workforce. Special focus on identifying the skillset and technology gap that their female staff have and work towards narrowing those gaps.
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