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organisational culture. Line Managers and Supervisors need to be trained and
sensitised on WfH modalities and expectations, because I see mind-set change as
one of the biggest challenges. We need to learn to evaluate output and
contribution, rather than those who are present.
Women need to be provided with an enabling environment to be productive,
positive and engaged. Personalised coaching, opportunities for learning and
growth and support for mental well-being, in a culture that is inclusive, fair,
collaborative and enables all employees, including women, to step into leadership
roles, is vital for any organisation to succeed.
At the end of the day, businesses need to be future-ready and adapt to the
changing demands of time. We need to be prepared for repeated cycles of similar
pandemics and have in place a robust system that can withstand disruptions and
ensure that our employees remain safe and our operations continue. Going
forward, we should use this crisis to transform our workplaces to be more flexible
and agile, integrate new-age technologies and flexible ways of working that
contribute to increased productivity and performance for sustained business
growth.
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Ms. Vartika Shukla, Director-Technical, Engineers India Limited
Ms. Vartika Shukla, working as Director-Technical at Engineers India Limited, a
Navratna Company, serves at a senior management & decision making position. In her
view:
COVID-19 engulfed us in its enormity and has taught humanity many life changing
les sons. The pandemic has been a game changer on how things are perceived
not only at the personal or professional front, but also how human beings need to
align themselves to meet the challenges while fulfilling their purpose and enriching
their lives with more meaningful aspects.
The situation has equally and often largely affected women. The social structure
of India often needs most women to shoulder more responsibility in managing the
household and also be the primary caregiver. The dichotomies become further
enlarged when the same women have personal and professional aspirations and
want to make a difference at their workplaces; such paradoxes have been the
origin of most debates on work-life balance.
The prevalence of Work from Home arrangements, necessitated by this
Pandemic, have presented women working in PSE with an opportunity to redefine
their roles both at home and at work. Women now have to make additional efforts
to structure their day and compartmentalize their roles so that they can continue to
be productive and add-value both in offices and WfH. Although the flexibility of
40 Ms. Vartika Shukla has been selected as the first woman CMD of Engineers India Limited.
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