Interweave in the news!

.........The idea for Interweave came directly from Nirmala’s experience with IBM where she was part of the global management development team that focussed specifically on Diversity and multi-cultural inclusion. Having worked with IBM for five years in several countries around the world on this initiative, she was the Diversity and Employee Relations Lead for IBM in India when she quit in 2005. In 2006, she had the idea of pioneering work in this space on a larger scale in India. Ironically, IBM was her first client and Interweave has gone on to work with several other Fortune 500 companies over the last few years.

Interweave began as a proprietorship – a one-woman army actively crusading for a culture change well before D&I was a subject of conversation at business meetings in India. “Challenging work and the thrill of creating niche offerings and the excitement of being pioneers in the space were what kept us going for a good part of the initial three years. We registered as a Private Ltd. company in late 2007 with two employees and have since grown to be a team of 10 across Bangalore, Gurgaon, and Mumbai,” says Nirmala......

Prashant, Kalpana, Nimmi (L to R)

Read more about our coverage in yourstory.in by clicking on: http://yourstory.in/2012/06/interweave-provides-diversity-management-and-inclusion-solutions-for-your-workplace/

Legal/Moral?

“A pregnant employee who was fired from her retail job after giving her supervisors a doctor’s note requesting she be allowed to refrain from heavy lifting and climbing ladders during the month and a half before her maternity leave: That’s what happened to Patricia Leahy. In 2008 a federal judge in Brooklyn ruled that her firing was fair because her employers were not obligated to accommodate her needs……... It happens every day to pregnant women in the United States, and it happens thanks to a gap between discrimination laws and disability laws. 

Federal and state laws ban discrimination against pregnant women in the workplace. And amendments to the Americans With Disabilities Act require employers to provide reasonable accommodations to disabled employees (including most employees with medical complications arising from pregnancies) who need them to do their jobs. But because pregnancy itself is not considered a disability, employers are not obligated to accommodate most pregnant workers in any way.” – Deccan Herald, 2 Feb 2012. 

Where do we draw the line between what’s legal and what’s right? If an employer is not held legally accountable for firing a woman who was pretty much fired for being pregnant, do you think that would affect the company? Is there a solution to this sort of thinking by the employer?

Is being a yes girl the right strategy? - by Monalisa Das (Mail India, Feb 2nd edition, Pages 24 & 25))

Meenakshi Nayar had the right mix of talent and dedication to take her places in the advertising world. After graduating from a leading media institute, Meenakshi took on a job with full zeal at an ad agency. She didn't mind the 14-hour days or work-filled weekends. No matter how over-burdened she was, she never refused work. "Saying no to boss was unthinkable," she says.

While her strategy seemed to be a good one initially, over time it backfired. Despite several promotions, Meenakshi feels she is treated like a doormat in office. "My team members and boss just keep dumping work on me but never ask for my opinion. I can't recall the last time I went home for Diwali or took a day off," she declares. "It really hurts that despite my initiative and dedication, I haven't earned respect. Even my juniors have a bigger say in matters than me," she says. Meenakshi admits that being a "yes girl" has been a big mistake.

Speak your mind
Experts say Meenakshi's frustration is shared by most working professionals, especially women, in the Indian corporate world. "Blame it on cultural upbringing or the pluralistic society, women haven't yet learned to speak up. They may be extremely hard working but don't claim credit for their work or negotiate properly. They also find it difficult to say no," says Srimathi Shivashankar, associate vice president, diversity & sustainability, HCL Technologies.

Nirmala Menon, founder and CEO of Interweave Consulting agrees. "Most women have a tendency to please others. Unlike men, they want to be seen as "nice" and are scared of confrontations or upsetting their colleagues with a no. But they need to unlearn this trait once they step into the corporate world, especially if they intend to assume leadership roles."

Menon's 20 years of experience in HR roles in India and the US have taught her that saying yes to every request may not always be right. "If you keep compromising on situations, the time will come when co-workers start treating you like a pushover," she says. Being over-burdened will ultimately affect your performance, which will end up being the company's loss too.

Assertiveness helps
Speaking up when faced with an unfair situation-be it the inequitable distribution of work or uncalled for comment-is crucial. "If you have gained the organisation's confidence and can clearly articulate your rationale, people will be willing to listen," says Mumbai-based Kanika Bhutani, senior manager, FIDS, Ernst & Young. Failure to speak up is often mistaken for a lack of competence or knowledge. "Women must learn to showcase their own competencies, abilities, achievements or simply just speak up more often in meetings," says Archana Bhaskar, global HR lead, OTC, Shell. While most women hesitate to speak up, those who assert themselves may go over the top. Hence, women come across either as yelling and dominating bosses or as submissive employees.

"You need to consciously practice how to express yourself politely but firmly without offending others. Another person's age or position should not bar you from speaking your mind," points out Meena Suri Wilson, senior enterprise associate, Center for Creative Leadership who comes with 15 years of work experience in the US and Asia. And if you have to say no, do it after careful consideration. "Saying no must be based on some facts, evidence or rationality else it will sound arrogant and unconvincing. People respect you when you sound reasonable," says expert on diversity issues, Shivashankar.


Glass ceiling exists
Another concern is the subtle bias that exists against women. "You are made to feel excluded in subtle ways. Organisations start giving you lighter roles after marriage and kids, assuming that you won't be able to deliver," says Menon. "This makes women so insecure that they hesitate to say no even when they need to. They end up committing beyond their capacity. Hence, confusion about where to draw the line prevails," says Priya Chetty-Rajagopal, vice president & partner, Stanton Chase International. It's the confusion that makes them either over commit, under commit or quit.

There is no denying the fact that women are under more pressure than men to strike a work-life balance. As a professional, however, a woman needs to be extremely clear about her priorities and stick with them. "Women must try to shift attention from gender issues to performance and work delivery because ultimately their talent really matters," says Bhaskar.

The best way to say no
Striking a balance between between agreeing to take on tasks and turning them down is very important. Gaining courage to say no to tasks in the workplace doesn't translate into shirking your professional commitments.

Also, if you have just taken on a job and start saying no to assignments right in the beginning, this won't be acceptable. You first need to prove yourself and create a reputation before you start raising objections. "It's about striking a balance between being naïve and saying yes to requests, and being arrogant and say saying no. You should be able to assess the situation and the relevance of your response to your career," suggests Shivashankar. The following tips will help.

Avoid responding immediately to requests to take on a new project, role or opportunity. It's best to sleep over it since a quick response doesn't ensure long-term foresight.

Next step is to create a mind map. "Assess if the new project is going to move you up in the career ladder. It could be in the form of new learning, networking with the senior management, better experience or simply a feel-good factor," says Shivashankar. If you decide to say no, frame it constructively with clarity and vision.

Acknowledge the good work you have done as this helps build your reputation and also makes it easier for your boss to deal with your no. "After every assignment, analyse how it helped you grow as a professional and how it contributed to the company's success," advises Wilson.

Share your learning with your boss- thank him for assigning you the task. "This will create the image of a proactive responsible professional. Saying no to certain things one off will become much easier if you appreciate a lot of other things regularly," she says.


Mail India 2nd Feb edition

Women's Networks... really the need of the hour??

A recent press release talked about a company celebrating diversity & inclusiveness and how as part of this effort, its women’s network is organising events in different cities around the country. 
Diversity & inclusiveness on the same page as women’s network? Isn’t this defeating the very purpose of treating women any different than male employees? Promoting a women’s-only network, is segregating women into a club, making them stand out rather than blend in. 

What can the network offer that can’t be accessed without? If pubs and bars that exclude women are offensive then aren’t women’s network the other side of the same coin? 

At a healthcare global major’s women’s network meet recently, Vinita Bali, CEO, Britannia Industries voiced her displeasure quite explicitly, asking working women not to expect to be treated any differently than men. In doing that, women are already setting the tone for a differential treatment, which eventually leads to them becoming victims of various stereotypes in the workplace. 
Nirmala, you would have graced many such women’s events in the various MNCs you work with. What are your thoughts on the need for such networks?

Making-up competence?

A recent Harvard study found that women with make-up are perceived as being more confident. As part of the study, respondents were shown pictures of many women – of different ages and racial backgrounds – with different levels of make-up. They rated the women who had worn visible make-up as looking more competent compared to those hadn’t.

So, where does it leave the average woman with a career? Will lipstick and eye-liner help her land plum posts? Feminists have lashed out against the findings.

Often, corporate careers place subtle demands on women to dress and behave in particular ways. However, can a woman not confirm to these expectations and still be successful? Can organisations truly value employees for their loyalty and work; not their skills with the eye-pencil and blush?

Use or abuse of diversity?

Bangalore’s Namma Metro has proudly said that 5 of its 32 operators will be women.

When companies publicize the fact that they hire people of specific diversity groups (women, physically challenged etc), especially in roles typically not held by those groups, does it create a feeling of goodwill among the public, or feel like the company is simply trying to make itself out to be a more sympathetic employer than its competitors?

Does it look like a hero, or an ordinary person posing as one?

Climbing the Corporate Ladder - Our Experience

Recently, we, at Interweave, met a high-energy and vibrant group of women.

This group of professional women had been nominated by their organsiations for our Open Program, Climbing the Corporate Ladder.

This program, aimed at identifying and addressing the unique challenges that professional women face, saw a powerful interaction not only between us and the women but also among one another. We recognize that each group of professionals brings a set of their own challenges to the workplace.

This program, however, explored the challenges that women deal with. The group explored concepts like assertiveness, learning to say no, dealing with power and conflict among others. We also facilitated the group to identify strategies that will help them effectively deal with such barriers so they can reach their full potential at work. Introspection naturally flowed into the session as more and more participants saw where they were being unfair in their high expectations of themselves, to perform well at both the work and home fronts. Listening to other participants share how they had dealt with the situation in their own way, brought new ideas to the table. The sense of camaraderie was quite high.

The program energized not only the participants but also us at Interweave!

We are looking forward to having such enriching experiences with more groups in the times ahead.

Is weight the new race?

Along with other dimensions such as race and gender, obesity has emerged as a new concern that calls for inclusion and diversity training. Overweight and obese people are often subject to discrimination in hiring, promoting and recruiting due to preconceived biases.

It is easy to understand why issues about obesity discrimination are being raised more frequently these days. Countries across the world are grappling with obesity issues. According to the American Obesity Association, 127 million adults in the US are overweight, 60 million are clinically obese, and 9 million are severely obese:  figures that constitute roughly 66% of the US population.

With one of the fastest growing diabetic population in the world, coupled with the modern sedentary lifestyle, India will soon face the reality of a workforce battling weight issues. Additionally, obesity carries huge social stigma, making it crucial for employers to address social stereotypes related to weight, such as laziness or lack of discipline, in the workplace.

Companies must sensitise managers and employees to the fact that weight issues are medically attributed to social, cultural, physiological, metabolic, and genetic factors; rather than negative stereotypes. As with any other discrimination, obesity related diversity begins with providing an environment that doesn’t encourage prejudice.

What you can do:

·         Practice diversity and inclusion right from recruitment through to training and management levels

·         Examine merit on individual basis

·         Making existing facilities used by employees readily accessible to and usable by overweight or obese people such as larger ergonomic chairs or specifically designed ladders and harnesses in factories

·         Job restructuring and/or modifying work schedules

·         Promote a healthy lifestyle within the company through healthy food choices in cafeterias and vending machines

·         Offer voluntary health risk appraisals through health plans and health professionals to obtain baseline data

·         Hold sessions on wellness, stress management, and other weight related ‘triggers’

Many organisations have recognised the reality that a combination of high-stress lifestyle, unhealthy foods and low exercise affects the mental and physical wellness of employees. However, while health programmes are a good idea, avoid those that specifically target obesity. A health programme should focus on health more than weight, so that there is no stigma attached to the programme.

Stigmatising on the basis of weight has the same detrimental effects on your business as with any other form of discrimination – it reduces the impact of your diversity and inclusion initiatives.

If your organisation is planning initiatives around diversity & inclusion, we at Interweave would be happy to help. 

Mentoring systems - Are they as effective as they could be?

Most reputed companies have an effective mentoring system in place, where new employees are assigned mentors, who will take their mentees’ career goals into account while helping them chart out their personal and professional paths. A mentor should be able to play the roles of ally, catalyst, networker, advocate, personal and professional developer, information source, listener, emotional supporter, role model and coach. The mentee should be a learner, self-developer, communicator, listener and implementer.

Would these mentoring systems be more effective if mentees had a say in whom they would like to have as their mentors, or is it better that they learn to look up to new types of people within their organisations rather than those they might have more in common with?

Climbing the Corporate Ladder

Find out about our one-day workshop, designed to help women build and sustain their personal power, in the invite below. Make sure you avail the Early Bird Offer!

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