45. PUSHING WOMEN'S ISSUES - AN UPHILL TASK (YEAR 1986)

STRESS, SUCCESS AND EVERYTHING IN-BETWEEN

The Highs and Lows of A Woman’s Journey in the Corporate World

CARE: This is Chapter 45 of my book Stress, Success and Everything In-Between. These are individual anecdotes but to understand the professional journey in totality, I would recommend reading the book right from Chapter 01 onwards. 

A training programme for women managers of PSUs and banks, conducted by the sprightly Dr Indira Parikh at IIM-Ahmedabad, was quite an eye-opener. A week of interaction with the female participants and the academic inputs brought a heightened awareness of the gender-related issues I was grappling with.

The programme was a live example of how targeted training could help women perform better in the workplace. This invaluable exposure ignited a passion to replicate this empowering experience for my female colleagues grappling alone with gender-related issues.

Riding on the wave of optimism, I pitched in the next Faculty meeting for conducting a similar training programme for women officers. My enthusiasm was shattered when it met an unexpected wall of indifference, and the proposal was dismissed ab initio.

The concept of empowerment of women in the workforce was unheard of in the 1980s and had to meet with skepticism. The prevailing attitude was that women were already a privileged lot, as they were taking home a fat second salary. "Double Engine ki gaadi" is what they called women enviously. What is so special about women? A woman does not require special training as she is not serious about her career. The chances of the training capacity going unused are high as not many would come to attend a training programme, leaving the family and children behind for a week.

Let me confess my inner feminist was hurt by this dismissive response, but it helped to fuel my determination. I became a persistent advocate, tirelessly raising the issue at every forum, highlighting the need for targeted training to address the unique challenges faced by women in the bank. I had become a broken record, playing the same old "Women Need Training" tune at every opportunity, be it in a dyad or in a forum.

One afternoon, there was a sudden flicker of hope. A faculty member who conducted the marketing programme practically burst into my office brimming with glee.

"Yay! I have convinced them to have a special programme for women! Look at this," he declared, brandishing an approved note and beaming like he had just discovered a cure for old age. My excitement fizzled faster than expected as it turned out this programme was actually a marketing programme for women branch managers. It had the same objectives, the same sessions, the same content and the same training inputs. The old wine was to be served to a new target group. I had a strong urge to pull my hair out. Was it mine or his?

This token effort left me deeply frustrated, and I tried my best to get this programme knocked off, but it was not be. Who would listen to a junior official when the approval had already been given by highly senior people? Much to my chagrin, the programme was slated in the calendar as approved.

The day of the Special Marketing Programme for Women Managers arrived. In the introductory session, the course coordinator enthusiastically announced that this was a unique programme, the first of its kind, curated especially for female participants.  In response, the women managers, a formidable bunch, had questions, actually lots of questions. Being a group of astute professionals, they quickly identified the limiting factors of the programme. They voiced their concern, questioning the rationale behind gender-segregated training and articulated the benefits of a more collaborative approach in having a mixed group.

Under the withering barrage of these eloquent participants, the poor course coordinator quickly passed on the blame to me, stating that it was all my idea. As many of the women were known to me, they surrounded me during lunchtime, asking me the rationale for propagating such a mindless concept.

As I had also felt the same way, I fanned their feelings, sharing my frustrations with them and how and why this programme was encapsulated. But they all agreed that having an exclusive programme for women officers to deal with gender-related issues was a great idea. I slyly goaded them on to give this feedback to the top management on the last day and also mention it in their feedback forms.

This resulted in a forceful dialogue between the top management and the vociferous participants during the valedictory session on the last day.

Lo and behold! The marketing programme for women itself became a catalyst for change. The collective voice of the participants, amplified by my unwavering support, resonated with the top leadership of the institute.

The next day, after perusing the Reaction Sheets, the Principal and the Vice Principal called me to design a comprehensive training programme specifically for women officers, a training programme to address the specific needs and challenges faced by women officers in the bank.

Armed with the collective feedback of women managers and a renewed sense of sisterhood, I successfully designed and launched a programme that addressed the gender-related needs of women in the bank.

The series of programmes conducted by the institute was the culmination of my tireless efforts, as they became immensely successful. Exposing nearly all the women officers of the bank to this programme and seeing them benefitting from this initiative remains a source of immense satisfaction for me even today.

Over a period, I became the conductor of this empowering orchestra. We rolled out a series of role-specific programmes, and almost every woman in the bank was exposed to these inputs. It was, without any doubt, the highlight of my training stint and my most satisfying experience in the training system.

This experience underscored the importance of perseverance and collective action in achieving positive change within the organization. The saying, "United we stand, divided we fall," was not merely a clichéd saying for me. It had become a reality.

United, we not only stood, but we also learned to raise our voices and succeed.

(To continue...)

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