Hi !!
I m a recruitment consultant
Recently i came across some good quality profiles of females for some positions in corporates but they were rejected only bcoz they have stopped working since last 4 -5 mths bcoz of either they r on maternity leave or got married recently.
Well i think we need to have a change in this regard in private sector as govt people don face this problem.
What abt private ones???
I wud like to have ur suggestions.
Regards ,
Priyanka
[Admin: Sent by Priyanka]
From India, Gurgaon
660I m a recruitment consultant
Recently i came across some good quality profiles of females for some positions in corporates but they were rejected only bcoz they have stopped working since last 4 -5 mths bcoz of either they r on maternity leave or got married recently.
Well i think we need to have a change in this regard in private sector as govt people don face this problem.
What abt private ones???
I wud like to have ur suggestions.
Regards ,
Priyanka
[Admin: Sent by Priyanka]
From India, Gurgaon
Dear Priyanka,
Appreciate your concern about employment bais wirh Women!
In private sector ..it is a mindset block that employing a female can lead to many uncertain causes for absence.
What i feel is .. we should make these things clear during the selection process itself....now, how to go about it...may be......
1). undertand from your business if sudden break of an employee (due to maternity/marrige/unwell/home related issues) would cause lot of damange to work? If yes, do you have any stand- by or replacement arrangement for that duration?
2). During the interview process, understand clearly about future plans of the person....if she's planning to get married (by age)..or if she's planning to start her family? Lot of cross questioning and dwelling help in this case!!
I am sure a proper selection process can help us aviod these situations...and in any case...it is a natural process that no one can stop :D .....but can always be planned and informed in advance !
DO revert if your veiws differ from this.
Thanks,
Nupur
Appreciate your concern about employment bais wirh Women!
In private sector ..it is a mindset block that employing a female can lead to many uncertain causes for absence.
What i feel is .. we should make these things clear during the selection process itself....now, how to go about it...may be......
1). undertand from your business if sudden break of an employee (due to maternity/marrige/unwell/home related issues) would cause lot of damange to work? If yes, do you have any stand- by or replacement arrangement for that duration?
2). During the interview process, understand clearly about future plans of the person....if she's planning to get married (by age)..or if she's planning to start her family? Lot of cross questioning and dwelling help in this case!!
I am sure a proper selection process can help us aviod these situations...and in any case...it is a natural process that no one can stop :D .....but can always be planned and informed in advance !
DO revert if your veiws differ from this.
Thanks,
Nupur
Hi all,
Priyanka:- Thanks for putting up a very relevant question facing the organizations in today's times.
Nupur:- Thank you for your valuable comments, by the way, Welcome to Citehr.com !!! we all hope to learn from your experiences & comments.
Would like to share my views on this :-
Q.Recently i came across some good quality profiles of females for some positions in corporates but they were rejected only bcoz they have stopped working since last 4 -5 mths bcoz of either they r on maternity leave or got married recently.
QWhat i feel is .. we should make these things clear during the selection process itself....now, how to go about it...may be......
1). undertand from your business if sudden break of an employee (due to maternity/marrige/unwell/home related issues) would cause lot of damange to work? If yes, do you have any stand- by or replacement arrangement for that duration?
2). During the interview process, understand clearly about future plans of the person....if she's planning to get married (by age)..or if she's planning to start her family? Lot of cross questioning and dwelling help in this case!!
I am sure a proper selection process can help us aviod these situations...and in any case...it is a natural process that no one can stop .....but can always be planned and informed in advance !
A: Lets all understand one thing- women workforce in the corporate world especially in India is becoming a valuable resource and tremendous change in attitudes is required by all of us in HR.
I interact a lot with students in B-schools campuses while conducting workshops on Business Creativity and what i have realized is that girls are far more creative & have higher problem solving abilities than boys. This augurs well for our country as they would be Tomorow's leaders.
Now coming to issues like marriage & family- we HR professionals need to have an empathy in this issues notwithstanding the adverse views from top management or Division heads. I ask all of you - wouldn't your wife or sister someday plan to get married or raise a family!
Would like to share my experience in this matter:-
1. We had interviewed a young gal with two years of experience and found her really competent. When Marketing Head asked her about her marriage plans - she said that her parents are looking for a suitable groom for her.
Post interview:- Marketing Head wasn't keen to recruit her as he felt she wouldn't stay for too long as she would get married & leave.
My question:- Lets admit one thing one thing she is honest about this and could have lied saying that she plans to get married after 3-4 years!..Let's focus on competency and hire her.
Despite Marketing Head reservations- she was hired and when she was given the offer letter we were honest with her about our reservations which she liked and appreciated. She became one of the top three performers and of course subsequently she got married but in the same city and continued working with us.
My point is that is if we take care of them, show an understanding & have an empathy, create a favourable work environment in terms of work life balances, maternity leaves, medical facilities etc - then these issues wouldn't matter much and you would be enable them to give higher productivity which would contribute to company's bottomline.
Cheerio
Rajat
From India, Pune
Priyanka:- Thanks for putting up a very relevant question facing the organizations in today's times.
Nupur:- Thank you for your valuable comments, by the way, Welcome to Citehr.com !!! we all hope to learn from your experiences & comments.
Would like to share my views on this :-
Q.Recently i came across some good quality profiles of females for some positions in corporates but they were rejected only bcoz they have stopped working since last 4 -5 mths bcoz of either they r on maternity leave or got married recently.
QWhat i feel is .. we should make these things clear during the selection process itself....now, how to go about it...may be......
1). undertand from your business if sudden break of an employee (due to maternity/marrige/unwell/home related issues) would cause lot of damange to work? If yes, do you have any stand- by or replacement arrangement for that duration?
2). During the interview process, understand clearly about future plans of the person....if she's planning to get married (by age)..or if she's planning to start her family? Lot of cross questioning and dwelling help in this case!!
I am sure a proper selection process can help us aviod these situations...and in any case...it is a natural process that no one can stop .....but can always be planned and informed in advance !
A: Lets all understand one thing- women workforce in the corporate world especially in India is becoming a valuable resource and tremendous change in attitudes is required by all of us in HR.
I interact a lot with students in B-schools campuses while conducting workshops on Business Creativity and what i have realized is that girls are far more creative & have higher problem solving abilities than boys. This augurs well for our country as they would be Tomorow's leaders.
Now coming to issues like marriage & family- we HR professionals need to have an empathy in this issues notwithstanding the adverse views from top management or Division heads. I ask all of you - wouldn't your wife or sister someday plan to get married or raise a family!
Would like to share my experience in this matter:-
1. We had interviewed a young gal with two years of experience and found her really competent. When Marketing Head asked her about her marriage plans - she said that her parents are looking for a suitable groom for her.
Post interview:- Marketing Head wasn't keen to recruit her as he felt she wouldn't stay for too long as she would get married & leave.
My question:- Lets admit one thing one thing she is honest about this and could have lied saying that she plans to get married after 3-4 years!..Let's focus on competency and hire her.
Despite Marketing Head reservations- she was hired and when she was given the offer letter we were honest with her about our reservations which she liked and appreciated. She became one of the top three performers and of course subsequently she got married but in the same city and continued working with us.
My point is that is if we take care of them, show an understanding & have an empathy, create a favourable work environment in terms of work life balances, maternity leaves, medical facilities etc - then these issues wouldn't matter much and you would be enable them to give higher productivity which would contribute to company's bottomline.
Cheerio
Rajat
From India, Pune
Priyanka
As a recruitment consultant you have a important role to play in the hiring process of your client as well. If you think a candidate deserves the attention because of her background and experience, you should make a case to the hiring manager regarding her suitability to the job. Do not take a straight no, If we as HR professionals have such a mental block, we need education and you could play that part effectiively.
This is something I would consider serious discrimination and I am very surprised to hear that you continue to see a pattern and that too from many companies.
I think its very important for us to look at best practices from around the world in such context and mature our perspectives along with processes.
As a recruitment consultant you have a important role to play in the hiring process of your client as well. If you think a candidate deserves the attention because of her background and experience, you should make a case to the hiring manager regarding her suitability to the job. Do not take a straight no, If we as HR professionals have such a mental block, we need education and you could play that part effectiively.
This is something I would consider serious discrimination and I am very surprised to hear that you continue to see a pattern and that too from many companies.
I think its very important for us to look at best practices from around the world in such context and mature our perspectives along with processes.
Rajat, Appreciate your veiws on the subject matter! Hope to have great interaction & exchange of knowledge .... btw,can i get to acces the to list/profile of members of this forum? Regards, Nupur
Dear Colleagues,
As one or two of us has mentioned earlier it is always better to benchmark with best practices around the world.
It is a natural phenomenon that a person of the female gender would someday if she chooses get married-hence when documents are written giving conditions of maternity or marriage I think we as HR Practitioners should try as much as possible to give room for relief officers for such female employees who have shown capabilities of handwork.
This, if not nibbed in the bud could be seen as discrimination on the grounds of gender and even marital status-while some global corporations are forward looking even creating creche at the work place some are still busy frustrating young women from getting pregnant within the first two years of their marriage!!!
HR Practitioners around the globe should start networking in an effort to put an end to such condition/s of service or contract in letters of appointment given to female employees.
Thanks
From Nigeria, Lagos
As one or two of us has mentioned earlier it is always better to benchmark with best practices around the world.
It is a natural phenomenon that a person of the female gender would someday if she chooses get married-hence when documents are written giving conditions of maternity or marriage I think we as HR Practitioners should try as much as possible to give room for relief officers for such female employees who have shown capabilities of handwork.
This, if not nibbed in the bud could be seen as discrimination on the grounds of gender and even marital status-while some global corporations are forward looking even creating creche at the work place some are still busy frustrating young women from getting pregnant within the first two years of their marriage!!!
HR Practitioners around the globe should start networking in an effort to put an end to such condition/s of service or contract in letters of appointment given to female employees.
Thanks
From Nigeria, Lagos
Hi,
I appreciate the reply given by rajat. It is true that honesty has to be respected.
Also we could look at it in a different angle. If the company appoints a lady having a gap in her profile either due to marriage or maternity, they can be assured that the lady would not take long breaks again as she is sort of settled in her personal life. This should work as a positive factor, as there are less chances that she takes a long break.
But it is also for the girls that they should not take advantage of that fact.
Regards,
Soumya Shankar
From India, Bangalore
I appreciate the reply given by rajat. It is true that honesty has to be respected.
Also we could look at it in a different angle. If the company appoints a lady having a gap in her profile either due to marriage or maternity, they can be assured that the lady would not take long breaks again as she is sort of settled in her personal life. This should work as a positive factor, as there are less chances that she takes a long break.
But it is also for the girls that they should not take advantage of that fact.
Regards,
Soumya Shankar
From India, Bangalore
Hi friends,
I do agree with some of the points discussed. But to bring to your kind notice. Now the trend seems to have changed to a maximum extent. In my own company, I have a software Developer, she is good in her area of work and is indispensable. She recently got married and is presently going to take maternity leave. The management was advised to have a back up especially from the time she would be off. The HR department did the needful. But in the mean time she developed some complications that normally women face during pregnancy, hence she was asked not to travel. The HR had to come with a solution for this with immediate effect. We set up a computer at her house and took care of the net connection and other related matters. Presently she is serving us from her home. She is online for the whole day for the clients and the assistant who joined as a back up is also working simultaneously to cover her absence in future.
I feel ultimately technology has answer to most of the discrimination, but it is upto the management to accept the changes.
Any comments are welcome.
Regards.
Srividya
From India, Hyderabad
I do agree with some of the points discussed. But to bring to your kind notice. Now the trend seems to have changed to a maximum extent. In my own company, I have a software Developer, she is good in her area of work and is indispensable. She recently got married and is presently going to take maternity leave. The management was advised to have a back up especially from the time she would be off. The HR department did the needful. But in the mean time she developed some complications that normally women face during pregnancy, hence she was asked not to travel. The HR had to come with a solution for this with immediate effect. We set up a computer at her house and took care of the net connection and other related matters. Presently she is serving us from her home. She is online for the whole day for the clients and the assistant who joined as a back up is also working simultaneously to cover her absence in future.
I feel ultimately technology has answer to most of the discrimination, but it is upto the management to accept the changes.
Any comments are welcome.
Regards.
Srividya
From India, Hyderabad
Dear friends,
namaskar.
In the public sector married or not a woman can get maternity leave. Still then jobs like military and police are less represented by women folk. Being a woman has her limitations in certain spheres. So faminist rules are not enough to bring parity of men and women in every shere of life.
In the corporate sector reasonable profit through the contribution of the work force is the goal. Can a company pay for no work for a long period? The possibilty seems to be remote.
This is a natural compulsion for both the corporate employer and a female employee. Under the circumstances, the female employee may choose to remain spinster and be in the job or may choose matrimony. This is a hard individual decision. the situation will be certainly happier if it can be made more humane. But it too appears remote.
Regards,
Jogeshwar
From India, Delhi
namaskar.
In the public sector married or not a woman can get maternity leave. Still then jobs like military and police are less represented by women folk. Being a woman has her limitations in certain spheres. So faminist rules are not enough to bring parity of men and women in every shere of life.
In the corporate sector reasonable profit through the contribution of the work force is the goal. Can a company pay for no work for a long period? The possibilty seems to be remote.
This is a natural compulsion for both the corporate employer and a female employee. Under the circumstances, the female employee may choose to remain spinster and be in the job or may choose matrimony. This is a hard individual decision. the situation will be certainly happier if it can be made more humane. But it too appears remote.
Regards,
Jogeshwar
From India, Delhi
It is interesting to see the differences in practice across different countries.
In Australia it is ILLEGAL to discriminate on the grounds of marital staus or pregnancy (as well as on the grounds of gender, disability, age, religion, race, nationality etc).
If an employer so much as asked a woman if she was going to get married or have children shewould have every legal right to lodge a complaint with the Equal Opportunities Commission and it is likely the employer would have to pay her compensation!
Not only that, but in May 2005, women in the South Australian Public sector were granted up to 12 weeks of PAID maternity and adoption leave. They can continue to take unpaid leave after this for up to 1 year, and then have another 2 years of unpaid "parenting" leave. The employer must guarantee the woman a "right of return" to her own job at the conclusion of maternity or parenting leave.
When a woman has 2 or more children close together, they can be on leave for years and still have a job to return to!
From Australia, Ballarat
In Australia it is ILLEGAL to discriminate on the grounds of marital staus or pregnancy (as well as on the grounds of gender, disability, age, religion, race, nationality etc).
If an employer so much as asked a woman if she was going to get married or have children shewould have every legal right to lodge a complaint with the Equal Opportunities Commission and it is likely the employer would have to pay her compensation!
Not only that, but in May 2005, women in the South Australian Public sector were granted up to 12 weeks of PAID maternity and adoption leave. They can continue to take unpaid leave after this for up to 1 year, and then have another 2 years of unpaid "parenting" leave. The employer must guarantee the woman a "right of return" to her own job at the conclusion of maternity or parenting leave.
When a woman has 2 or more children close together, they can be on leave for years and still have a job to return to!
From Australia, Ballarat
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