Use of technology has resulted in more efficient workplaces and workforces. That is a fact we all know and acknowledge. The lesser known fact, however, is that technology plays a significant role in closing the gender gap at work. In fact, a whopping 80 per cent employers in India believe that technology has helped them be more flexible, which has promoted gender equality. Seventy-three per cent employers from the Asia Pacific (APAC), and 61 per cent from Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) share the same sentiment.
A good 77 per cent employers in India feel technological advancements facilitate gender equality.
Manpower Group’s ‘India Gender Diversity Report 2024’ reveals that employers across APAC are the most optimistic about the effect of technology on promoting gender equality. An encouraging 68 per cent employers from the APAC are optimistic with regard to technology’s role in gender equality compared to 63 per cent of employers from North, Central and South America, and 57 per cent from Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
What drives organisations when it comes to success in terms of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB)?
Interestingly, 59 per cent of the employers rank trust and well-being as the most effective drivers of DEIB success. Therefore, they believe in building trusting relationships with teams. Fifty-seven per cent feel effectively supporting employee well-being drives DEIB, whereas 54 per cent feel recognising employees for contributing to a positive culture does. Fifty-three per cent think DEIB success is driven by mentoring and guiding employees across different working models, while 53 per cent feel it is driven by gathering feedback from employees who work flexibly on their experience.
A significant 53 per cent opine that training managers to better manage employees working remotely/flexibly is responsible for DEIB success, while 51 per cent believe tracking promotion outcomes for employee programmes is.
About 50 per cent employers believe implementing policies to ensure equal opportunities for career development is important for DEIB success, while 49 per cent believe offering support to employees caring for the elderly and sick is important.
Another 48 per cent think proactively communicating with teams across different work models drives success, while 48 per cent feel that measuring the use and impact of flexibility policies drives success in this area. There are also the 42 per cent employers who feel offering childcare reimbursements drives DEIB success.
What is the role of internal leadership-development programmes?
The report says that internal leadership-development programmes have been the most effective when it comes to retention and securing of diverse talent. Forty-three per cent of companies admit that by engaging in internal leadership-development programmes they have been able to retain talent and expand their candidate pool to be more diverse. Of these, 50 per cent belong to the information technology space, while 45 per cent belong to the finance and real-estate space.
Talent acquisition and diversity
Of the 3,150 employers from India who were part of the survey, 77 per cent employers admit that talent acquisition contributes significantly to fostering a diverse candidate pool. They also feel that human resources (HR) and hiring decision makers play a crucial role in creating an equitable and inclusive environment for all. Ultimately, this results in higher retention.
Seventy-seven per cent employers admit their organisations continue to invest in DEIB efforts and are growing their programmes and initiatives in this area. It is very encouraging to note that a whopping 74 per cent employers think qualified candidates for IT roles are becoming more gender diverse now than in the past. In fact, 77 per cent employers are of the opinion that advancement in technology has led to overall gender equality. About 70 per cent employers say that artificial intelligence (AI) is helping them recruit the best candidates, irrespective of their gender.