The Udaiti Foundation (TUF) and Quess Corp, a pioneer in the staffing solutions sector, released an insightful reporttitled, “From Rhetoric to Action – Creating Gender Inclusive Workplaces”, at a roundtable convening, held in Bengaluru on May 30th. The stakeholder dialogue involved Industry leaders from different sectors, researchers and experts from the social sector deliberating on challenges in hiring and retention of women especially in the blue and grey collar jobs, to develop actionable solutions to achieve gender inclusivity in the workplace across domains.
Other Insights from the Report:
1. Enhancing Retention: The initial 90-day period is critical in addressing early attrition and enhancing retention of associates. Nearly one out of every two associates who quit, do so within the crucial initial 90-day period, with the proportion of female dropouts slightly outpacing their male counterparts. Therefore, this phase demands targeted interventions that could potentially stem the outflow of talent. Data suggests that associates who sustain the initial 3-4 month period post hiring tend to remain in the workforce for an additional 9-10 months.
2. Rising Demand for Women in Manufacturing: The demand for female associates is increasing beyond traditional sectors, particularly in the Chemicals and Manufacturing industries. At present, 11% of the Quess workforce in the manufacturing sector is women, spanning across 400 industrial and manufacturing units. New-age manufacturing companies, especially those in the Electronics Manufacturing Services (EMS) industry, are showing a growing preference for female workers, with some companies employing up to 90% female workforce on their shop floors.
3. Incentives boost retention of women employees: The study indicates that access to benefits significantly improves retention among female associates at Quess. A comprehensive benefits package, including contributions to the Provident Fund (PF) and the Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) scheme, along with performance incentives, plays a crucial role in this. Data reveals that married women with PF benefits are three times more likely to stay with the company compared to those without, while single women with ESIC benefits are 48% more likely to retain their jobs than their counterparts without such benefits. Additionally, performance incentives make single women three times more likely to remain employed, and married women receiving quarterly incentives are seven times more likely to stay.
4. Caregiving becomes core-driver for exits in women employees: Better career opportunities emerge as a dominant driver for departures across genders, accounting for 43% of exits. Women, however, disproportionately cite family responsibilities and health issues, including pregnancy-related concerns, as reasons for leaving their jobs.
Guruprasad Srinivasan, Executive Director and Group CEO, Quess Corp said, “We are happy to see an increase in the workforce participation of women in Quess in some sectors in the last few years, including logistics (35%), FMCG (24%), and manufacturing (11%, but fast-growing). The female labour force participation in urban India is 25.4% for the above 15 age group, as per the government data, which is one of the lowest in the world. Bridging the gender gap in employment can significantly increase the country’s GDP and Quess is committed to this cause. We have been working with our clients and policy makers to hire women across sectors.
