International Women’s Day 2024: This is how tech companies are investing in their women workforce

Mazumadar added that Publicis Sapient mandates that its company-wide hackathon, 'Howathon,' is led by women, an effort to help women show up in leadership positions in technology.

Benefits such as flexible work hours and parental leave have become a norm in several organisations. Workplaces are going above and beyond to make sure they are actively recruiting more women, uplifting them, giving them more opportunities and more to invest in their women workforce.

Prachi Rastogi, Diversity & Inclusion Leader, IBM Asia Pacific, shares that while most companies started their affirmative action programmes in the 1970s, IBM hired its first female employee in 1899 and has been supporting the female staff ever since.

According to Sanket Atal, SVP & Managing Director, Sites, Salesforce India, the company sets annual representation goals tied to its environmental, social, and governance (ESG) priorities. “Last year, we began tying a portion of executive compensation to reaching these goals, which focus on driving greater women’s and URM representation,” he added.

Salesforce has also introduced a new multi-year global gender goal to reach 40% women-identifying and non-binary employees globally by the end of 2026.

Semiconductor manufacturing giant Micron’s female workforce increased globally for the fourth year in a row, representing 31% of the global workforce, which according to Sharmila Khan, Director, Country HR Business Partner, Micron Technology, is trending ahead of the industry average.

Additionally, tech giant Dell has set a goal to ensure that 50% of its global workforce and 40% of global people leaders are women by 2030.

Lenovo India, on the other hand, has 36% women in leadership roles, according to Shailendra Katyal, MD, Lenovo India. Furthermore, the gender diversity ratio (females to males) in manufacturing stands at 33% within the company.

HCLTech saw ⁠gender diversity improve to 29.2% during FY23 and gender diversity at the senior leadership level (E6+) grew by 24% in the past five years, a spokesperson told CNBC-TV18. The company also has 30% women on its board of directors.

Sriram Natarajan, COO of IT management service company Prodapt, said 49% of the total hires at Prodapt are women, 30% of executives are women, and 44% of promotions went to deserving women employees.

Companies are also actively hiring and investing in young women to prepare them for a long and successful career in technology.

HCLTech said 49% of its total campus hiring mix was females in FY23. Santosh TK, Director, Talent Acquisition, Dell Technologies, India, said the company has partnered with Girls Who Code, a non-profit organisation designed to increase the number of women in computer science by enabling girls with the skills and resources they need to succeed. Another student engagement initiative Dell runs is SheCodes, which aims to encourage girls to tinker, create, sustain, and innovate.

“The programme followed a phased approach of student engagement that included mentor-led boot camps, an internship with Dell Technologies, product development & testing, patent/copywriting filing support, and guidance for product launch,” TK added.

Lenovo has designed the Campus to Industrial Careers Program for ITI and vocational women engineers, hence the higher ratio in the company’s manufacturing department.

“By actively engaging with educational institutions and promoting STEM-related learning for young women, we seek to inspire and cultivate future talents intending to pursue careers in engineering and technology,” said Fathima Farouk, Senior Director & HR Head, AMD India.

Farouk believes that tapping into a wider talent pool and actively hiring more women staff across all levels of expertise help drive the company's progress while also designing cutting-edge products and solutions for the customers.

Financial services company Fiserv said its associates volunteer to teach digital literacy and entrepreneurial skills to women from underserved communities. “We have also sponsored STEM in government schools to provide experiential learning to female students,” Sachin Kulkarni, Senior Vice President, Delivery, Global Services, Fiserv, and Executive Sponsor for Women Impact Network (WIN) Employee Resource Group, added.

Speaking on why having more women on board is important to a company’s growth, Pawan Bhageria, President – Global HR, IT, Admin and Education at Tata Technologies, said, “Hiring more women is integral to our strategy, with gender diversity goals embedded in our hiring efforts. This approach has not only addressed the escalating challenge of finding skilled professionals but has also positioned us as a leader in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). Customers increasingly value partners with a genuine commitment to these principles, and our strategic focus on diversity has strengthened customer relationships.”

The company actively collaborates with academic institutions and diversity partners like HerKey and Hirist.Com to engage and identify talented women in STEM fields.

“The EvE (Employment via Education) programme underscores our dedication to enhancing the skills of girls from disadvantaged backgrounds, promoting swift employability through comprehensive skill development,” Bhageria added.

Cybersecurity firm Noventiq sees investing in its female workforce as essential to driving innovation and growth. “We aim to attract the best talent by emphasising the importance of a diverse team that reflects a variety of backgrounds, cultures, nationalities, ages, and genders. Our approach involves looking at the whole person, not just their CV, focusing on their unique personality and how they fit into our organisational culture,” said Rocio Herraiz, Global Head of Communications at Noventiq.

Through the Global Women Mentorship programme, Micron identifies promising engineering talent among young women in universities, providing them with a six-week immersive journey to prepare them for the workforce. “This programme not only nurtures their technical skills but also fosters personal growth and professional relationships,” Khan added.

“By actively recruiting and retaining women, companies can access a larger and more skilled talent pool, which can have a positive impact on the communities in which they operate by promoting equality and inclusion both internally and externally,” Rastogi from IBM said.

A major challenge for women is to rejoin the workforce after a career break. Various reasons such as caregiving, marriage or having a child can lead to such breaks. In an ever-growing sector like technology, it becomes difficult to catch up with your colleagues and get back to work. Organisations are now becoming more aware of this and are actively helping women resume their professional journeys.

To address this, Salesforce launched its 'return to work' programme. “Since its launch, the programme has empowered over 100 women, with a remarkable 75% securing full-time positions. By expanding this initiative to cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, and Hyderabad, we're not just fostering gender equality but also contributing to India's economic growth,” Atal told CNBC-TV18.

HCLTech said ts Momtastic programme resulted in 98.7% of women returning to work post-maternity. Micron has its Our New Beginnings programme to help women re-enter the workforce.

Dell is helping its women pick up where they left off through Dell Career ReStart, which offers professionals a smooth transition to working with the company after leaving the workforce for a year or more. Another initiative from Dell is the return to work, which was launched in March 2018 to allow women who are currently on a break and planning to join the workforce.

“Our REIGNITE programme, designed to reintegrate skilled resources promptly, has played a pivotal role in meeting our staffing needs and providing a competitive advantage. This programme not only addresses immediate requirements but positions us attractively in the talent market,” said Bhageria from Tata Technologies.

Fiserv’s Forward for Her programme is specifically tailored to engage women returning to work after a career break, offering them curated support throughout their career journeys. Mastercard’s standout initiative is its Women Returnship programme, aiding mid-career women returning to work after a break.

“Research consistently underscores the advantages of gender-balanced teams: Improved financial performance, enhanced innovation, and better risk management. To achieve this, we’ve embedded Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) principles into our policies and practices, empowering individuals regardless of gender or background to achieve their highest potential,” Chandrani Sen, Head of HR, India Tech Hub at Mastercard, said.

Apart from this, companies have also launched several initiatives to make sure that leadership positions are not limited to male candidates. For example, IBM's Tanmatra programme developed in partnership with IIM-B and several other active BRGs in India, including Unnati, Pragathi, Shakti, Women in Finance & Operations, and ASIMA Women in Tech, where the focus is on fostering women's growth, leadership, and promoting allyship.

"Capability building in women is the need of the hour. There are specific programmes that our women undergo to enable skill-building on new-age technologies as well as develop leadership competencies through interventions like mentoring, training, role rotations and sponsorship," Padma Neela Jillella, General Manager, Head of HR transformations, Talent Management and DEI at Bosch Global Software Technologies, said.

As we commemorate International Women’s Day in 2024, let us remain steadfast in our commitment to creating a future where every woman has the opportunity to succeed, thrive, and lead in the dynamic world of technology. The journey towards gender parity may be ongoing, but with dedication, collaboration, and determination, we can pave the way for a brighter, more inclusive tomorrow.