NEW DELHI, Aug 30: Terming household responsibilities as one of the major reasons for attrition among women employees, a Parliamentary committee today recommended introducing “flexible timings” for them, especially young mothers, so that organisations can retain talent.
The panel also said that action taken on complaints of sexual harassment at workplace by various organisations it interacted was “not satisfactory.”
This was stated in the latest report of the Standing Committee on Law, Personnel and Public Grievances on the ‘Status of women in government employment and in public sector undertakings with regard to the service conditions, protection against exploitation, incentives and other related issues’ tabled in both Houses of Parliament.
On the issue of attrition among female employees, the panel said during its discussions with various organisations, it could infer that one of the major reasons for women leaving a job is responsibilities within the household.
“The committee believes that adopting a policy of flexible timings for women and young mothers helps in ensuring better balance between work and home,” it said.
The panel said it is of the view that if this factor responsible for attrition is “adequately addressed”, it would help in retaining experienced and skilled staff, preserving commitment and loyalty and minimising the need for training and capacity building of fresh recruits.
“The committee recommends that the Ministry (of Personnel) may further explore the possibility of framing a policy on ‘staggered working hours’ or ‘work at home’ for women exployees.
The panel said that in government, percentage of women employees is 10.4 per cent, in railways 6.4 per cent and in defence civilian workforce 10.79 per cent. Only in banking and financial institutions, the representation of women is around 30 per cent.
On the issue of women’s safety, the committee said organisations should ensure that proper transportation facilities are available, particularly to women employees when they commute beyond office hours.
On sexual harassment, it said merely transferring the delinquent employee to a different branch/station is not an adequate redressal and that strict disciplinary action should be taken in case the accused is found guilty. “The punishment has to be a deterrent for prospective offenders,” the report said.
It said the Prevention of Sexual Harassment at Workplace Act, 2013 should be implemented in letter and spirit.
It asked the government to ensure that grant of maternity leave of 180 days be uniform in all the government departments and the organisations under their control. (PTI)
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