Gender equality in the workplace has been a focal point globally for the past few years. The Randstad Workmonitor survey looked at employee sentiments around this topic and revealed interesting findings. Around 55 per cent of the overall survey respondents from India indicated that men are favoured over women when two candidates are equally qualified for the same job at their workplace.

When asked for preference, 70 per cent of the male respondents from India mentioned that they prefer a male as direct manager and in reality, a vast majority actually have one currently. The figures deviate among women as only 41 per cent of the female respondents prefer a male as direct manager and 50 per cent actually have one currently.

“Gender diversity may be high on the agenda for India Inc today, but what I believe is that diversity is not just a goal or a guideline, it is a business imperative. All the corporate and government initiatives are just a start, the real change can happen only when we succeed in addressing the deep-rooted mind sets about the role of women at work,” said Paul Dupuis, managing director and chief executive officer, Randstad India.

Despite numerous reports highlighting the continuous gender pay gap, the study also found that a whopping 91 per cent of the respondents from India believed that at their workplace, both men and women in similar roles were rewarded equally. This is much higher than the global average of 79 per cent, who thought so.

“It is a proven fact that diverse organisations perform better as this offers an assortment of knowledge and skills. An objective and ethical organisational philosophy that values an individual for the competencies they bring to the table is critical. After all, a country has truly evolved only when diversity in its true spirit is promoted across, with corporates setting the benchmarks, creating a conducive work environment for women. This will definitely help India reap rich rewards of economic growth as well,” said Dupuis.

In heading a team, 93 per cent say that their direct manager plays an important role in setting the team spirit and 90 per cent also agree that their direct manager advocates company culture and sets the example for the rest of the team members. On a more positive note, team diversity was highly appreciated by all the employees globally, who were part of this study.