KG Institutions- Now One of India’s Top 100 Best Workplaces for Women
For a long time, the Indian workplace was no reflection of the Indian marketplace. A predominantly male-dominated boardroom dictated the choices of a diverse consumer base. This unfortunately meant that the female consumer and the female employee were rarely a satisfied demographic.
Now, the female market player, on both sides of the demand-supply equation, is gaining a distinct voice of her own. If today’s workplace doesn’t evolve accordingly, there is a real risk of redundancy.
Fortunately, some companies have been proactive in evolving with the times and tuning their workplaces to better cater to the needs of their marketplaces.
Why does this matter?
Leading companies have taken on the task of making their workplaces gender diverse and inclusive for women- not merely as a matter of ethics, but also of strategy- and with good reasons.
• When workplaces have more women at all levels, they get better insights into what their entire (not just male) consumer base wants. Armed with this information, they are better able to cater to their needs. Result: products and services that understood the assignment, which means a more satisfied (and loyal) consumer base.
• When a diverse talent pool grows, companies stand to strike gold in terms of new and unique ideas and solutions.
• When there are more women in the workplace, female employees would always have an understanding colleague around when faced with tough challenges. This makes for a supportive work culture.
What does being a Best Workplace mean?
One way to keep track of these business leaders is the ‘India’s Best Workplaces for Women 2023’, a research report from Great Place to Work, an established authority on workplace culture that has been putting out Best Workplaces Lists and global benchmarks covering 150 countries since 1992.
These ‘Best Workplaces’ stand out from other Indian workplaces. We will let numbers talk here:
• This year, women in Best Workplaces are enjoying a 5% more positive work culture experience. This has translated to 89% of women ready to go the extra mile to get the work done.
• Best Workplaces employ 17% more females compared to their peers- making them key drivers of the encouraging trends in women’s representation in the workforce (increased from 21% in 2021 to 26% in 2023).
• They perform better than their peers in terms of:
o Fair promotions (better by 5%)
o Fair pay (better by 6%)
o Fair share of profits (better by 8%)
o Customized benefits (better by 10%)
o Involvement in decision-making (better by 7%)
o 6% more rejection of favoritism
o 7% more rejection of workplace politics
KG Trust- Beacon of Inclusivity
This year, we are honored to have our KGiSL IIM, KGCAS, KITE, and KGM featured in the Top 100 India’s Best Workplaces for Women (Mid-size) list. This recognition is the product of multiple initiatives- a natural consequence of our ideals of inclusive development.
• KG Institutions boast a strong presence of female personnel, with female staff strength coming in around 246 (this is more than male staff strength). We have capable women holding key leadership roles. For instance, Dr. Rathinamala J (Principal of KGCAS), Dr.D.Kavitha (Director, KGiSL IIM), etc.
• In 2020, Smt. Divyalakshmi Awards was launched in memory of Mrs. Divyalakshmi Ashok, the late Founder-Director of KGiSL, to celebrate self-made female achievers. Some of the esteemed recipients of this award include:
1. Ms. J. Innocent Divya, IAS Officer, Managing Director- Tamil Nadu Skill Development Corporation
2. Ms. Commander Prasanna Edayilliam, Retired Naval Officer- Indian Navy, Head of Mahila Wing- VDM India NGO, Executive Member- Distress Management Collective India
3. Ms. Meenakshi Vijayakumar, First Indian Women Fire Officer
4. Ms. A. S. Thahira, Inspector, State Crime Records Bureau
5. Ms. Preethi Srinivasan, Paraplegic Motivational Speaker
6. Ms. P. Seetha, Graveyard Keeper
7. Ms. Sheeba Ameer, Social Worker, Founder of Solace
8. Ms. Tiffany Brar, Social Service Worker, Founder – Jyothirgamaya Foundation
9. Ms. Trisha Prabhu, Innovator, Social Entrepreneur, Global Advocate and Inventor of ReThink
• Thoughtful amenities like sanitary napkins and vending machines in all restrooms.
• We care for our female employees’ and students’ overall well-being by encouraging their participation in Zumba, physical rehab, and Yoga sessions.
At KG Institutions, we go beyond ticking boxes when it comes to making our workplace more gender-inclusive.