Chasing quarterly targets and raising children are anyway part of these women?s lives. But they are also making time to fight for a greener future. And this clutch of women call themselves WoW, or Women of Wipro. In a first of its kind, IT major Wipro, in Hyderabad, is honouring its women workforce with the title ?green ambassadors?.
For Sunita Cherian, GM, HR, the thought behind the new programme is to empower women to be catalysts in every social change and recognise diversity at the company. ?Though we have women in various leadership roles enterprise-wide, WoW is an all-inclusive initiative aimed at bolstering opportunities for women who work at Wipro. We are already seeing strong levels of advocacy for the programme.?
The WoW initiative was launched as a chapter of Wipro?s Diversity Council. Wipro?s green ambassadors will drive change in the environment and undertake various tasks and projects that emphasise ?green?. The initiative will be driven by these ambassadors at a personal level, being part of Women of Wipro, and also by the organisation. To embark upon the green journey, eco-bags, specially made for women employees, are being given.
The ?eco-bag? contains a quick and easy list of green steps, called ?shades of green?, for the people to start with. Going forward, the WoW charter will include several initiatives that have a significant social impact and where women can play a catalytic role in ushering in change. WoW will also work towards creating visibility for its female leadership, both internally and externally.
Building sustainable networks that contribute to the success of the business, community and self-development would be the other highlights of the initiative, informs the company.
Says Azim Premji, chairman, Wipro: ?In corporate India, I have been seeing very positive shifts in the last few decades that have made it easier for women to contribute to organisational growth. There are many instances where the so-called glass ceiling has been shattered. There is no doubt that having more women in an organisation can help in making it more profitable.?
Commenting on the drive, Sangita Singh, senior vice president, Enterprise Application Services says: ?We believe that women are great influencers and once they are convinced, they are great brand ambassadors for an idea. And with their circle of influence they can really impact a change in the environment we all are part of. We are leveraging them as one of the groups in Wipro who can help make a difference.?
A core diversity council has been set up to breathe life into these initiatives. The council consists of representatives from every function at a senior level. However, Singh adds: ?One needs to remember that these steps are not at the cost of creating a gender bias which is at the other extreme. All of us, men and women, work very hard at Wipro, and keep the larger organisational goals in mind at all times.??
?Wipro?s green ambassadors will influence a change in the environment, and undertake various projects emphasising the aspect of ?green?. The initiative will be driven by the ambassadors at a personal level being part of Women of Wipro, and also by the organisation,?? she adds.
Gender inclusion is a culture, not compliance to have all three dimensions in place ? physical infrastructure, mental development and emotional support
It is a business initiative, not an HR initiative; it is walking the tight rope ? enabling versus discriminating; and fulfilling goals, but not putting artificial pressure on the system, she adds.
Says Preeti Rajora, GM, Strategic Sourcing: ?Given the pivotal role that women as a workforce plays at Wipro, WoW seeks to garner their active involvement in creating new social and environmental benchmarks within the company. The response to our campaign, which kicked-off on International Women?s Day, has been phenomenal and we are very pleased with the progress so far.??
The other important aspect of WoW is to work towards creating visibility for its female leadership both internally and externally ? enhancing their technical, professional, and personal development. It will also emphasise on building sustainable and growing networks that will help contribute to the success of the business, community and self-development. Talent attraction, development and retention are other key components of this initiative.?
Going forward, the immediate and long-term course of action planned for the WoW campaign is to groom women leaders into role models; diversity programmes to hone personality development, gender sensitisation programmes; gender audits and breaking policy barriers which are not favourable to women employees, apart from a leadership programme.