Addressing The Top Well-Being Challenges Facing Women At The Workplace

As India Inc. aims for equitable gender representation at workplaces, several well-being factors weigh heavily on women professionals.

Saraswathi Kasturirangan, Chief Happiness Officer, Deloitte India shares key well-being issues and possible countermeasures:

High stress levels and stigma around mental health

Deloitte’s 2024 Women @ Work reports that 50% of women respondents in India report higher stress levels than a year ago. However, only 42% get adequate mental health support. What can organisations do?

1. Make your counselling helpline effectiveOnly one-third of women feel comfortable talking about their mental health at the workplace, mainly fearing obstacles to career growth. Emphasize confidentiality to improve adoption of confidential counselling helplines. Invite counsellors themselves to explain the counselling process and break the stigma.
2. Take care of each otherCreate a peer-to-peer network of mental health volunteers. Train them on maintaining confidentiality, non-judgemental listening, and recognising severe situations that need professional help.
3. Make mental health a managerial imperativeMove beyond performance discussions and include people’s physical and mental well-being in check-ins. The focus should be on judgement-free listening and not using matters shared as “ammunition”.Menstrual disorders, menopause, and fertility challenges are affecting womenAmongst Indian women facing reproductive health challenges, 41% experience high levels of pain due to menstruation and work through this pain/discomfort or other related symptoms. This figure is 49% for women undergoing menopause and 54% for those facing fertility issues. This calls for a multi-pronged approach.
4. Organisations can create a network of careProvide customised annual health check-ups for women, access to doctors, and plan expert-hosted sessions addressing women’s unique needs.
5. Consider having an umbrella concept of a well-being leaveThis should be over and above your regular leave quota and can be availed for any physical and mental well-being reasons, including those mentioned in this section.
6. Respect privacy but do not brush off difficult conversationsOrganisations must also have zero tolerance for inappropriate comments about menstruation/menopause/fertility issues, and conscious/unconscious biases limiting career growth opportunities for women because of these.

   Unpredictable schedules, disproportional caregiving responsibilities, and inability to speak out are putting physical well-being on the back burnerAs per the survey, a quarter of women report unpredictable working patterns but over 90% can’t discuss work-life balance with managers and don’t trust the efficacy of flexi-work options.

7. Ensure that flexible work options are easily accessible, effective, and acceptable Consider updating office calendars to align them with standard working hours, public holidays, and personal times off to prevent meetings outside these times.Encourage all genders to share the load at home by offering equal caregiving and parental benefits to all.

   Organisations must go all-in and all-heart to prioritise women’s well-being at work. Only then can women professionals unleash their full potential.